HIS FPX 1150 Assessment 5 History in the Movies: Fact or Fiction

History in the Movies: Fact or Fiction

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Capella University

HIS FPX 1150

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The film Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, depicts the March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, which was a pivotal event leading up to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and was part of the campaign of nonviolent civil rights protests led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The film focuses on the violence that occurred during the melee at the Edmund Pettus Bridge as well as the political drama between Dr. King and President Lyndon B. Johnson surrounding the civil rights struggle.

The film also illustrates the extreme activism of civil rights activists during the fight for racial equality, while at the same time, using some artistic license in bending historical facts. The primary objective of this paper will be to explore how Selma addresses both the factual and fictional/mythological aspects of the civil rights period in the United States; also, to explore how the film has influenced public perceptions and changed historical representations.

A movie about a Historical Event, Person, or Movement

The film Selma (2014) by Ava DuVernay shows the march from Selma to Montgomery, which was very significant in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (British Film Institute, 2020). It depicts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), as they organize and ultimately lead the fight against racism and discriminatory laws that prevented Americans from voting. The film includes events like the use of gas and canine police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which has come to be known as Bloody Sunday, and negotiations between civil rights activists and President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) (Britannica, 2023).

These types of mistreatment against peaceful men and women, community discrimination, and deceptions committed by many of the African American male leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, are depicted in Selma, as it brings to life one of the greatest struggles for equality through a compelling and emotional depiction of a violent march.

Analyzing a Movie to Separate Historical Fact from Fiction

The film, Selma, does an excellent job of depicting the systemic racism towards African Americans as it relates to voting rights, as discussed in the National Archives (2020). In particular, the film shows how the African Americans of Harlem worked to exercise their voting rights through the use of poll taxes and discriminatory literacy tests. Additionally, the film portrays the brutal actions taken by police against peaceful demonstrators quite realistically. For example, when police attempted to break up a group of demonstrators exercising their right to peacefully assemble at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, what would later be referred to as “Bloody Sunday” (Yeakey, 2019), the police used excessive force.

The demonstrators were attempting to procure the right that the United States Government had promised them, and they were treated with brutality, which ultimately helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement. The film also displays the incredible oratory talent of Martin Luther King, Jr., and how he used his unique speaking ability to rally people together to support a nonviolent cause. Furthermore, the film should be recognized for representing the various ideologies existent within the movement.

There are many variances between the characterizations of some historical figures in “Selma” and how they were in real life, such as Lyndon B. Johnson (Parks National, 2022). For example, in the film, Johnson appears reluctant to back the Voting Rights Act and has a contentious relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. However, in reality, Johnson was an avid supporter of civil rights and worked closely with King to accomplish the passage of the Voting Rights Act. As a result, the film misrepresents the true relationship between Johnson and King.

In addition to the misrepresentation of the way Johnson and King were shown, there were also many individuals involved in the Selma campaign — such as James Forman and Stokely Carmichael (both of whom were with SNCC) — who were not shown in this film (Britannica, 2024). Because of this distortion and omission of history, “Selma” offers a narrow and biased representation of the civil rights movement, lacking the complete and thorough context needed to appropriately portray the movement’s history.

Impact of a Movie on the Public’s Understanding

Selma, by telling the real-life story of African Americans fighting for civil rights and equality with their White counterparts, helps to instill courage in those who are fighting against an unjust public system. The use of symbolism throughout the movie to tell of things like the vicious beating that occurred on the Edmund Pettus Bridge creates a bond between viewers and enables them to empathize with the struggles that activists endured (Literary Hub, 2021).

Some viewers will receive their first impression of the Selma Marches and understand the level of dedication and sacrifice that was required to develop support for passing the Voting Rights Act of 1960. The most recent movie representing the civil rights struggle raises concerns and stimulates further thought regarding the issue of race and the fight for justice.

The film presents an exaggerated view of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s resistance to support legislation that was necessary to promote civil rights. This portrays the need for federal intervention and support of civil rights movements as necessary to create the Voting Rights Act; however, historical records indicate that Johnson was one of the most vocal proponents of the Voting Rights Act and supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his time as President. There is, therefore, a possibility that the audience may interpret this representation as being misleading in relation to the success of the African American civil rights movement as a result of a ‘dumb-down’ in the political aspects of the leaders.

In addition, this film does not mention the other influential people in the civil rights movement, e.g., James Forman and Stokely Carmichael. Finally, the film also appears to maintain the gap in the American public’s knowledge as it relates to Dr. King being the only civil rights leader and the American public’s progress/growth collectively.

Changes that Would Improve a Movie’s Portrayal of a Historical Event

There are parts of Selma that could be more accurate and detailed historically. One possibility for improvement is to show a different perspective of how President Lyndon B. Johnson was involved with the march for the Voting Rights Act alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; showing their rocky relationship helps contrast how much cooperation was necessary for this movement to be successful. If scenes were filmed with the two working together, the film would be about the need for federal support in enacting the Civil Rights Act.

In addition, Selma may also want more of a focus on other participants of the various civil rights activities, such as SNCC members, James Forman, and Diane Nash (Britannica, 2024). Their names and presence would also help to create a more accurate portrayal of the type of grassroots activism that occurred in the Selma area and of the contributions of the people of Selma to these important marches.

Including historical context in the Selma Campaign has the potential to enhance how viewers understand the truth of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as provide viewers with a clearer view of the extent of the strategies used in preceding campaigns (Freedom Summer 1964, Birmingham Campaign). For example, including earlier history into the Freedom March in Selma can help viewers understand the larger strategies used on the marches, whereas including incidents from Selma itself will help showcase actual occurrences of violent physical attacks and killings against all the Marchers because of their race and efforts towards gaining voting rights, and provide more context to the structural racism that the Voting Rights Act sought to remedy.

Conclusion

Although critics give great credence to the film’s success as a dramatic work, there is the potential for greater success and impact if they focused on differing elements that could then be shown representing a more accurate and realistic visual representation of the President.

For example, if the film had represented Johnson’s interactions with more Civil Rights activists and leaders on Air Force One during civil rights marches (like Martin Luther King Jr. and others), viewers may now view President Johnson as a different type of President because of his efforts. The film could have also provided a more comprehensive view of the civil rights movement in the U.S., which is historically absent from the various Presidents’ simplistic views. Even with its defects, Selma has value to provide additional perspective and information about the civil rights movement in the U.S. today and generates continued awareness and discussion about race relations.