4 Little Girls (1997)

A documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement.

Director:

Spike Lee

Stars:

Maxine McNair, Walter Cronkite, Chris McNair

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

This film recounts the people and events leading up to the one of the most despicable hate-crimes during the height of the civil-rights movement, the bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In that attack, four little African-American girls lost their lives and a nation was simultaneously revolted, angered and galvanized to push the fight for equality and justice on.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | civil rights | civil rights movement | bombing | church | 

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Taglines:

Birmingham, 1963. A single explosion rocked a community and awakened a sleeping nation.

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry on December 13, 2017, the day after Doug Jones, the US Attorney who prosecuted the trial, was elected to the Senate.

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Quotes

Chris McNair: You must understand that a Bull Connor can not exist without the nods of the status quo people. You know, the big boys in any town. He can't exist without them. He may be the person who actually does the talking; but believe me the Bull Connors have the blessings of someone else.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Contact/This World, Then the Fireworks/A Simple Wish/4 Little Girls/The Big Sleep/Shall We Dance? (1997)

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Soundtracks

We Shall Overcome
Musical and Lyrical Adaptation by Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger
Used by Permission of Ludlow Music

User Reviews

Powerful documentary

I was not born when the Birmingham church bombing occurred. I first read about it when I was 10 or 11 in a Reader's Digest story and for some reason the names of the girls stuck in my mind all these years. I saw this on HBO and it is one of the only films that continued to leave an emotional impression on me long after it was over. Especially the haunting last image of Denise McNair happily holding her beloved (white) doll, and the overwhelming sense that someone who should be in the world today, is not with us. The interviews with family and friends of the girls are what makes this documentary special. Also it does a great job of educating people about Birmingham's civil rights history up to the bombing and just how it took an appalling act of violence to wake up white America. Let's hope it never takes this sort of crime again to make us wake up to other simmering injustices.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

4 Little Girls

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,528, 13 July 1997

Gross USA:

$130,146

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$130,146

Company Credits

Production Co:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1