The form Raoul Peck has chosen for this documentary is quite original. It consists of two elements: the words of author James Baldwin about the black struggle in the US, read aloud by Samuel L. Jackson, and archive footage and images depicting the way the US has treated race relations in the last century.
The effect of the combination is powerful. Everyone knows how Afro-Americans have been treated and are still treated in the US, but seeing all the violence, the hatred and the discrimination concentrated in a 90-minute succession of images, remains shocking. The words of Baldwin are, in a way, a contrast. He is a civilized voice in an uncivilized society. In the archive footage of his speeches and interviews, he is always calm and composed, eloquent and sophisticated.
Baldwin's book is about three murdered activists: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. The film doesn't explain their ideologies and differences in depth, it lets the images speak for themselves. A very interesting aspect of the film is the way Baldwin analyzes some well-known films of that era.
But the strongest moments of the film are not the scenes of black struggle, but the images showing how America saw itself. The promotion films about the scenery and the recreational possibilities of the country, the photographs of happy, smiling and prosperous families, and the films with Doris Day and Gary Cooper. What Baldwin and Peck show, is how little consideration this white, rich, middle-class America gave to the plight of the black community.
Although the subject of the film is extremely interesting and important, the combination of literature with images requires a lot from the viewer. It takes much energy to focus on the words and on the images at the same time. And after a while, when the novelty wears off and the message has been delivered, I had more difficulty to keep concentrated. At the same time, Peck has made an impressive movie.
The effect of the combination is powerful. Everyone knows how Afro-Americans have been treated and are still treated in the US, but seeing all the violence, the hatred and the discrimination concentrated in a 90-minute succession of images, remains shocking. The words of Baldwin are, in a way, a contrast. He is a civilized voice in an uncivilized society. In the archive footage of his speeches and interviews, he is always calm and composed, eloquent and sophisticated.
Baldwin's book is about three murdered activists: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. The film doesn't explain their ideologies and differences in depth, it lets the images speak for themselves. A very interesting aspect of the film is the way Baldwin analyzes some well-known films of that era.
But the strongest moments of the film are not the scenes of black struggle, but the images showing how America saw itself. The promotion films about the scenery and the recreational possibilities of the country, the photographs of happy, smiling and prosperous families, and the films with Doris Day and Gary Cooper. What Baldwin and Peck show, is how little consideration this white, rich, middle-class America gave to the plight of the black community.
Although the subject of the film is extremely interesting and important, the combination of literature with images requires a lot from the viewer. It takes much energy to focus on the words and on the images at the same time. And after a while, when the novelty wears off and the message has been delivered, I had more difficulty to keep concentrated. At the same time, Peck has made an impressive movie.