The movie under analysis is Selma directed by Ava DuVernay and released in 2014. The movie relates a story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign aimed at securing equal voting rights for the blacks. The action takes place in Selma, a city in Alabama, suffering from outrageous segregation behavior of the city authorities and other white population. The main characters of the movie are male. These are Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo), President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), Jimmie Lee Jackson (Keith Stanfield), J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker), George Wallace (Tim Roth), etc. Female characters are not so numerous. They are Coretta Scott King, Martin’s wife (Carmen Ejogo); Diane Nash, a female activist from King’s group (Tessa Thompson); Annie Lee Cooper, a female Selma resident trying to get registered for voting (Oprah Winfrey); Richie Jean Jackson, a mother of a black young man killed during protests (Niecy Nash); and some others. The female characters of the movie, though quite distinct, seem to be always in the background and act only as supporting participants of the movie action.
In general, the movie is about anti-racism movement and the blacks’ fight for the equality of human rights. The central figure is Martin Luther King who is one of the most famous anti-racism activists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his activity. The topic of racial discrimination is covered well in the movie. According to the movie plot, Selma was the place chosen by King to attract the public’s attention to the problem of violation of fundamental human rights. That was the place from where an epic Selma-Montgomery march started. That march eventually turned out to be a turning point which led to President’s signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Describing the events that preceded the march, the movie depicts what the life was like for the blacks of Selma. There were places in the city where notices said that they served white only and if the black dared to enter, like King did on coming to Selma, they were even beaten in the face. In Selma the black could not even think about putting their voting rights into practice. For example, when Annie Lee Cooper comes to get registered for voting, the official asks her indignantly what her employer would say if he knew what she has in mind. And most black people in Selma do not protest against such discrimination. They think they are not strong enough to oppose those in power. Martin Luther King shows them that they are mistaken and that they should not ignore the fact that their children are killed in church. He shows that their power is not in aggression but rather in peaceful protests.
As it is mentioned above, the key acting figures in the movie are men. Women, though present, are not the main characters and seem to be portrayed sketchily. Most members of King’s group that arrive in Selma are male; Diane Nash is the only female agitator among them. However, though it is understood that she feels equal among them, she is not shown to be as an active participant in the actions as male members. Only at the very end of the movie she is paid special attention to when the text lines say she was killed on the way back to Selma. Probably, more distinct are the characters of Coretta King and Annie Lee Cooper. Annie Lee Cooper is a true protester who is ready to stand for her rights whatever the obstacles and established views are. She is shown to be participating in all key events of the movie, from the beginning till the end. Coretta King, though supporting her husband’s ideas, is more in the rear than in the foreground of the movement. She lives for her family and its happiness. It is clear she respects her husband and trusts him; however, she is not as strong as he is. In most cases, women in the movie are depicted as the ones who feel the aftereffect of the events. For instance, Coretta has to bear the threats which are the result of her husband’s political activity; Richie Jean Jackson has to learn to live without her dear son; the white pastor’s wife has to go on living without her husband; and so on.
So, Selma is a movie neither about feminism nor about women. However, there is a certain focus on women as female characters are present in almost all major episodes of the movie. Perhaps, due to the fact that the movie director is a woman, she is able to show what effect racial segregation has on common people, on families, and homes. And women are those who embody all this – home, family, children, and everyday life.
Works Cited
Selma. Dir. Ava DuVernay. Narr. Paul Webb. Paramount Pictures, 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. <http://www.movie2kto.ws/watch-movies/Selma__2014/15521>
