The Great Debaters

"An unjust law is no law at all." -- Mr. Farmer, quoting Saint Augustine

Black Power, right? So the great debaters, (2007) was a film about a debate team from an all-black college in the deep south. Naturally, the genre was Drama. The film focuses on several members of the team, the coach, and even the family of one of the members, plausibly the most focused upon character. Starring Denzel Washington as the debate coach, Mr. Tolson, who's a plausibly communist Civil Rights activist and Professor at Wiley college, as well as Forest Whitaker playing James Farmer Sr., a Professor at the college and Father of  the genius-child James Farmer Jr., played by (my favorite coincidence ever) Denzel Whitaker. My rating for this little film is a weak 3.75/5.

"We do what we must, so that we can do what we want." James Farmer Sr.

The thing is, Professor, blacks aren't allowed to do what they want. Not back then. I'd like to take the time to explain the rating shown above. As I've stated before, I have a rating system that does not operate as a usual, random number selection. Mine is a specific rubric, with easy points like camera angles, and perhaps the most difficult, preachy-ness of the movie's message. I look to see if the message is somewhat overt, and whether or not I agree with it, I count it against the film. I know this is somewhat odd, but I know there is always someone who doesn't agree, or perhaps does but feels accused by the films focus (white southerners, for instance). When a message focus is overt, someone is usually being called out, and there are few rare circumstances where I would be okay with that. This film I especially disliked due to the theme of universal white supremacy. I understand the basis of the film is in that time, focusing on that very problem, but the conditions due not supersede the ruling. Perhaps I am being unfair, as I have a particular distaste for things that try to make me feel some sort of cultural guilt for the things my great-grandfathers didn't do (my predecessors were not wealthy, so they had no slaves, and they were foreigners, almost as bad as black).



Also, I was somewhat in contempt for the acting of both Denzel Washington and Jurnee Smollett. , the girl felt like a fish out of water, and the acting would shift from believable to suddenly cold, lacking candidness. Denzel on the other hand, was (if this is even possible) too comfortable. He seemed to not be playing the character Mr. Tolson, but Denzel Washington as Mr. Tolson. Like Johnny Depp in many respects, he seems like one personality set that somewhat fits all his characters, but in his case, not to a wonderful degree.

"The Judge is God!" - James Farmer Jr.

But I am not so conceited as to call myself the judge. Simply an agent of film review. And in review, I would like to cover few things before ending. Firstly, if Tolson couldn't leave the state, how'd he leave the state at the end? "Oh,  it's okay, it's an emotional scene."? I don't think so, gentlemen. Secondly, what is the purpose of Henry making James give the speech? It's kind of poetic, i guess, but it makestoo little sense to be believable. Perhaps it was a symbol of the doggedness and repeated attempts at equality. Lastly, I very much enjoyed how my original hypothesis for Lowe running away ended up being correct. I did not, however, see it in his character to come back. It was as emotionally touching as it was ill fitting. That's it, I'm afraid. I hope this has helped "find your righteous mind".

Stay Savvy my Friend,

Erudito


Resources:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3027867904/tt0427309

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/great_debaters/