“THE GREAT DEBATERS” is a film on black issue set in the 1930s at Marshal, Texas where surrendered as the last city after the civil war, as James Farmer Jr. says. (1) It’s the story of a team of four, leading by professor Melvin Tolson in the small Wiley College who try to prove black equality in the time of “Jim Crow laws, lynch mobs and …the great depression” of Texas. (2) A young, black, debate team who finally succeeds to win the Harvard debate. The team is consisted of “Henry lowe, a handsome, clean-cut youth with a lurking bad-boy streak, Hamilton Burgess, a dutiful, eager, beaver…, Samantha Booke, a straight-laced, aspiring –would be-lawyer and a soft-edged proto-feminist, and finally James Farmer jr, a preachers son whose father keeps him on a tight lash”. (3) The leader of the team, professor Tolson, happens to be a recognized African-American poet with political leanings who organizes the National Sharecroppers Union working for both poor whites and blacks whose ‘servitude is the same’.(4)
Although the dominant theme is progress and change, it is highly concerned with racism. The characters face lynching mobs who had killed and were burning the body of a black, Dr. Tolson was under restrictions by the Sheriff for his political activities and many other signs of black segregation and inequality in the liberal democrat society of America. However, the team brings forth issues like Gandhi, World wars, justice and law to make the context more humanitarian. The concepts repeating in different senses several times are “an unjust law is no law at all” (a paraphrase of Augustine of Hippo) (5) and “doing what you ‘have to do’ in order that we ‘can do’ what we ‘want to do’.” (6) According to Denzel Washington, the director and the actor for Dr. Tolson, “It is not a film about ‘racism in Texas in 1935. It’s what these young people did about it … to overcome whatever obstacles were in their way… It’s the story of hope rather than race’.” (7)
Based on a true story, the real character of James Farmer jr, became a civil rights movement leader in 1950s-60s and founded the congress of Racial Equality. Samantha Books also became an aspiring lawyer. (8)
The director of the film, is the Oscar winner Denzel Washington, born in 1954, New York. He
has acted in 51 movies starting with Wilma (1977) and the last which is still in production, “Inside Man2” (2010). He also has produced four movies and directed “the great debaters” (2007) and “Antowne Fisher” (2002). (9)
The writer of the film is Rbert Eisele, born in 1948, California. With tow wins and four nominations he has written 15 movies among them “Breach of contract” (1982) and “Hurricane season” (2009), produced 7 including “Last night” (1993) and “Resurrection blvd” (2000) acted in 2. Eisele had taught acting and playwriting at the Rio Hondo College in Whittier. (10)
The producer of the film is Oprah Winfrey who “rose from poverty and a troubled youth to become the most powerful and influential woman in television. She is a recognized talk show hostess, producer and actor”. (11)
The Great Debaters
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Denzel Washington
Produced by
Oprah WinfreyJoe RothBob WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein
Written by
Jeffrey PorroRobert Eisele
Starring
Denzel Washington
Although the dominant theme is progress and change, it is highly concerned with racism. The characters face lynching mobs who had killed and were burning the body of a black, Dr. Tolson was under restrictions by the Sheriff for his political activities and many other signs of black segregation and inequality in the liberal democrat society of America. However, the team brings forth issues like Gandhi, World wars, justice and law to make the context more humanitarian. The concepts repeating in different senses several times are “an unjust law is no law at all” (a paraphrase of Augustine of Hippo) (5) and “doing what you ‘have to do’ in order that we ‘can do’ what we ‘want to do’.” (6) According to Denzel Washington, the director and the actor for Dr. Tolson, “It is not a film about ‘racism in Texas in 1935. It’s what these young people did about it … to overcome whatever obstacles were in their way… It’s the story of hope rather than race’.” (7)
Based on a true story, the real character of James Farmer jr, became a civil rights movement leader in 1950s-60s and founded the congress of Racial Equality. Samantha Books also became an aspiring lawyer. (8)
The director of the film, is the Oscar winner Denzel Washington, born in 1954, New York. He
has acted in 51 movies starting with Wilma (1977) and the last which is still in production, “Inside Man2” (2010). He also has produced four movies and directed “the great debaters” (2007) and “Antowne Fisher” (2002). (9)
The writer of the film is Rbert Eisele, born in 1948, California. With tow wins and four nominations he has written 15 movies among them “Breach of contract” (1982) and “Hurricane season” (2009), produced 7 including “Last night” (1993) and “Resurrection blvd” (2000) acted in 2. Eisele had taught acting and playwriting at the Rio Hondo College in Whittier. (10)The producer of the film is Oprah Winfrey who “rose from poverty and a troubled youth to become the most powerful and influential woman in television. She is a recognized talk show hostess, producer and actor”. (11)
The Great Debaters
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Denzel Washington
Produced by
Oprah WinfreyJoe RothBob WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein
Written by
Jeffrey PorroRobert Eisele
Starring
Denzel Washington
Forest Whitaker 
Jurnee Smollett
Music by
James Newton Howard
Cinematography
Philippe Rousselot
Editing by
Hughes Winborne
Studio
Harpo Productions
Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerThe Weinstein Company
Release date(s)
December 25, 2007
Running time
126 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$15 million
Gross revenue
$30,236,407
1)www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309
2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
3)http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/movies/25deba.html
4)http://rogerebet.suntimes.com
5)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
6)ibid
7)www.npr.org
8)http://movies.nytimes.com
9)www.imdb.com/name/nmoooo243
10)www.imdb.com/name/nmo2519351
11)http://movie.nytimes.com
Production details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
Jurnee Smollett
Music by
James Newton Howard
Cinematography
Philippe Rousselot
Editing by
Hughes Winborne
Studio
Harpo Productions
Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerThe Weinstein Company
Release date(s)
December 25, 2007
Running time
126 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$15 million
Gross revenue
$30,236,407
1)www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309
2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
3)http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/movies/25deba.html
4)http://rogerebet.suntimes.com
5)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
6)ibid
7)www.npr.org
8)http://movies.nytimes.com
9)www.imdb.com/name/nmoooo243
10)www.imdb.com/name/nmo2519351
11)http://movie.nytimes.com
Production details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the-great-debaters
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