Citizen King

Starring:Martin Luther King, Taylor Branch, Andrew Young (VII)
Director: Noland Walker, Orlando Bagwell
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Description

CITIZEN KING, a two-hour documentary from acclaimed filmmakers Orlando Bagwell and Noland Walker, explores the last five years in the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Personal recollections and eyewitness accounts of friends, movement associates, journalists, law enforcement officers, and historians illuminate this little-known chapter in the story of America's most influential moral leader in the 20th century.

Customer Reviews:

Citizen King as Preacher King.......2006-12-26

INTRODUCTION:
I admire Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but honestly I did not know much about him, except what I learned in high school United States history. Now I know why I admire the life, works, and words of Dr. King, even though as any mortal human he had his faults. This DVD, is a documentary of the most influential years of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) (and sadly the last years of his life) 1963 to 1968. This DVD, will show all the complex and intriguing aspect of King's life and I feel that the viewer will be delighted with this presentation and its discoveries.

In the US, there is a day set aside as a public holiday called "Martin Luther King Day" and commemorates the civil rights struggle of the African Americans in the 1960s and is personified by the monumental persona of *Preacher King.*

From the very beginning of the DVD, the narrator tells us the key to understanding Dr. King. This key, is the fact that, first and foremost, Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister, a baptist preacher.

PRODUCER:
This is a documentary production that feels like a movie. There is a narrator that does an excellent job at walking the viewer through the well-documented steps of the civil rights movement and the life of Dr. King. The footage made me feel like I was part of the action, ... very personal, up-close cinematography. Another reviewer of this DVD (see "The Best of MLK on DVD") mentions that there is a movie of MLK produced by Paul Winfield.

I found this DVD in a local public library in Santa Cruz. The quality of this documentary is so honest and unbiased, that I am contemplating buying it for my collection.

CONTENT:
In 1955, Rosa Parks, another African-American Christian of deep faith, has the courage and moral integrity to fight against the racist Jim Crows laws of the southern states. Her simple action, ... and protest, was to not give up her seat on a public bus to an elder white man. This act of peaceful civil disobedience put the grease on the wheels of the civil rights movement struggle against the racist Jim Crows laws of the southern US states (and subsequent imprisonment of those protesting).

This DVD documentary starts in 1963, the year of the important Bermingham Alabama's "Chrildren's Crusade" and the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" - the place of Dr. King's famous speach "I have a dream." What I liked about "Citizen King: An American Experience - 1963 to 1968)" is the many good (and some bad) things I learned about Dr. King.

I learned - that Dr. King was not only for the equal civil public right of African Americans (back then referred to as negroes), but also spoke out against poverty, militarism (e.g. Vietnam conflict), and materialism.

I learned - that Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize and what he did with the money.

I learned - that Dr. King was an influential figure at the White House in the Johnson administration, that He was a man who knew his emotions well and was very diplomatic in any situation.

I learned - that Dr. King was hated or chastised by some fellow African Americans (in the north - Chicago, or the west - California) and called "Dr. Martin Looser King" for his peaceful and Christian methods.

I learned - that Dr. King had amorous phone conversations with other women than his wife, and that the family King (Martin, Coretta, and kids) survived this life obstacle. I learned that the FBI was pro-actively involved in undermining the civil rights movement.

And the *most fascinating* thing was finding who the most important thinker/writer was in Martin Luther King's life. While I had heard of Gandhi's influence on King's philosophy and practice of nonviolence (see wikipedia article on Dr. King), I did not know that King had read and admired another Christian minister and outspoken fighter against racism (Jews)- Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Minister and pastor King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" - "a passionate statement of his crusade for justice" - sounds very much like Bonhoeffer's posthumously published "Letter and Papers from Prison." As outspoken fighters for freedom and spiritual truth, both pastor Bonhoeffer and preacher King had a untimely and early death, at the hands of the evils in our world.

CONCLUSION:
As a white protestant American AND an immigrant from eastern Europe, the life, works, and words of brother Martin Luther King Jr. is of monumental importance. What started as a protest on a bus, as marches of peaceful civil disobedience in a region of the United States, lead to a quarter million people marching on Washington D.C., a nationally televised speech - "I have a dream!", and to national legislation giving African Americans their rightful equal-rights as citizens (the Voting Acts Right, and the Civil Rights Act).

To understand King as he was at the core (first and foremost, a Christian minister, a Baptist preacher) is to be like the FEW white folks who literally joined hands with King in the marches for human equality of the 1960s. I'm sad that not more white Christians in the South (and the rest of the U.S.) visibly joined the fight for what the American Constitution calls "certain unalienable Rights" with which they are "endowed, by their Creator" ... specifically "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Best of MLK on DVD.......2005-06-29

Along with the Paul Winfield movie on MLK (which the late Winflield does for Dr. King what Denzel did for Malcolm X), this is clearly the best documentary of MLK that is avaialble on DVD.

Basically, it does not do much on his early years and skims the all-too familiar story of the Momtgomery bus boycott. But it deals with a lot of lesser known matters of his career from 1963 to his assassination in 1968.

The "Children's Crusade" of Birmingham in 1963 is handled from all angles, as well as the events leading up to the March on Washington and the all-too familiar Dream Speech. We learn a lot more about lesser-known matters such as the issues surrounding his receiving the Nobel Prize, the Selma and Chicago campaigns (one important error here is that Dr. King himself never actually marched in the antiblack community of Cicero, Ill. in 1966, Dr. King marched in the equally racist Gage Park, but other independent marchers went to the notorious Cicero). And we also look into his campaigns against the Vietnam War and poverty in America, which usually get short shrift when Dr. King is taught to American schoolchildren, and the issues leading to his assassination.

This documentary is even more blatant than the Winfield movie in pointing out Dr. King's flaws (womanizing, poor health habits, questionable associations, etc) but it is a balanced portrait in showing the good that Dr. King attempted to accomplish during this time without compromising on his Ghandian philosophy.

One particularly intriguing segment shows Dan Rather, who now prides himself on his professed sympathy for the movement, annoying Dr. King with questions about Communist associations (c. 1963). Mike Wallace is also shown disturbing Dr. King (around 1966) about whether he is making white people tired with his demonstrations. Dr. King's anger in both cases is controlled, but apparent.

But overall, the King novice as well as history fans, high school, and college students will do well to watch this in conjunction with the Paul Winfield film. Both will show the historical layman that Dr. King was about far more than dreaming dreams and making pretty speeches.

Best King Documentary I've seen in a long time.......2005-02-12

Over time (and wisdom) I've enjoyed learning about history. In doing so, I've gained a new perspective on appreciation for those who have made a difference in my country and my life. This video reminds me of how things change so quickly (relatively speaking) and how soon we forget. For awhile I was equating the King Holiday with the same feeling as Washington's Birthday, just another day. Not any more. I enjoy a quality documentary such as this to remind me to thank those of the past as well as the present for making my life a whole lot better.

Average customer rating:

ABOVE HIS CLASS

Arthur Ashe - Citizen of the World
Starring: Malcolm X , Sidney Glass , Billie Jean King , Bob Davis (VIII) , and Ray Moore (VIII)
Director: Julie Anderson
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009WIE48
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Description

A celebration of the life of this great tennis player - the first black player to capture a Grand Slam title when he won the U.S. Open - advocate of human rights, civil rights and more. ' 'Family viewing in the best sense.' ' (Detroit Free Press) ' 'A fine tribute to an exemplary sports legend.' ' (New York Times)

Customer Reviews:

ABOVE HIS CLASS.......2002-08-01

Arthur Ashe is known to most of us as a great African American tennis player who broke down racial barriers in a game considered for the wealthy.Ashe was far more than an athlete or a symbol of racial equality. In tribute to Arthur Ashe, HBO presents this thrilling documentary of a man who went beyond the game and symbolism to become a world wide force of change.

Who was this soft-spoken young man? A native of Virginia, Ashe intimately knew the world of segregation. His parents knew of a better world for him and thus insured that his talent as a tennis player was developed. Our film takes us to the places and people who impacted upon the young Ashe's life. They instilled in him the sense of hard work, being a good sportsman but most of all being the ambassador for Blacks whose presence in the sport of tennis was negligible.

Follow Ashe in his early years as he makes it through the ranks of Junior tennis ever aware of the burden of responsibility for his people. Arthur developed a deep maturity and sense of style far beyond his years. During the turbulent sixties he was criticised for not being outspoken against racism. Ashe refused to allow anyone to dictate the terms of his actions and went along his own tract. His controversial tournament in South Africa, his boycott of Wimbledon, his untiring efforts to help young people and his crusade against aids shows a revolutionary young man.

I was surprised by the imapct of this film on my perception of Ashe. He comes across as a caring spirit who moves beyond the game of tennis. He believes that there is more to his life than just a game and believes in giving back to the community. You can't help but be moved over his courageous spirit in going through two heart attacks and then being diagnosed with aids. For some athletes such news would be a sad ending. For Ashe it was a catalyst for him to do more and the world has appreciated his efforts.

Watching this film will make you appreciate the quiet strength, love and determination of a man who was above his class in the sports arena. The world was blessed with a man who was a scholar, athlete, coach and activist who fully gave of himself.

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