IMDb > 4 Little Girls (1997)

4 Little Girls (1997) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   1,229 votes
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Director:
Spike Lee
Contact:
View company contact information for 4 Little Girls on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 July 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Documentary | History more
Tagline:
Birmingham, 1963. A single explosion rocked a community and awakened a sleeping nation. more
Plot:
A documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations more
User Comments:
Great more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Maxine McNair ... Herself (Mother of Denise McNair)
Chris McNair ... Himself (Father of Denise McNair)
Helen Pegues ... Herself (Denise's Aunt)
Queen Nunn ... Herself (Neighbor of Denise McNair)
Arthur Hanes Jr. ... Himself (Defense Attorney for Bob Chambliss)
Howell Raines ... Himself (New York Times Editor)
Harold McNair ... Himself (Denise's Uncle)
Carole C. Smitherman ... Herself (Denise's Childhood Friend) (as Carole C. Smitherman Esq.)
Wamo Reed Robertson ... Herself (Carole's Aunt)
Dianne Braddock ... Herself (Carole's Sister)
Carolyn Lee Brown ... Herself (Carole's Childhood Friend)
Alpha Robertson ... Herself (Mother of Carole Robertson)
Wyatt Tee Walker ... Himself (Former Executive Director of SCLC)
Fred Shuttlesworth ... Himself (Pres. of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights) (also archive footage)
Florence Terrell ... Herself (School Teacher)
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Company:
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the victims, Denise McNair, was a friend and classmate of future Secretary of State 'Condoleeza Rice'. more
Quotes:
Wyatt Tee Walker: So we made the decision based on several things. Fred Shuttlesworth was fearless and courageous to the point of being almost insane; miraculously surviving a bombing of his home. Had taking his wife and two children trying to integrate a school with a mob of five or six hundred folks with chains and stuff like that; just an incredible human being in my view. more
Movie Connections:
References "60 Minutes" (1968) more
Soundtrack:
Birmingham Sunday more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
Great, 29 February 2008
Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY

4 Little Girls (1997)

**** (out of 4)

Powerful, brilliantly told but emotionally draining documentary from Spike Lee about the 1963 church bombings in Birmingham, AL that killed four girl (ages betwee 11 and 14). I learned about these events in school but it was nice seeing a document of what actually happened even though I had a few problems with the film, which I'll get to later. This is an incredibly important little film because it's always nice, as a historical document, to have those surrounding the event be on hand to tell their stories. I was rather shocked that the young girl's family memebers, including parents, were here for interviews and it just became more and more heartbreaking as the film went on. I'm not sure if depressing is the right word or not but the events in this film really can't be looked at in any other way. In the film we're told this event changed how "white America" looked at racism and I wish Lee would have gotten some of those racist in Birmingham to tell what they thought at the time and their feelings after they learned who was killed in the attacks. We do get George wallace making a fool out of himself but I somewhat had a problem with this. It's a joke seeing him try to say he was a friend to black people and he comes off looking very stupid, which I guess he should but the man seemed near death and I'm not really sure putting him on camera was the right thing to do. This is the only part where I think Lee went overboards in the story. The story was strong enough that we didn't need that little break, with slow motion and sound effects, to show what type of person Wallace was. The other thing I have to question is the fact that Lee showed the mutilated and burned bodies of the four children. I think knowing that they died is bad enough but seeing their bodies is something that certainly won't leave my mind. Either way, Lee has created a remarkable little film.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for 4 Little Girls (1997)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Isnt this movie sad? a_spike_lee_joint
Who are the 43 savages, that gave this movie a 1/10?... shotime
This story needs to be retold theatrically in 2013 pagula
I was born that day (9/15/63) KMPINTJ
Every American should watch this film rachel-e-smith
Song playing @ beginning usagi_megami_316
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