Selma Movie Analysis Essay

966 Words2 Pages

Recently, there is a spike of historical films being released lately. One of the films is an Academy Award nominee for “Best Picture,” Selma. The film, Selma, is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. The film shows the struggles of the black community face with the blockage of their voting rights and the racial inequality during the civil rights movement. Selma is about civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. heading to the rural Alabama City, Selma, to secure the voting rights for the African American community by having a march to Montgomery. It shows the struggles from what the African American community had to endured during the 1960s. Selma shows a social significance to today’s current events, specifically …show more content…

The film portrays the 36th president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, as an antagonist and enemy towards the Civil Rights movement because of his refusal in signing a voting right bill. Historian David E. Kaiser argues that Johnson actually supported the civil rights movement. He helped get important legislation get passed; though, he had to make some sacrifices and find what is best for the people of the United States. (Kaiser) However, I believe that general viewers and critics should overlook the issue and look at the bigger picture. Selma is emphasizing the fact that history is repeating itself. Obviously, the writers of Selma has no intentions of being biased. I mean the film is about the civil rights movements… of course the writers of the film would be biased by supporting the protagonists because they are trying to prove a point. In response of the historical inaccuracy, Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, does not see herself as “a custodian of anyone’s legacy.” She depicts herself as a storyteller and shows that she has no intentions of maintaining either King’s legacy and Johnson’s legacy. Her true intention is to “imbue the film and invite people into the spirit of the movement.” (“Director Ava DuVernay…”) The sole purpose of Selma, allows viewers to see what really went on during the civil rights movement in the African American community’s point of view. People should oversee the minor inaccuracies and look at the bigger

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