The other day, I received a copy of the two-disc edition of The Great Debaters to review here on the site. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I had been meaning to see this film back when it was in theaters, but alas, it was only here for a matter of a few weeks, and I missed my chance due to sheer procrastination and lack of wanting to take any dates to a movie that would require them to think about anything other than spreading her legs later on. So due to my Leon-esque self-centered reasoning, I missed out on supporting what turned out to be an excellent film that lived up to all the expectations that I had for it.
The acting was wonderful, the cenematography really made you feel like you were there in that era, and overall, it was an uplifting story of triumph through adversity. The best part for me, though, is that one of the characters portrayed in the movie was a man that I actually knew: Dr. James Farmer, Jr.
When I was in middle school, I was selected for a college preparation program called James Farmer Scholars. It was named in honor of it’s founder, James Farmer, Jr., a man who marched on the front lines with Dr. King, lost an eye as a result of the Freedom Rides, and founded the Congress of Racial Equality. My father knew the man personally, and I got a few chances to talk with him as a member of the scholars program that he started. I once told him that being a part of his program was a big reason that I got serious about going to college. Before that, all I cared about was playing basketball, and making my friends laugh. The scholars program made me realize that there was much more out there in the world, and that I wanted to make my mark and do something great.
That’s a big reason why I had a special reason to see this. I kind of feel bad that I never asked Dr. Farmer about the story of his debate with Harvard University back when he was alive. The few questions I asked him always pertained to the stuff he did in the 60′s, so I had no idea that he’d been a trailblazer from age 15 on.
So yeah, here’s the swagger scale rating:
Thanks to the interesting story, skilled acting, and all of the extra features on the DVD, I had to give it a good rating. No doubt about it, I would have paid to see this in the theater had I not been such a lazy bastard.
On another note, apparently, I’m related to the kid who played James Farmer Jr. in the movie by marriage…At least according to what my mom said. The crazy thing is, the guy’s name is Denzel Whitaker. Denzel Whitaker…acting in a movie starring…Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. You can’t write sh*t like that.
Ok. I just wrote it…but you know what I mean. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Whatever the case, check out The Great Debaters once the 2-disc edition of the DVD hits the stores on May 13th.
Dont fret about not asking Farmer about the debate with Harvard: It never happened. The actual winning debate was in California with the team at USC.
Its cool that Farmer was so close to you and your family while you were growing up. Im glad his program made you want to go to college, too!
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LOL.. I was gonna say what Lola said. While the Great Debators was an excellent movie Denzel and Co took creative license with the story. Thats why its “based on a true story”.
I cracked up when I found out guy’s name was Denzel Whitaker. I was thinking, I know his mom was on set flirting with the original Denzel every day, like “Damn my husband/boyfriend! This is destiny!” Lol. That’s really cool that you had the opportunity to know someone so amazing.
Lemme ask you something…how in THE HELL did the Hawks drag the Celtics into Game 7? First game I was like, there’s gonna be 4 maybe 5 games, tops. And they keep winning by a hair! Johnson…I don’t know his first name, #2 on the Hawks, is not playing around! And Mike Bibby is clearly at home with the damn Hawks. I forgot the Hawks were a team really, even seeded at #8. They never resonate with me.
Joe Johnson has always been good. The Celtics are in trouble, even if they win game 7. If the Hawks are giving them fist like this, They don’t want to see Detroit or even the Orlando Magic. Hell, LeBron is waiting for them in the next round! They better get it together!