The Long Walk Home (1990)

Two women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, must decide what they are going to do in response to the famous bus boycott lead by Martin Luther King.

Director:

Richard Pearce

Writer:

John Cork

Stars:

Sissy Spacek, Whoopi Goldberg, Dwight Schultz

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sissy Spacek	...	Miriam Thompson
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Odessa Cotter
Dwight Schultz	...	Norman Thompson
Ving Rhames	...	Herbert Cotter
Dylan Baker	...	Tunker Thompson
Erika Alexander	...	Selma Cotter
Lexi Randall	...	Mary Catherine (as Lexi Faith Randall)
Richard Habersham	...	Theodore Cotter
Jason Weaver	...	Franklin Cotter
Crystal Robbins	...	Sara Thompson
Cherene Snow	...	Claudia
Chelcie Ross	...	Martin
Dan Butler	...	Charlie
Philip Sterling	...	Winston
Schuyler Fisk	...	Judy (Girl at Oak Park)

Storyline

Dramatizes the events in 1955-1956 in Montgomery, Alabama, when blacks boycotted public transport becuase they were forced to sit at the back. Odessa works as a maid for the Thompsons, and as well as she is treated, she feels it is her duty to walk to work, even if it means she is exhaused, and gets to work late.

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Plot Keywords:

alabama | montgomery alabama | maid | bus | boycott | 

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Taglines:

Their forbidden friendship changed a nation.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1991 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Der lange Weg

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,803,039

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dave Bell Associates,New Visions Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to avoid the heavy competition of the holiday season, the film was withdrawn from distribution by Miramax following its December 1990 limited release and re-released March 22, 1991.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the story, the narrator (the adult Mary Katherine) says that she was 7 years old at the time of the story. Later, when Mrs. Thompson is angrily calling the police, she says "Tell Clyde Sellers that one of his policeman threw my 9-year-old daughter out of Oak Park" when talking to the secretary.

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Quotes

Tunker Thompson: If she'd rather walk, let the soles of her feet bleed 'til she begs to ride that bus.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Havana/Mermaids/The Sheltering Sky/Awakenings/The Long Walk Home (1990)

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Soundtracks

PICNIC
Written by George Duning and Steve Allen
Performed by The McGuire Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Worth a lot

I forget when I saw the film or where, but it stayed with me. I really feel the film never got its appropriate praise or fan fair, but maybe some films are meant to be discovered by people as hidden gems and aren't meant to be touted as classics. Though I feel this one is.

I felt that Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek were the cornerstones of the film and deepened the work by providing three dimensional characters that had more to do than just worry about a cause. They had lives to lead and families to raise and the film focuses on their daily living and how they lived it with this larger situation going on around them.

This choice of direction brings us into the story much quicker because it focuses on the people and the impact the situation has on them.

What stays with me is the subtlety and how small gestures can have a great impact.

My favorite movies are about people. Real people interest me more than perfect people. This movie kept me interested.

I bought this film on clearance and when I saw the $7.99 price tag I thought to myself - 'This is worth so much more' And it is!