Selma: Movie Review
Director Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” has taken quite a long time to make it to the big screen. Stuck in development for many years, it was a wonder if the movie would ever be made. Sometimes it is amazing how things work out, with the recent events in the news, this short window in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King has never felt more timely.
The film’s title is in reference to the town of Selma, where in 1965, Dr. King (played wonderfully by David Oyelowo) lead a campaign to secure equal voting rights for his race. This or course led to the historical march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Writer Paul Webb’s first screenplay does a great job depicting the events that lead up to the march and introducing us to the people in King’s life.
We are taken through King’s frustrating relationship with President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson). King’s shaky marriage to Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo). Plus King’s followers Reverend Hosea Williams (Wendell Pierce), James Bevel (Common), Jimmie Lee Jackson (Keith Stanfield), and John Lewis (Stephan James). Of course King also had to go against George Wallace (always the great bad guy, Tim Roth).
“Selma” is a terrific film, but it is Oyelowo’s performance as Dr. King that really stands out. This is also the kind of movie that I feel should be shown in schools. It is an important story, thankfully Webb and DuVernay do it justice.