Review of Selma (2014) by Gregory G — 19 May 2017

Earnest civil rights drama depicting the 1965 marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in support of voting rights equality for African-Americans led by the non-violent activist leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(David Oyelowo). The march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge by peaceful demonstrators who were attacked by armed officers - an incident that became known as Bloody Sunday - led to passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act.

The movie is most effective as a complex representation of King. He's not presented as a saint but as a man struggling with self-doubt and marital infidelity. Oyelowo is impressive at showing King's enormous oratory skills, but is just as compelling in conveying his shrewdness.

It must be noted that the portrayal of LBJ (a miscast Tom Wilkinson) as an antagonist to MLK and Civil Rights is so historically dubious it marginally undermines the picture. Fortunately, writer Paul Webb and director Ava DuVernay have crafted a passionate, emotionally stirring movie that reverberates even more now.

Won Oscar for Best Song. Cinematography is by Bradford Young. Music is by Jason Moran. With Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King; Tim Roth as George Wallace; Oprah Winfrey; Lorraine Toussaint; Cuba Gooding, Jr.