Boycott
Start Walkin'
One woman refuses to give up her seat in a "whites only" section of a public bus. The bus stops. The city stops. The world stops.
December 1, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama. A time when resentment gives birth to rebellion; when a gesture has the power to bring about change.
The single act by Rosa Parks inspires an uprising that will make history, and make a leader of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boycott is the explosive telling of this story.
Member Reviews
Decent Enough History Lesson, But Fails To Really Shine - revsdd
Filmed to resemble a documentary, "Boycott" is the story of the 13-month long Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott that resulted from Rosa Parkes' refusal to give up her seat on a city bus for a white man.
Jeffery Wright offers a powerful performance as Martin Luther King, Jr. His resemblance to King - both in physical appearance and speaking style - is almost eerie. He is most definitely the highlight of this movie, particularly since no one else in the cast really stands out from the crowd.
The film offers a pretty good step by step description of the boycott from a number of angles. It isn't shy about pointing out the power struggle within the black community over control of the boycott in its early days, and it dramatically portrays the extent (and the sheer lunacy) of racist sentiment in the South of that era.
The movie suffers, though, from the decision to make it a mock documentary. Among other things, it simply takes itself much too seriously. Movies that pretend to be documentaries generally make neither great movies nor great documentaries. This is no exception. The jerky filming, the constant shifting into black and white for brief periods and for no apparent reason (except perhaps as a racial comment?) and the "interviews" with various characters didn't contribute very much. "Boycott" would have been much better as a straight drama. As it is, it manages to offer some valuable insights into Montgomery's racial problems in the 1950's, it has some truly wonderful music and it is an uplifting reminder that race hatred and violence can be overcome. So it isn't a bad movie; it just never quite seems to hit its stride, and it could have been so much better. It's good, but not great.Great history, a little overdone - runaway
This was an enjoyable performance from the underrated Jeffery Wright. As usual, Terrance Howard burns up the screen. However, the directing from Clark Johnson was a little overdone. Constant black and white fades as well as strange camera angles took away from the story it was trying to tell. As if the film needed to be 'artsy' to draw attention. All it did was remove the spotlight from some excellent performances (CCH Pounder!). It smacked of 'made for TV' instead of the classy picture it deserves to be. Can't touch Malcolm X, but it was enjoyable.Strength, Perserverence and Inspiration - Liffey
This movie "chronicles" the bus boycott that started the momentum of the Civil Rights movement in the US under a reluctant and young leader -- Martin Luther King Jr.
Set in 1956 the director uses an interesting perspective to create this film. It appears as if this movie was shot as a documentary -- with the camera in the room for key conversations/moments.
It was alittle shocking to see what segregation really meant. Black passengers stepped up into the bus to pay their fare and they had to walk outside the bus to the back door to enter the back of the bus. How humiliating...makes such a difference to see it rather than just here about it.
The story is very engaging with many of the actors giving stellar performances. The soundtrack is probably worth a buy as the music is fantastic.
Highly recommended if your into learning about modern history and getting a dose of inspiration.
Member Reviews
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Decent Enough History Lesson, But Fails To Really Shine - revsdd
Filmed to resemble a documentary, "Boycott" is the story of the 13-month long Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott that resulted from Rosa Parkes' refusal to give up her seat on a city bus for a white man.
Jeffery Wright offers a powerful performance as ...Great history, a little overdone - runaway
This was an enjoyable performance from the underrated Jeffery Wright. As usual, Terrance Howard burns up the screen. However, the directing from Clark Johnson was a little overdone. Constant black and white fades as well as strange camera angles took away ...Strength, Perserverence and Inspiration - Liffey
This movie "chronicles" the bus boycott that started the momentum of the Civil Rights movement in the US under a reluctant and young leader -- Martin Luther King Jr.
Set in 1956 the director uses an interesting perspective to create this film. It ...