Selma (2014)

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Director:

Ava DuVernay

Writer:

Paul Webb

Stars:

David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey

Won 1 Oscar. Another 58 wins & 89 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Oyelowo	...	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Carmen Ejogo	...	Coretta Scott King
Jim France	...	Gunnar Jahn
Trinity Simone	...	Girl #1
Mikeria Howard	...	Girl #2
Jordan Rice	...	Girl #3
Ebony Billups	...	Girl #4
Nadej K. Bailey	...	Girl #5 (as Nadej Bailey)
Elijah Oliver	...	Boy #1
Oprah Winfrey	...	Annie Lee Cooper
Clay Chappell	...	Registrar
Tom Wilkinson	...	President Lyndon B. Johnson
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Lee White
Haviland Stillwell	...	President's Secretary
André Holland	...	Andrew Young

Storyline

The unforgettable true story chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay's "Selma" tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

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Plot Keywords:

civil rights | protest | selma alabama | courage | u.s. politics | 

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Taglines:

The gripping story of Martin Luther King Jr's historic struggle for equality.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lee Daniels was originally set to direct. The original cast included Hugh Jackman as Sheriff Jim Clark, Liam Neeson as Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert De Niro as segregationist governor George Wallace, Cedric the Entertainer as minister and activist Ralph Abernathy, and Lenny Kravitz as activist Andrew Young. David Oyelowo was attached to star as Martin Luther King Jr. When Ava DuVernay took over as director, Oyelowo was the only casting decision she didn't change.

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Goofs

A note at the end of the end credits thanks the cities of Covington, Conyers, and Marietta, Alabama. Those cities are in Georgia, not Alabama. Montgomery and Selma were the only Alabama filming locations.

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Quotes

Col. Al Lingo: If the Lord Jesus and Elvis Presley came visiting and they said
[Referring to Sheriff Jim Clark]
Col. Al Lingo: "Jim, we need you to treat them
[racial epitaph removed]
Col. Al Lingo: nice." Jim Clark would be the shit out of the pair of them and throw them in jail.

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Crazy Credits

The initial credits are shown over stills from the film and from promotional materials.

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Connections

References Boycott (2001)

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Soundtracks

Contemporary Focus
Written & Performed by McCoy Tyner
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

This is an entertaining drama but it's not for everyone

Selma is a pretty entertaining drama about Martin Luther King, Jr. I think that David Oyelowo did a great job acting. He had a strong role and did a great job bringing the elements of courage and bravery to the screen with his powerful performance. It also had pretty good emotional power in it. This is not for everyone with its talk heavy dialogue but for those who like slower films then this is for them. It doesn't have the same power as "12 Years a Slave" does though. Still, it's good for a few viewings and it is pretty moving at some parts. I was pretty entertained by this. A couple of the boring or slower scenes lost me but there weren't too many of them and most of them were only in the first hour. It did a good job capturing the ugliness of the 1960's with the marches and some other sequences of violence. If you want to see a history lesson on screen then you'll likely enjoy the film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [France]

Country:

UK USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Selma

Filming Locations:

Marietta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$571,450, 28 December 2014

Gross USA:

$52,076,908

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$66,787,908

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé, Harpo Films, Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 Datasat Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1