Selma, Lord, Selma 

In 1965 Alabama, an 11 year old girl (Jurnee Smollett) is touched by a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Clifton Powell) and becomes a devout follower. But her resolution is tested when ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Burnett

Writers:

Rachel West Nelson (book), Frank Sikora (book)

Stars:

Mackenzie Astin, Jurnee Smollett, Clifton Powell

4 nominations.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Mackenzie Astin	...	Jonathan Daniels
Jurnee Smollett	...	Sheyann Webb
Clifton Powell	...	Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ella Joyce	...	Betty Webb
Yolanda King	...	Miss Bright
Elizabeth Omilami	...	Amelia Boynton
Afemo Omilami	...	John Webb
Brett Rice	...	Sheriff Pots
Tom Nowicki
Margo Moorer	...	Alice West
Von Coulter	...	Tom West
Laura-Shay Griffin	...	Sallie Parker
Danny Nelson	...	Father Whitaker
Faruq Tauheed	...	Willie (as Faruq Jenkins)
Stephanie Zandra Peyton	...	Rachel West

Storyline

In 1965 Alabama, an 11 year old girl (Jurnee Smollett) is touched by a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Clifton Powell) and becomes a devout follower. But her resolution is tested when she joins others in the famed march from Selma to Montgomery.

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Plot Keywords:

inspirational | police brutality | racial issues | christian | gospel music | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is based on the memoir "Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights Days" by Sheyann Webb and Rachel West Nelson, as told to Frank Sikora, first published in 1980.

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Goofs

Jonathan Myrick Daniels Died August 20, 1965. In the movie his death is between the days March 15, 1965 and March 21, 1965.

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Quotes

Willie: You're a racist, and all your men are racists in the same way that Hitler was a racist!

User Reviews

Greatly affecting, if not brilliant

Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep" is a true masterpiece--an unsentimental look at ghetto life, rich in detail, marvelously flirting with an unexpected and regarding nonnarrative structure. "Selma, Lord, Selma" doesn't offer the same joys--it too obviously is a television project, with clearly identifiable "good guys" and "bad guys" and a strong sentimental thrust. Burnett seems to have been forced into removing the subtleties of the historical events he portrays by the limits of working with Disney. In the end, this movie is greatly affecting--it is hard to watch it with dry eyes--but it is not likely to make someone who isn't ignorant of the struggle for civil rights in the U.S. to think about the events in a new light.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Accadde a Selma

Filming Locations:

Griffin, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Esparza / Katz Productions, Walt Disney Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1