The great debaters 2007 poet and professor melvin b. Explain the contrasting images in the beginning scenes of the movie. The great debaters is about an underdog debate team that wins a national championship, and some critics have complained that it follows the formula of all sports movies by leading up, through great adversity, to a victory at the end. The entire town has become so inspired by the development of the young debaters, to the point of rebelling when tolson is imprisoned, and winning his freedom from jail. Samantha booke samanthas character is based on a real individual, henrietta bell wells, the only female member of the 1930 debate team from wiley college. It is based on an article written about the wiley college debate. It is loosely based on a true story about an allblack debate team that challenged the best debate teams in the country, both black and white. Never would i have thought it was about racial segregation, education, and civil rights. Inspired by a true story, the great debaters chronicles the journey of professor melvin tolson, a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small african american college in the deep south into a historically elite debate team. Samantha booke jurnee smollett and hamilton burgess jermaine williams and.
The characters reactions to these events, it implies, sow the seeds of the. Before this debate, booke was often in the background of the wiley college debate team, but the oklahoma debate was her moment to prove to everyone at her school and to the people in the audience that she was more than just a pretty face and that she had just as much vigor and rhetorical wit as any man. Another character on the team, samantha booke, is based on the real individual henrietta bell wells, acclaimed poet and the only female member of the 1930. She was not only looked down upon for her race, but she was also discriminated. The great debaters is a 2007 american biographical drama film directed by and starring denzel washington. In fact, the only debater based on a real character is james farmer, jr. Dec 26, 2007 the great debaters is this years major entry to this rather dubious genre. In the 2disc edition, the first disc includes no extra material, but the second disc includes an audio commentary, a making of documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a still gallery. That is the organized action of the oppressed against their oppressors, across racial lines. Samantha booke is a fictional character based on ms. The other folks who responded were absolutely correct. The movie the great debaters is based on the true story of melvin b.
Dec 25, 2007 there are enough things to admire about the great debaters, the heavily fictionalized true story of the little debate team that could, that your impulse is to forgive the movie its shortcomings. There are enough things to admire about the great debaters, the heavily. This document takes place during the time period where discrimination had a huge effect on the lives of blacks. The great debaters, first and foremost, is an episodic plot film, which is inspired by the true story of the undefeated wiley college. Inspired by the critically acclaimed hollywood film the great debaters, the real great debaters of wiley college unveils the true story of wiley college s 1935 debate team and their groundbreaking defeat of the allwhite reigning national championship debate team at the university of southern california. There are enough things to admire about the great debaters, the heavily fictionalized true story of the little debate team that could, that your impulse is to forgive the movie its shortcomings.
How many sports movies, or movies about underdogs competing in any way, have you seen that end in defeat. Tolson denzel washington at historically black wiley college to place his team on equal footing with whites in the american south during the 1930s, when jim crow laws were common and lynch mobs were a pervasive fear for blacks. Beyond his academic duties, tolson was an accomplished poet, journalist and social activist. Tolsons radical political organizing comes to light. Its the one where she was talking about african americans and whites going to the same college.
Discover what genre great debaters, the, 2007, directed by denzel washington, with denzel washington, forest whitaker, kimberly elise, belongs at turner classic movies. The great debaters offers a fictionalized and limited account of the exploits of the awardwinning wiley college debate team headed by melvin b. The great debaters synopsis the story of professor melvin b. When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope inspired by a true story, washington shines as a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog african american college students into an. This isnt just the story of a debate team, its a picture of what upwardly mobile. Tolson who formed a debate team at an african american college in the 1930s. The great debaters 211 movie clip the hot spot 2007. With denzel washington, forest whitaker, kimberly elise, nate parker.
Denzel washingtons second directorial effort hits all the high and low notes with. Why does samantha booke want to join the debate team. Nate parker is based on henry heights, who, according to teammate henrietta bell upon whom the character of samantha brooke, played by jurnee smollent, was based, was very suave and he could say anything in a debate. Inspired by the critically acclaimed hollywood film the great debaters, the real great debaters of wiley college unveils the true story of wiley college s 1935 debate team. Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small east texas college into a formidable team that. Feb 03, 2015 drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small east texas college into a formidable team that gave even harvards elite squad a run for.
As someone else said, it is inspired by not based on. Most of the students were scared to take this step but mr. Dec 25, 2007 the great debaters synopsis the story of professor melvin b. Great debaters film depicts schools 1935 glory houston chronicle. It is the mid1930s and professor tolson assembles a. For smolletts character, samantha brooke, its about never quitting. Great debaters is probably the best i have seen in that it combines his great acting skills with those of many others in a story based on fact yet explosive at every twist of the plot. Wells stated that she had told denzel washington, who directed the film, to also play her teams coach, melvin b.
Going to see the great debaters is a great way to celebrate black history. The great debaters the quote, we do what we have to do in order to do what we want to do. In addition, the final debate took place at usc not harvard. Feb 01, 2008 the great debaters is a magnificent movie. Aceshowbiz %cdenzel washington%s based on true story film, the great debaters has been harshly criticized for its blunders. Julia pittman psyc 0501 reflection of the great debaters before beginning the great debaters directed by denzel washington in 2007, i had thought it was a documentary about a very good debate team. The plot of the movie centers on the four main protagonists, melvin i. Majority doesnt decide what is right or wrong, ones conscience does. Beginning in 1935, under the leadership of a professor, poet and political activist named melvin tolson played by denzel washington, who also directed, wiley college, a small black institution in marshall, tex. Using a perspective developed from paul ricouers time and. The great debaters is so earnest and wellmeaning that it wont even matter that youve seen it all before. Its initial push to break the color barrier in college debating by.
Tolson denzel washington at historically black wiley college to place his. Answer each question according to your interpretation of the movie. Denzel whitaker, a fourteenyear old prodigy whose father pushes him to excel. The great debaters, directed by denzel washington, is an inspirational movie about a specific debate team overcoming racism in the segregated south. Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small east texas college into a formidable team that gave even harvards elite squad a run for their money, denzel washingtons the great debaters features the director himself as the ambitious educator, and forest whitaker as the resentful father of a student whose loyalties now. Aug 17, 2009 samantha booke monologuespeech in the great debaters. Before this film was produced, very little was generally known about wiley, a. Denzel washington is the director and main character in the great debaters. Samantha brooke jurnee smollett, who has transfered to wiley with the dream. The great debaters is one of the great movies of 2007.
Samantha booke monologuespeech in the great debaters. The great debaters julia pittman psyc 0501 reflection. Tolson, the denzel washington character, does the most meaningful oratory in this film, under the cover of darkness, in a. The great debaters a powerful film about race by robert roten, film critic. In the movie, tolsons character is that of an energetic professor at wiley college in marshall, texas who organizes the school debate team. This essay argues that the great debaters is a text that is not simply a story about wiley colleges debate triumphs during the 1930s, but that the film shares a temporal bond to the time in which it was released in. The character samantha booke in the 2007 movie, the great debaters, played by jurnee smollett, was loosely based on wells. The great debaters 2007 jurnee smollettbell as samantha booke. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Tolson, an africanamerican english professor, during the depression years.
Leadership in the great debaters research paper 987 words. Aug 21, 2014 based on a true story, the plot revolves around the efforts of debate coach melvin b. The movie was very enjoyable and interesting to watch. It is loosely based on a true story about an allblack debate team that challenged the best debate teams. The great debaters 211 movie clip the hot spot 2007 hd. The latter shows promise but needs polishing, and tolson thinks he can provide that. Normally im a plot driven instead of character development type of fan, but i do enjoy character. This team made up of one girl, samantha booke, and three young men, james farmer jr. Based on a true story, the great debaters tells the story of wiley colleges professor melvin tolson as he leads his africanamerican debate team to victory. Smollett are cast as the three debate students in the the great debaters. Tolson denzel washington teaches at the predominately black wiley college in 1935 texas. Does anyone know where i can find the monologuespeech that jurnee smollett samantha booke was her character did in the great debaters.
The great debaters was released on dvd on may, 2008 on 1disc and 2disc editions. In essence, the great debaters is a wellcrafted, inspirational film marred by questionable history and heavyhanded, exaggerated portrayals of the races. Its almost impossible for men to know what women want, or, more important, why they want what they want because of the complete differences between their bodies and hormones. Dec 24, 2007 the great debaters is about an underdog debate team that wins a national championship, and some critics have complained that it follows the formula of all sports movies by leading up, through great adversity, to a victory at the end. A narrative analysis of the film the great debaters and. Smollett, for example, portrays a character named samantha booke, but she paid several visits to houston to get to know henrietta bell wells. Kinyon great debaters essay 6 march 20 the great debaters based on a true story, the movie the great debaters is about a four person debate team at the historically black, wiley college in marshall, tx.
The great debaters is this years major entry to this rather dubious genre. It is the mid1930s and professor tolson assembles a black debate team at wiley college. April 9, 2008 the great debaters is an emotionally powerful film about race relations in the united states during the great depression. The great debaters marred by inaccuracies, imbalance. It puts everything in context and builds to a crescendo. It is based off of the debate team of wiley college, a small religious black school in east texas, during the great depression in the 1930s. However, in 1930s segregated texas, this task proves to be hard with racism, hatred, and prejudice at an all time high. Logos the debate team coach, melvin tolson, at historically black wiley college is attempting to set his team on an equal debate level as the white colleges in the united states. A narrative analysis of the film the great debaters and its. The great debaters highlights an action of the greatest importance relative to progress or the lack thereof in the u.
Apr 14, 20 the great debaters eric ashlee in the movie the great debaters we are shown a community of african americans being segregated and oppressed, and the way they deal with this differs between individual, for example james farmer jr. The great debaters this is a piece of history with the harvard and wiley college debate from the movie the great debaters with james farmer jr and samantha booke. Nevertheless, tolson sets out to motivate his students, choosing james jr. That is the question which begs to be answered in the course of appraising the great debaters, an inspirational biopic about a professor who, in 1935, allegedly forged the fledgling debate team at a tiny black college into a nationallyranked powerhouse that took on harvard university in a big showdown aired on radio live all across the country. Inspired by a true story, the great debaters chronicles the journey of professor melvin tolson, a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small african american college in the deep south. In 1935, he inspired students to form the schools first debate team, which went on to challenge harvard in the national championship.
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