9/20/2023 0 Comments Forest whitaker son denzelIt’s gonna cost you $25” ( The Great Debaters, 2007). The two white pig farmers who owned the pig confront him about it: “You killed my hog…. One example of this racial divide in The Great Debaters is a scene when James Farmer Sr. There is a clear divide between blacks and white within the town that is critiqued and pointed out heavily throughout the film. Booke, she rose above the gender stereotype and learned to use her words to prove herself not only as a black woman, but also as a woman in general.Īnother more prominent issue throughout the film is racism in segregated, 1930s Texas. Though sexism proved to be an issue for Ms. 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. In response to the Oklahoma’s student’s claim that the time for blacks and whites to walk on the campus was not that time period, Booke responds, asking, “Well, would you kindly tell me when is that day gonna come? Is it gonna come tomorrow? Is it gonna come next week? In a hundred years? Never? No, the time for justice, the time for freedom, and the time for equality is always, is always right now!” ( The Great Debaters, 2007 ). At the Oklahoma debate, Wiley College is to argue the affirmative on the issue of college integration in the South. ![]() Despite the challenge, she makes the debate team, however, as an alternate.Īs the film continues, she gains confidence, especially during the team’s first debate between a white college in Oklahoma. He challenges her during her tryout, arguably more so than he does the black males that are trying out. She responds by stating that she is just as qualified and that her gender has nothing to do with it, but he prompts her with a debate question. He asks her, “What makes you think you should be the first female to join our team?” ( The Great Debaters, 2007). When she is trying out for the debate team, Professor Tolson questions Samantha. Because she is the minority on the team, she feels that she must prove herself worthy of being on the team. 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. While not the most noticeable issue within film, sexism is subtly addressed and critiqued in The Great Debaters. From this, issues of predominantly black and white thought, sexism and racism arise and are critiqued heavily throughout the film. Throughout The Great Debaters, the line of division between black people and white people is drawn and depicted through the education of the Wiley College students. However, in 1930’s segregated Texas, this task proves to be hard with racism, hatred, and prejudice at an all time high. The film was the first since 1979 to be allowed to film on Harvard’s campus.īased on a true story, The Great Debaters tells the story of Wiley College’s Professor Melvin Tolson as he leads his African-American debate team to victory.“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.Cynthia Fuchs of Common Sense Media called it an “ earnest-till-it-hurts film has a lot of the characteristics of the typical “underdog” movie: personal hardship, social oppression, and resilient spirits”.Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: A wonderful cast and top-notch script elevate The Great Debaters beyond a familiar formula for a touching, uplifting drama.In 1935, he inspired students to form the school’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. ![]() Actors: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise. ![]() Writer: Robert Eisele (screenplay and story), Jeffrey Porro (story), Tony Scheman (inspired by the American Legacy article).
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