Boycott (2001)

Black Americans boycott the public buses during the 1950s civil rights movement.

Director:

Clark Johnson

Writers:

Stewart Burns (book), Herman Daniel Farrell (teleplay) (as Herman Daniel Farrell III)

Stars:

Jeffrey Wright, Terrence Howard, CCH Pounder

5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Wright	...	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Terrence Howard	...	Ralph Abernathy
CCH Pounder	...	Jo Ann Robinson
Carmen Ejogo	...	Coretta Scott King
Reg E. Cathey	...	E.D. Nixon
Brent Jennings	...	Rufus Lewis
Iris Little Thomas	...	Rosa Parks (as Iris Little-Thomas)
Shawn Michael Howard	...	Fred Gray
Erik Dellums	...	Bayard Rustin (as Erik Todd Dellums)
Mike Hodge	...	Daddy King
Whitman Mayo	...	Reverend Banyon
Walter Franks	...	Reverend Fields
Mert Hatfield	...	Mayor Gayle
Tom Nowicki	...	Commissioner Sellars
Danny Nelson	...	Commissioner Parks

Storyline

Black Americans boycott the public buses during the 1950s civil rights movement.

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Plot Keywords:

civil rights | civil rights movement | racist | race relations | racial discrimination | 

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Taglines:

"We want Coretta..."

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daybreak of Freedom

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Norman Twain Productions, Shelby Stone Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carmen Ejogo, who plays Coretta Scott King in Boycott, went on to reprise the role thirteen years later in Selma (2014).

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Goofs

At 1:23 into the film, the Bayard Rustin character leaves his hotel and is walking down the street where he passes an establishment titled Posley Electric Appliances TV, Stereo, Radio. This takes place in December 1955, about 3 years before stereo sets were released to the public.

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
Written by Mildred J. Hill & Patty S. Hill

User Reviews

Bringing history to life

This film does an excellent job of bringing an important event in American/African-American history to life. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat on 1 December 1955, she set in motion a whole movement of people working to insure civil rights for all citizens.

The cast underplays the events, allowing the viewer to realize the importance of what is happening. The actor playing Dr. King gives a moving performance and is powerful in his recreation of King's gift for rhetoric, expressing the desire of people to be free.