This movie comes of a real story in America. It records the difficulty and embarrassment the Black People have gone through when they are fighting for freedom and equality. But they make great effort to take the initiative and win the respect they have long for.
After watching this movie, I was impressed a lot deeply. I should say that language really is a powerful weapon even the most intractable problem can be solved by it. It is a great movie because it reflects the great weakness of human and a strong feeling of finding the truth when there were a lot of desperate people. The actors use their good command of language, knowledge and logic to fight against racial discrimination. I can figure out the miserable life condition of Negroes at that time through their debates. And I know that the real situation is far beyond the movie which I cannot imagine. Negroes or African Americans have a long hard and tough history under oppression. The movie tries to describe indignation and dissatisfaction of them but at the same time they are helpless and have no choice. So I really admire their courage and sprit to be a pioneer.
I like the character --- Mel Tolson most. Tolson is the very man to educate Negro and enlighten them, and he is so intelligent and sometime capricious. He choose the first one female Samantha to be the debate teammate and the bad guy Henry and young boy James Farmer, which makes me think that he is different from the previous professors. He is forward-looking and concentrates more on teammates’ personality and passion. He is a good educator. He uses his own teaching method which is out of tradition and with great extremity to disciplines them strictly. At first Henry is unsatisfied with him. But Tolson tells him that the weak is always oppressed by the strong. Only when they become strong can they get rid of it. After his training, everyone in the debate team is eager for equality. He has some radical political views. But he never uses that to influence his students and tries to protect them. And as said in the movie, education is the only way out, the only way to the glory. But this movie obviously is more than talking about education but fighting with great persistence and never gives up in any time.
He has a grandiose goal. He wants to help these Negro students who come from the bottom level of society and under great oppression can march toward the international stage of debate to fight for themselves.
The last scene of debate in Harvard makes me exciting. Little James Farmer uses the quotation of St. Augustine, “An unjust law is no law at all." In his view, everyone has a right, even a duty to resist with violence or civil disobedience. And he jokes that you should pray I choose the later. These words are really powerful. After going through his father’s unfair treatment and the cruel things that his fellowman suffered from illegal punishment, he becomes mature and strong. The result of debate is not so important; the more profound thing is that they devote their own life to fight for racial equality for Black People. And finally deepen the theme of this movie, which moves me a lot.
