Free Press Houston
King: A Filmed Record … Montgomery to Memphis represents monumental filmmaking. Taking the subject of Martin Luther King, his words and actions from 1955 through 1968, King: A Filmed Record has been restored to its original three-hour length by the Library of Congress. The film itself only played one day in an exclusively national engagement that was a testament to its time and place : the year 1970.
This documentary pulls out the most amazing news clips of the civil rights movement, and to top that off many of King’s speeches are included. The evolution of the civil rights movement from the mid-50s to the ’60s is evident in the progression of this powerful docu. Everybody has heard the “I have a dream” speech but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. King was a powerful orator and these multiple moments showing his charismatic media figure show just how persuasive and eloquent his words were.
News related footage of events like church bombings, the Vietnam War, President LBJ actually ordering the US Army to stand along the road in support of one protest march in the South are just some of the many events that unfold before your eyes. Other highlights are segments directed by Sidney Lumet and Joseph Mankiewicz where thesps Paul Newman, James Earl Jones, Joanne Woodward, Ruby Dee, Charlton Heston, Clarence Williams III, Harry Belafonte, Ben Gazzara, Burt Lancaster, and Anthony Quinn recite poetic remembrances of greatness.
King: A Filmed Record … Montgomery to Memphis will play exclusively on Wednesday August 28 at select theaters. August 28 marks the 50th anniversary of King’s I Have A Dream speech.
- Michael Bergeron
