"The Rosa Parks Story" is an exceptional film that portrays the life of one of America's greatest Civil Rights figures. The film depicts this remarkable woman's life from her childhood to her rise in the Civil Rights Movement as she goes on to inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott which to this day remains one of the most powerful examples of civil disobedience in national memory. Prior to the late 1960's much of the southern United States was deeply segregated with entrenched systematic discrimination against people of color. Rosa Parks helped spark the Civil Rights Movement in the south that culminated in creating a more progressive and tolerant country.
Early in the film, the movie briefly discusses the plight of the Scottsboro Boys who were a group of African American youth who were sentenced to death with little to no evidence for allegedly sexually assaulting two white women. The poor young men who were travelling migrant workers at the time of their arrest were eviscerated by the deeply racist legal system of Alabama and would have been unjustly executed if it weren't for the intervention of the Communist Party in the United States. This story is depicted in the Hollywood film "Heaven Falls". As portrayed in "The Rosa Parks Story", the NAACP tried to assist these boys. But like so many black youth who were swept up by the racist violence that was a regular feature of the south at the time, the NAACP's efforts provided no avail. After witnessing a series of humiliating and deeply harrowing experiences, Rosa Parks transforms on-screen in the film from a young women into a leader who begins her Civil Rights career as a secretary for the NAACP.
The "Rosa Parks Story" is powerful because it took the time to remind the viewers of the reason why so many black folk depended on the bus system in the south. Poverty was one major reason. But even if a black man managed to save up for a personal car, by owning a car these men became targets for police and hoodlums. It wasn't easy being a colored person who owned a car. This fact is demonstrated in "The Rosa Parks Story" when Rosa Parks' husband is humiliated by police officers in front of her. Rosa Parks sets out to change this broken system. She starts by changing Montgomery's segregated bus system.
The talented actress Angela Bassett deserves praise for her performance which captured the class and dignity that Rosa Parks displayed throughout her entire life. It isn't easy to portray such a remarkable historical figure. The slow piano music that graces the background is kind of unimaginative. But the movie doesn't lack passion. This movie will make you angry if you have a conscience. But that is kind of the point. There was a time when colored people could not try on shoes in public stores or even share water fountains at public parks. There was a time when color folks got lynched by mobs or electrocuted to death for the slightest perceived transgressions. America has a dark history of injustice that shouldn't be hidden by a veil. "The Rosa Parks Story" as a film does justice to the history.
One thing the movie gets right is bringing up Colvin Claudette, the fifteen year old girl who was the first person arrested for refusing to give up her seat in Montgomery. The main reason Rosa Parks became a champion of the Civil Rights Movement was her impeccable character. Unlike for others, nobody could ever accuse Rosa Parks of being a criminal. That poignant fact made her arrest all the more awakening. Even Rosa waivers in the film when confronted with the choice to give up her seat to a white man at the greatest moment of her lifetime. She couldn't have known that her moment of indecision would be one of the most powerful moments in the civil rights movement. As Rosa contemplates giving up her seat, other bus riders, even black ones, beg her to give up her seat. They just want to go about their daily routine without a fuss. But that reluctance for change was precisely the problem. After the fateful day of December 1, 1955, their daily routines would never be the same again. The greatest line in the film happens during an argument between Rosa and her caring husband who rudely admonishes her by stating, "You're not Harriet Tubman god **** it". She replies, "No, I'm only Rosa Parks".
Early in the film, the movie briefly discusses the plight of the Scottsboro Boys who were a group of African American youth who were sentenced to death with little to no evidence for allegedly sexually assaulting two white women. The poor young men who were travelling migrant workers at the time of their arrest were eviscerated by the deeply racist legal system of Alabama and would have been unjustly executed if it weren't for the intervention of the Communist Party in the United States. This story is depicted in the Hollywood film "Heaven Falls". As portrayed in "The Rosa Parks Story", the NAACP tried to assist these boys. But like so many black youth who were swept up by the racist violence that was a regular feature of the south at the time, the NAACP's efforts provided no avail. After witnessing a series of humiliating and deeply harrowing experiences, Rosa Parks transforms on-screen in the film from a young women into a leader who begins her Civil Rights career as a secretary for the NAACP.
The "Rosa Parks Story" is powerful because it took the time to remind the viewers of the reason why so many black folk depended on the bus system in the south. Poverty was one major reason. But even if a black man managed to save up for a personal car, by owning a car these men became targets for police and hoodlums. It wasn't easy being a colored person who owned a car. This fact is demonstrated in "The Rosa Parks Story" when Rosa Parks' husband is humiliated by police officers in front of her. Rosa Parks sets out to change this broken system. She starts by changing Montgomery's segregated bus system.
The talented actress Angela Bassett deserves praise for her performance which captured the class and dignity that Rosa Parks displayed throughout her entire life. It isn't easy to portray such a remarkable historical figure. The slow piano music that graces the background is kind of unimaginative. But the movie doesn't lack passion. This movie will make you angry if you have a conscience. But that is kind of the point. There was a time when colored people could not try on shoes in public stores or even share water fountains at public parks. There was a time when color folks got lynched by mobs or electrocuted to death for the slightest perceived transgressions. America has a dark history of injustice that shouldn't be hidden by a veil. "The Rosa Parks Story" as a film does justice to the history.
One thing the movie gets right is bringing up Colvin Claudette, the fifteen year old girl who was the first person arrested for refusing to give up her seat in Montgomery. The main reason Rosa Parks became a champion of the Civil Rights Movement was her impeccable character. Unlike for others, nobody could ever accuse Rosa Parks of being a criminal. That poignant fact made her arrest all the more awakening. Even Rosa waivers in the film when confronted with the choice to give up her seat to a white man at the greatest moment of her lifetime. She couldn't have known that her moment of indecision would be one of the most powerful moments in the civil rights movement. As Rosa contemplates giving up her seat, other bus riders, even black ones, beg her to give up her seat. They just want to go about their daily routine without a fuss. But that reluctance for change was precisely the problem. After the fateful day of December 1, 1955, their daily routines would never be the same again. The greatest line in the film happens during an argument between Rosa and her caring husband who rudely admonishes her by stating, "You're not Harriet Tubman god **** it". She replies, "No, I'm only Rosa Parks".