Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

The widow of murdered civil rights leader Medger Evers and a district attorney struggle to finally bring the murderer to justice.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer:

Lewis Colick

Stars:

Alec Baldwin, James Woods, Virginia Madsen

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Baldwin	...	Bobby DeLaughter
James Woods	...	Byron De La Beckwith
Virginia Madsen	...	Dixie DeLaughter
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Myrlie Evers
Susanna Thompson	...	Peggy Lloyd
Craig T. Nelson	...	Ed Peters
Lucas Black	...	Burt DeLaughter
Joseph Tello	...	Drew DeLaughter
Alexa Vega	...	Claire DeLaughter
William H. Macy	...	Charlie Crisco
Ben Bennett	...	Benny Bennett (as Lloyd 'Benny' Bennett)
Darrell Evers	...	Himself
Yolanda King	...	Reena Evers
Jerry Levine	...	Jerry Mitchell
James Van Evers	...	Van Evers

Storyline

Ghosts of Mississippi is a drama covering the final trial of Byron De La Beckwith (Woods), the assassin of the 1960s civil rights leader Medgar Evers. It begins with the murder and the events surrounding the two initial trials which both ended in hung juries. The movie then covers District Attorney, Bobby De Laughter's (Baldwin) transformation and alliance with Myrlie Evers (Goldberg), the widow of Medgar Evers, as he becomes more involved with bringing Beckwith to trial for the third time 30 years later. Some of the characters are played by the actual participants in this story.

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Plot Keywords:

trial | widow | civil rights | murder | 1960s | 

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Taglines:

In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was gunned down in front of his wife and children. In 1994, the time was right for justice.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a strong scene of violence and for racial dialogue

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fantasmas del pasado

Filming Locations:

Greenwood, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 233,067,000 (Italy) (28 February 1997)

Gross:

$13,052,741 (USA) (14 March 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The prosthetics used in James Woods's make-up were gelatin-based appliances, the first time this material was used in old-age make-up.

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Goofs

When Bobby Delaughter is on the phone to Myrlie Evers and Charley attempts to interrupt him with the news that Byron was quoted of having confessed to killing Evers years earlier, Bobby is wearing his wedding ring. Shortly thereafter when he's in the hospital for his eldest son's injury (and first meets the doctor, his second wife), he is not wearing wedding ring.

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Quotes

[Quoting Medgar Evers]
Myrlie Evers: I don't know if I'm going to heaven or to hell, but I'm going from Jackson.

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Connections

Features In Cold Blood (1967)

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Soundtracks

"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free"
Music by Billy Taylor
Lyrics by Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas
Performed by Dionne Farris
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Solid ghosts

Glossy but highly effective thriller based on the true story of an attempt to bring a racially motivated killer to trial. The film suffers from a certain liberal obviousness: brave, charming white man (who loves his kids) and dignified black widow fight side by side for justice; but it's always compelling, and pertinent too. No magic, then, but a strong story: one of director Rob Reiner's better efforts.