Much more than a movie about debaters

DVDs:

	• The Great Debaters Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker Genius Products (TVN), 2008 average customer review:based on 71 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Debaters...

A wonderful movie for most of the family. There are few scenes that you won't want your younger children watching.There is a small amount of foul language and a bedroom scene. There are a few inaccuracies but that is nothing new to hollywood. The acting is great!

Much more than a movie about debaters

The Great Debaters is a terrific, multi-dimensional movie with layers of stories that each leave a profound impression. I can't offer a more descriptive review than amazon.com, and other customers, have already written here.

I am overly sensitive to violent scenes, and I found the lynching scene to be on the very edge of what I'm able to tolerate. The sex scenes were not blatant or gratuitous, mostly just suggested.

This is a powerful movie with important information about recent American history. I believe this movie should be required viewing for American kids in middle school.

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Washington & team lead the debate

As an historical document and a thought-provoking entertainment, this film can't be beat but unfortunately it didn't score a home run at the box office despite excellent reviews. It's certainly an appropriate docu-drama for the times now since it shows us how far we've come since the '30's and how much further we'll need to come before we can call ourselves truly "The United States of America". The scene of a Negro after being lynched then being burned to death was particularly disturbing but I'm glad Washington as director inserted this true incident into the film. His direction is excellent and he's abetted by a fine cast of new and older actors. Particularly amusing is the scene between him and Forest Whittaker as they carry on a casual debate in a humorous fashion. I wish there were more films of this type rather than the inane Tyler Perry films that pass as comedy-dramas. Washington & producer Oprah Winfrey should be proud of this inspirating film.

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No Debate - This One is a Hit!

The Great Debaters is a riveting story with an amazing cast. Everyone in the cast delivers stellar performances. A must see movie!

Your Mind Is A Weapon

This film is more than a movie about debaters. Inspired by a true story, it contains some events of how African-Americans lived during the 1930s amidst the atmosphere of random lynchings.

Melvin B. Tolson (portrayed by Denzel Washington) was an educated professor at Wiley College (in the rural south) by day and a human rights radical by night. Not even his wife (portrayed by Kimberly Elise) knew of his activism. The quartet of intelligent debaters each had their own baggage to carry. Henry Lowe (portrayed by Nate Parker) liked juke joints, "holy wine" and the ladies. Samantha Booke (portrayed by Jurnee Smollett) wanted to be a lawyer and knew it was an uphill climb. James Farmer, Jr. (portrayed by Denzel Whitaker) seemed to seek the approval of his father (a Ph.D. scholar and minister who spoke seven languages; portrayed by Forest Whitaker); Junior had witnessed his father being degraded by a White man because James, Sr. had accidentally killed the man's pig with his car; Junior also witnessed the strength of his father standing up to the sheriff and convincing him to release Professor Tolson from jail after being arrested for holding a meeting to organize sharecroppers (both Black and White) "to make things right" against the farm bosses, after which Junior told the man "that pig wasn't worth $25, you owe my father some money." The team became a trio when Hamilton Burgess (portrayed by Jermaine Williams) withdrew because his father disapproved of Professor Tolson's rumored "communist" political beliefs - he was at Wiley College "to be educated, not investigated."

Although this debate team had a record of 10-1, their crowning glory came when they won against the Harvard debate team on the subject of civil disobedience. It did not escape my attention the character named Wilson (portrayed by Damien Leake) who appeared briefly near the end of the movie. He was the butler/attendant for the three Wiley College students as they were preparing for their Harvard debate. Despite his position, his high intelligence showed when he inserted himself into their conversation nonchalantly by saying "Satyagraha from the Sanskrit meaning truth and fairness."

The Wiley College debaters' mantra: Who's the judge? The judge is God. Why is he God? Because he decides who wins or loses, not my opponent. Who is your opponent? He doesn't exist. Why doesn't he exist? Because he is merely a dissension portion of the truth I speak.

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