Montgomery bus boycott told
Added 11/5/2009
A young girl narrates the story of her maid walking home after work
during the bus strike in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid '50's.
This boycott was the start of the civil rights movement
that came to a head in the 60's with the murder of Martin Luther King.
The white middle class family could afford a maid in those times,
but they lived in the colored neighborhoods far from the suburbs.
most blacks on those wages even with two jobs in the family couldn't afford
a car, so the bus was their way to get to and from work.
When Rosa Parks was put in jail for not sitting in the back of the bus,
the African Americans were solidly behind the boycott.
These events happened nearly 100 years after the Civil war
and became a second civil war in the deep south.
The effort to shut down the car pool, that was set up to
transport the servants to their work,
with the mother and her little girl there is the big climatic scene
in this movie and is well acted.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
WARNING: "PLATINUM DISC" COPY IS BLURRY
Added 10/25/2009
I purchased this movie and tried to watch it last night. To my disappointment, this DVD put out by Platinum Disc is blurry. I played it on two different DVD players, on two different TVs, with the same results so it's not my equipment. It looks like a DVD dubbed from a very old VHS tape and I had difficulty watching the movie because of the quality. It was driving my eyes crazy and after 10 minutes I gave up. Other people have mentioned this but never gave the name of the company that released the DVD so I had no way of knowing it was Platinum Disc released in November 2002. So I'm hoping to save other people from wasting their money.
As for the movie, I agree with many of the other reviewers. It's an outstanding film that didn't get the recognition it should have. Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek are superb as the two lead characters! Through the years I've learned that the films that get the biggest hype from Hollywood are usually not the good ones, which is why you may not have heard much about this film. I see it is also released by Lions Gate and I plan to locate a copy of that disc for a reasonable price, hoping it is in the quality I expect from the DVD format. If it isn't, I'll post another review.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Used DVD in Good Condition
Added 5/7/2009
This DVD is not easy to find new so we were pleased to find it used at a very reasonable price from LillyPad. It arrived in just a few days in very good condition.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Reviewing the Walk
Added 2/9/2009
Random House Dictionary describes "walk" as to 'proceed by steps'. In this film I saw a walk between two women, diverse in race, from servant to humble devoted friend; I saw a walk between a Caucasian couple from dependent wife to independent wife; between an African-American couple from choosing to ride a transit bus to walking a path of determination and a walk between two diverse races that dissipated a crowd in the presence of a young child. This dissipation made an impact on this child into her adulthood. Well acted and well written. The story fits the title.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great Movie!
Added 12/12/2008
The Long Walk Home (1990) is based on the boycott of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama (1955-1956) led by Martin Luther King. During the boycott, black citizens protested the segregation in buses by refusing to ride them. This movie focuses on Odessa Cotter (played by Whoopi Goldberg), a thoughtful black maid with strong morals. She works for a white family in which the mother becomes disenchanted with racism. Odessa takes part in the boycott even though she must walk nine miles to and from work. The mother, Miriam, (played by Sissy Spacek) decides that she will drive Odessa to work two days a week. Miriam keeps her good deed a secret from her racist husband and brother-in-law. As the boycott progresses, Miriam's husband discovers the secret. The couple argues, but this makes Miriam even more determined to do the right thing. She volunteers to drive the boycotters to places to further their cause, and continues to nurture her friendship with Odessa. Even though Miriam is a privileged housewife she soon realizes how much she needs Odessa, and learns to stand up for what she believes in.
However, her satisfaction is short-lived. Her brother-in-law, Tunker, finds out about Miriam's good deed and brings Miriam's husband to a parking lot to face the boycotters, Miriam's daughter, Odessa, and Miriam. Tunker argues with Miriam while her husband cowers in the car. Tunker reveals that he has organized a mob to terrify the black boycotters, and tries to force her to leave. As the mob arrives, Odessa tries to protect Miriam's daughter. Miriam refuses to abandon her friends to the mob. Only when Tunker hits Miriam does her husband defend her by punching Tunker. As the jeering mob threatens them with bodily harm, Miriam, her daughter, and their newfound companions face the mob, which slowly backs down.
I enjoyed this movie, especially the costumes: for example, Miriam's flaring black knee length dress with white trimming. The burgeoning friendship between Miriam and Odessa was done very well by the actresses. I also learned about racism and the value of friendship and standing up for what you believe in.
A. Goldstein
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Montgomery bus boycott told
Added 11/5/2009
A young girl narrates the story of her maid walking home after work
during the bus strike in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid '50's.
This boycott was the start of the civil rights movement
that came to a head in the 60's with the murder of Martin Luther King.
The white middle class family could afford a maid in those times,
but they lived in the colored neighborhoods far from the suburbs.
most blacks on those wages even with two jobs in the family couldn't afford
a car, so the bus was their way to get to and from work.
When Rosa Parks was put in jail for not sitting in the back of the bus,
the African Americans were solidly behind the boycott.
These events happened nearly 100 years after the Civil war
and became a second civil war in the deep south.
The effort to shut down the car pool, that was set up to
transport the servants to their work,
with the mother and her little girl there is the big climatic scene
in this movie and is well acted.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
WARNING: "PLATINUM DISC" COPY IS BLURRY
Added 10/25/2009
I purchased this movie and tried to watch it last night. To my disappointment, this DVD put out by Platinum Disc is blurry. I played it on two different DVD players, on two different TVs, with the same results so it's not my equipment. It looks like a DVD dubbed from a very old VHS tape and I had difficulty watching the movie because of the quality. It was driving my eyes crazy and after 10 minutes I gave up. Other people have mentioned this but never gave the name of the company that released the DVD so I had no way of knowing it was Platinum Disc released in November 2002. So I'm hoping to save other people from wasting their money.
As for the movie, I agree with many of the other reviewers. It's an outstanding film that didn't get the recognition it should have. Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek are superb as the two lead characters! Through the years I've learned that the films that get the biggest hype from Hollywood are usually not the good ones, which is why you may not have heard much about this film. I see it is also released by Lions Gate and I plan to locate a copy of that disc for a reasonable price, hoping it is in the quality I expect from the DVD format. If it isn't, I'll post another review.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Used DVD in Good Condition
Added 5/7/2009
This DVD is not easy to find new so we were pleased to find it used at a very reasonable price from LillyPad. It arrived in just a few days in very good condition.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
