Selma, the 2014 film, encapsulates the heroic leadership of Martin Luther King Jr though the Civil Rights Movement. He gathers civil right activists from all over the globe to come to Selma, and march to Alabama in peaceful protests in a fight to give African Americans the right to vote. The movie pieces together the life of Martin Luther King, providing an insightful and factual outlook into his journey and setbacks towards bringing an end to segregation. Selma incorporates several different components to convey this key point in the civil rights movement, and though much of the plot is factual to the true story, there are areas of exaggeration and fictionalization to add dramatic effect.
Jimmie Lee Jackson was a Vietnam veteran and prominent Alabama civil rights activist. In the movie, he was participating in a peaceful protest, when local police officers began beating and chasing after the participants, three of which being Jimmie, his mother, and 82-year old grandfather. During ambush, Jimmie and his family ran into a restaurant for safety, but nonetheless officers found them, beating the grandfather to the ground, and shooting Jimmie in the chest, before leaving him to die in the mothers’ arms. Everything leading to the death was true to the story, however the movie added dramatic effect by showing Jimmie dying in the restaurant in his mother’s arms, when in reality, he was severely injured and died in the hospital 8 days later.
James Reeb, was a Caucasian minister who was beaten by two men along with his friend outside a diner, eventually killing Reeb and leaving him on the sidewalk. The bulk of this retelling is factually correct, however, Reeb did not die on the concrete right after his beating, rather he was sent to various hospitals and denied treatment at a ‘black’ hospital due to lack of resources to save him, and a ‘white’ hospital refusing to do so because he was an activist in support for African American equality. Eventually, he died on his rush to the third hospital due to blood loss. Moreover, the telling is not completely accurate as he was accompanied by two other men, not only one.
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In the movie, there seems to be a consistent rift between the couple as Coretta has a lingering suspicion that King is cheating on her with another woman. It seemed as if King confessed to cheating after Coretta Scott asked him if loved the other women and he replied ‘no’, indicating that there were others. However, in reality, it was never officially confirmed that he was cheating, however there are recordings locked by the FBI in which many believe show proof of the tapes of him having an affair.
King and LBJ’s relationship seems like a roller coaster ride within the movie. King’s persistent request for LBJ to give black voting rights caused much tension between the two, with LBJ constantly giving excuses to push back or avoid King’s proposition. Despite the divided perspectives, LBJ feels that King has validity in his point and admires his leadership, eventually answering King and the entire civil right movement’s wishes. Although the ending resolution is factual, the confliction demonstrated within the movie is far more exaggerated than reality. In truth, the two-leader’s relationship was far more cooperative and understanding. There was not much arguing, and division as portrayed in the movie, with LBJ actively promoting King’s idea and seeking action.
Annie Lee Cooper was portrayed quite accurately. Selma correctly conveys the struggle of Africans towards registration to becoming American citizens, demonstrating the unfair and blatant discrimination felt by Cooper and many more. One flawed plot line in the movie is when they show Cooper fighting with the bigot sheriff Jim Clark. In the movie, she is shown to attack the officer after Clark initiates hitting Jimmie Lee Jackson with a cane and beating him. However, in the real story, as Cooper waits outside the courthouse to register to vote, Clark orders her to leave and beats her in the neck with a club, causing her to fight back. Jimmie Lee Jackson was not involved whatsoever.
The peaceful protest marches are all very accurate to what was demonstrated in real life. Showed in the movie were the second and third marches taking place in the civil rights movement to go from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. As in the movie and in real life, the march led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams were blocked by police officials upon arrival of the protesters at Edmund Pettis Bridge on the orders of Sheriff Jim Clark, eventually attacking the protesters with tear gas and clubs, beating and chasing down them with horses. This tragic occurrence is now regarded as Bloody Sunday and conveys the sadness and brutal harassment very accurately.
