Before this film was produced, very little was generally known about wiley, a. Whatever liberties taken in the screenplay for the the great debaters, its difficult to deny that life in texas during the great depression was less than ideal for most black americans. Parents need to know that the great debaters is an inspirational factbased drama that includes unvarnished discussions and representations of 1930s racism, including a brutal lynching scene the victims body is shown burned and hung. 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 great debaters is a 2007 film about the true story of melvin b. I will do the reflection and recommend this movie to you. It is loosely based on a true story about an allblack debate team that challenged the best debate teams. Our debate squad reads hundreds of magazine articles and scores of books on.
Great storytelling that is both captivating and inspiring. There are also a couple of fight scenes, a confrontation between rural white bullies and an africanamerican. Jurnee smollett plays samantha booke, the first woman to make the team she, too. Gandhi believes one must always act with love and respect for ones opponents even if they are harvard debaters. Denzel washington, playing professor melvin tolson, coaches this. Aceshowbiz %cdenzel washington%s based on true story film, the great debaters has been harshly criticized for its blunders. The students and the teacher are from the school wiley college. Gandhi also believes that law breakers must accept the legal consequences for their actions. The great debaters reflection assignment by karysa toole on prezi. The great debaters chronicles the journey of professor melvin tolson. 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.
Great debaters film depicts schools 1935 glory houston chronicle. Aug 21, 2014 based on a true story, the plot revolves around the efforts of debate coach melvin b. 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. 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. The great debaters 2007 the great debaters 2007 user. 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. For smolletts character, samantha brooke, its about never quitting.
The great debaters is one of the great movies of 2007. This film would be a great educational primer that could provoke discussion in high school civic. This team made up of one girl, samantha booke, and three young men, james farmer jr. The weinstein company later released such oscarwinning films as the holocaustthemed the reader 2008, the woody. The great debaters is this years major entry to this rather dubious genre. There are enough things to admire about the great debaters, the heavily. The great debaters reflection assignment by karysa toole. The second film directed by denzel washington, the great debaters may not aspire to be more than inspirational pop entertainment in the oprah winfrey mode ms. The great debaters a powerful film about race by robert roten, film critic.
Jan 16, 2012 the great debaters is an inspiring story of courage, creativity and resolve. 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. This weekend, i watch a very nice movie called the great debaters. The great debaters is a 2007 american biographical drama film directed by and starring. 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. The great debaters offers a fictionalized and limited account of the exploits of the awardwinning wiley college debate team headed by melvin b.
Amid the usual postholidaymovie burnout fest comes some unexpected intellectual stimulation under the unassuming if unimaginative title the great debaters. That is the organized action of the oppressed against their oppressors, across racial lines. A controversial figure, professor tolson challenged the social mores of the time and was under. 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. 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. The great debaters the great debaters, directed by denzel washington, is an inspirational movie about a specific debate team overcoming racism in the segregated south. Smollett are cast as the three debate students in the the great debaters. Denzel played his role as a professor very well pushing the boundaries in.
However, in 1930s segregated texas, this task proves to be hard with racism, hatred, and prejudice at an all time high. 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. Speaking of opposing views, tolson said, my varsity debaters come over to the. Over time they all white debate teams that are prejudice of the black students. So, in the spirit of tomorrow, i introduce to you, today, the debaters from wiley college. The great debaters are based on a true story about an all black debate team journey to the top. 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, directed by denzel washington, is an inspirational movie about a specific debate team overcoming racism in the segregated south. Wolfson, is a premier resource for learning the art of debate and developing. Now is always the right time to do the right thing. The plot the movie is about a a group of african american college. Majority doesnt decide what is right or wrong, ones conscience does. The movie is thoroughly inspiring to all who have dreams and feel at odds with systems that squelch their vision.
It is based on an article written about the wiley college debate team by tony scherman for the spring 1997 issue of american legacy. The great debaters, first and foremost, is an episodic plot film, which is inspired by the true story of the undefeated wiley college. Tolson, the denzel washington character, does the most meaningful oratory in this film, under the cover of darkness, in a. Its initial push to break the color barrier in college debating by. Samantha booke is the only female on the wiley college debate team and is barely noticed other than for her beauty in the beginning of the film when she catches the eye of henry lowe and james farmer jr. It is based on an article written about the wiley college debate team by tony scherman for the spring 1997 issue of american legacy the film costars forest whitaker, denzel washington, kimberly elise, nate parker, gina ravera, jermaine williams and jurnee smollett. Produced by todd black, kate forte, oprah winfrey, joe roth. Leadership in the great debaters research paper 987 words. The great debaters is a 2007 american biographical drama film directed by and starring denzel washington. 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. 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.
Sep 15, 2014 this weekend, i watch a very nice movie called the great debaters. 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. Black college debate team battles harvard and racism the denver.
Directed by denzel washington, who also produced and stars in it, the great debaters presents a fictionalized account of the rise of the historically black wiley college debate team in the 1930s. Denzel washingtons second directorial effort hits all the high and low notes with. Teaching the great debaters connected teaching and. 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. The great debaters is an inspiring story of courage, creativity and resolve. In 1935, he inspired students to form the schools first debate team, which went on to challenge harvard in the national championship. The great debaters 211 movie clip the hot spot 2007. The great debaters, taking place 1935 in texas, is about a young debate team of wiley college, a school which became famous as it won many debates against schools of any background in the 30s. The great debaters marred by inaccuracies, imbalance. The great debaters 211 movie clip the hot spot 2007 hd. Denzel washington, playing professor melvin tolson, coaches this team to finally debate against harvard university.
At that time, government still mired the law which was created since 1870s to develop the implementation of apartheid or racial. The plot of the movie centers on the four main protagonists, melvin i. Tolson, a professor at wiley college in texas who, in 1935, inspired students to form the schools first debate team, which went on to challenge harvard in the national championship directed by denzel washington. Similarly, its extremely difficult for a white american to be empathetic with how black americans feel, think, and react. American rhetoric movie speech from the great debaters. The great debaters, holds a special place among his immense body of work. In the film, tolson, still years away from his reallife literary career of the civil rights era, is but an unorthodox english professor whose passion. The film tells the story of the debate team at wiley college, a small. The great debaters is so earnest and wellmeaning that it wont even matter that youve seen it all before. This movie tell a story that happened in 1930s in texas. Denzel whitaker, a fourteenyear old prodigy whose father pushes him to excel.
From twotime academy award winner denzel washington and an ensemble cast lead by washington that includes academy award winner forest whitaker, comes the great debaters. But the great debaters is a comingofage saga that doesnt evade the american. The great debaters script fast gospel man my soul is a witness soul is a witness my soul is a witness yeah, yeah soul is a witness oh, yeah before l go oh before l go fore l go before l go, soul is a witness speaker heavenly father, we come before thee, knee bent and body bowed in the humblest way that we know how. The great debaters, inspired by an american legacy magazine article of the same name, takes place in 1935 in marshall, texas, where melvin b. Wiley college home of the great debaters home facebook. Jun 15, 2011 from twotime academy award winner denzel washington and an ensemble cast lead by washington that includes academy award winner forest whitaker, comes the great debaters. 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.
April 9, 2008 the great debaters is an emotionally powerful film about race relations in the united states during the great depression. There are also a couple of fight scenes, a confrontation between rural white bullies and an africanamerican professor, and a scene in which a bloodied. Teaching the great debaters connected teaching and learning. Tolson, played by washington, first appears on screen he is dressed as a sharecropper running through what. Tolson, an africanamerican english professor, during the depression years. In the movie, the wiley team eventually succeeds to the point. Another character on the team, samantha booke, is based on the real individual henrietta bell wells, acclaimed poet and the only female member of. Beyond his academic duties, tolson was an accomplished poet, journalist and social activist. Why does samantha booke want to join the debate team. The great debaters is based on the true story of the wiley college debate team, and the events in the film take place in 1935 at the small historical black college in marshall, texas.
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. Samantha brooke jurnee smollett, who has transfered to wiley with the dream. Civil disobedience is a moral weapon in the fight for justice. Denzel played his role as a professor very well pushing the boundaries in texas. Dec 26, 2007 the great debaters is this years major entry to this rather dubious genre. The great debaters is a wellmade movie, and denzel washington wows audiences with his usual superb performance. The great debaters highlights an action of the greatest importance relative to progress or the lack thereof in the u. The great debaters script transcript from the screenplay. Reflection of the movie the great debaters charless blog. Day 1 inspired by a true story, the great debaters takes us into the jim crow south of the mid 1930sa time when blacks endured the daily humiliation of discrimination, and racial violence always simmered just beneath the surface. I learned to always be prepared from my past experiences, where i was not prepared and i did not exceed my expectations. Wiley, an outstanding minister, medical missionary and educator, wiley college was founded in 1873 during.
Tolson, a professor at wiley college in texas who, in 1935, inspired students to form the schools first debate team, which went on to challenge harvard in the national championship. Smollett, for example, portrays a character named samantha booke, but she paid several visits to houston to get to know henrietta bell wells. The great debaters the setting henry lowe samantha booke the movie is set in the year 1935, in wiley, texas. Feb 01, 2008 the great debaters is a magnificent movie. It puts everything in context and builds to a crescendo. The most important thing to remember about persuasive writing and debates is to always be prepared.
With denzel washington, forest whitaker, kimberly elise, nate parker. The great debaters chronicles the journey of professor melvin tolson denzel washington, 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. The great debaters was released on dvd on may, 2008 on 1disc and 2disc editions. At that time, government still mired the law which was created since 1870s to develop the implementation of apartheid or racial discrimination. The great debaters film by washington 2007 britannica.