The Great Debaters Marred by Inaccuracies, Imbalance

AHH I see racism is alive and vocal in crosswalk. shame shame shame

Check your facts sir ....
A man named Willie Lynch did exist and here is the link to the speech he made in 1712 ....

http://www.freemaninstitute.com/lynch.htm


Most of your comments are biased in my view ..
Great Debaters is a fantastic movie that brings to light a historic struggle.
It does dramatise in some places (Harvard instead of USC , Samantha Brooke is a character inspired from multiple women) but tries in its part to condense a 10 year history into a 2 hour movie.

I just saw the movie and I did not see all the white people as rednecks. There are people in the movie who definitely needed a change of mind, heart and action. But to say every white person was portrayed as a redneck is not accurate.

But to hear that there was no Mr. Lynch is shocking. I did a google search to find out about the history of that and saw your article. I hate it when historial movies state something like that as fact when is not true.

I expect the charaters to be a blend of different people when I see the phrase "based on". I can only guess that the "lynching history" is based on a blend of different people??? I will continue to search for that answer.

Overall I think it was a thought provoking movie and I would buy the dvd when it is released. I enjoy watching the extras.

I too am insulted and angry by the mention of the movie being slanted towards black = positive, white = redneck. "Questionable history"? Wow...this movie review is an unfortunate abuse of an opportunity to convey truth.

I will definitely share what Crosswalk displayed regarding their view on this particular movie. I have often forwarded items before, but this will get people talking (esepcially in the church where is it needed).

Crosswalk you should be ashamed to print this obvious racist review. So what? The movie took liberties - ALL movies do. Hollywood usually portrays us(if we are even in it)as pimps, ho's, drug dealers or shuck and jive. I don't see you protesting that! What about "your" movies that are pro-gay, pro unwed Mom & SEX? This movie is inspirational PERIOD! It's about rising above your circumstances. To GOD be the glory! What’s the matter? The movie's "rednecks" hit to close to home for you dear?
Here's a news flash. That IS how it was. Ask any black person alive over the age of 50 - whether from the south or not! Racism - and where it originates is pure ignorance and evil. Where are YOU from anyway? Folks feel they can say ANYTHING negative about blacks in all mediums and get away with it ("Kramer", Imus, Tighman, etc.)This is getting out of hand. Bet Obama got you all in a tizzy right about now too eh? Listen, dust off your Bible and study it. Your "satan" is showing dear.

I don't know any other way to say it, this was one of the most narrow-minded, dare I say ignorant reviews I have read. "Only positive black people and no positive white people." Sister, how many movies have you seen with NO black people and all positive white people. They are endless. I thank the Lord for a movie that one day I will be able to show my kids and they will see their race painted in a positive light, heaven knows they see whites painted positively and blacks negatively enough. I am saddened that Crosswalk even let this be published, I expect more from a Christian movie review, at least have some social context to understand what you are reviewing.

I would like to say that I am surprised by Rice's comments, but I'm not. Sometimes we look through rose colored glasses because truth is too difficult to digest. Because so many cultures have relied on the oral tradition for carrying its history forward; especially African Americans, a film that takes creative license should not be condemned because it paints a historical picture of the era in which the characters lived. Being a 3rd generation college graduate, particularly from an HBCU (Historically Black College/University), I was elated to see a film that showed black intelligensia. We (Black folk) have been around a very long time, and we have ben intelligent a long time, too. Many of the everyday things in use was created by "coloreds" as my gradfather would say. What Rice's article does is to underscore in 2008 that racism is alive and well.If she believes that a film is marred because of historical inaccuracies and racial profiles, then Rice has much reexamination to do.

This review is unworthy of the space it occupies. Ms. Rice's comments about her perception of the unbalanced portrayal of the races is painfully insensitive.

People of color have had to endure centuries of being portrayed and treated as less than intelligent, and in the case of African Americans, often less than human. Even if Ms. Rice's assertions were true, one film out of the years of slavery, silent films, vaudeville, countless movies, cartoons, and radio and television shows certainly doesn't even the score.

Also, Oprah Winfrey's political views are her personal business, and have nothing to do with this film! Ms. Rice, your tasteless biases are showing.

DID WE SEE THE SAME MOVIE? I also am disapointed that Crosswalk published this article. I am a mother & widow, (my husband went home to be with the Lord). I also am an Afro-American. I have one child that recently graduated from college and five that are currently enrolled. We come from a long line of educators and our family has aways stressed education. This movie shows scenes of blacks drinking,dancing, pulling knives and fighting in juke joints. I also saw scenes of white farmers coming together with black farmers to form unions and then ultimately standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks to protest the release of Pro. Tolson. How did Rice come to the conclusion that it portrays "the blacks of this era as stellar intellectuals and the whites as uninformed rednecks?" If I begin to list the movies that excercised "poetic license" and did not portray every historical detail as acurate, I would run out of space. Ms. Rice should attempt to reveiw movies more objectively.

"The big disheartening issue," is not that a movie would portray "...blacks as intelligent...and...(whites) as ignorant rednecks," (sic), nor that Crosswalk, whose mission includes "(glorifying) God in all that (they) do," and "Enhancing...relationship-building within the Christian community," would even publish this review, but that Ms. Rice's preference would have been to see a movie, regardless of era, where blacks are once again shown as ignorant, contemptible and inferior and whites are depicted as intelligent and academic.

My son's father is African-American; he has a bachelor's & master's degree. He once spoke at a conference where afterward a white man approached him and said, "You're the first intelligent black man I've ever met. (This was in the North.)

Ms. Rice, that's "heavy-handed" [(def.) 1. Clumsy; awkward. 2. Tactless; indiscreet. 3. Oppressive.]*, and so is your review.

* American Heritage Dictionary via Dictionary.com

I am so disappointed by this review. I agree with the other comments. Seldom do movies depict people of color in a positive light or to clearly honor God. That the movie is not 100% accurate historically takes nothing away from the message that is clearly given. Your comments about Oprah political stand is in poor taste.