Selma: Crash Course Film Criticism #3
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Alex
The timing was perfect for me- I just watched Selma last night to find this great video a day later! And it's just been published, too. I loved your point about the critical approaches that can be chosen to criticize a film. Naturally, checking the movie's historical accurateness seems to make sense. But - and I study history - this is not what the movies are supposed to do. They can't teach you history, ever. This video makes that point clearly, so thanks for that: ). Movies can teach us how historical events are perceived, interpreted, dealt with, turned into art and so on. They always do that from the time of their origin. So this movie is a wonderful source, not for what happened in Selma, but how the director, actors and people involved treated the event. And the positive effect is that people might get on to do some more research as well.
Thanks a lot for the video!
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The timing was perfect for me- I just watched Selma last night to find this great video a day later! And it's just been published, too. I loved your point about the critical approaches that can be chosen to criticize a film. Naturally, checking the movie's historical accurateness seems to make sense. But - and I study history - this is not what the movies are supposed to do. They can't teach you history, ever. This video makes that point clearly, so thanks for that: ). Movies can teach us how historical events are perceived, interpreted, dealt with, turned into art and so on. They always do that from the time of their origin. So this movie is a wonderful source, not for what happened in Selma, but how the director, actors and people involved treated the event. And the positive effect is that people might get on to do some more research as well.
Thanks a lot for the video!
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Pearl
To be fair about the way Bloody Sunday is presented, the march takes place during daylight, and all the scenes of viewers reactions are shown to be night outside. So that five hour delay IS accounted for in the visuals.
I really liked the breakdown of this film. I didn't realize there was a film critique Crash Course series, so I'm happy to have stumbled upon it and for this to be the first I've watched. I won't lie, I wanted to Selma immediately when it came out, but no one wanted to go with me. So I hit up the dollar store for some contraband snacks and saw it alone. I have no regrets. It was worth every dollar I spent, every curious look I got for daring to see a movie solo, every silently smothered sob I choked back to avoid ugly crying at the theater.
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To be fair about the way Bloody Sunday is presented, the march takes place during daylight, and all the scenes of viewers reactions are shown to be night outside. So that five hour delay IS accounted for in the visuals.
I really liked the breakdown of this film. I didn't realize there was a film critique Crash Course series, so I'm happy to have stumbled upon it and for this to be the first I've watched. I won't lie, I wanted to Selma immediately when it came out, but no one wanted to go with me. So I hit up the dollar store for some contraband snacks and saw it alone. I have no regrets. It was worth every dollar I spent, every curious look I got for daring to see a movie solo, every silently smothered sob I choked back to avoid ugly crying at the theater.
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R.
I think in your efforts to acknowledge the legitimacy of historical viewpoints, you give the criticism of chronology too much credit. In 1964, being able to see pictures of an event after only 5 hours was about par for the course. 20 years earlier, the lag between event and ability to view images of it were more likely measured in days. Even 20 years later, hours would still not be out of the question. This is a pretty nit-picky criticism in my view and while I understand the impulse to present the other side of the argument, I don't think it deserves the level of legitimacy presented here. That said, I do very much appreciate the review in the realm of the film's artistic merits which are as mentioned, every bit as legitimate and valid as historical criticism.
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I think in your efforts to acknowledge the legitimacy of historical viewpoints, you give the criticism of chronology too much credit. In 1964, being able to see pictures of an event after only 5 hours was about par for the course. 20 years earlier, the lag between event and ability to view images of it were more likely measured in days. Even 20 years later, hours would still not be out of the question. This is a pretty nit-picky criticism in my view and while I understand the impulse to present the other side of the argument, I don't think it deserves the level of legitimacy presented here. That said, I do very much appreciate the review in the realm of the film's artistic merits which are as mentioned, every bit as legitimate and valid as historical criticism.
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Sam
Well if you look, some of the people watching the Bloody Sunday violence have lamps on and blinds shut so it must be night time, and I-m guessing DuVernay intercut these two different times in the day to show people-s reactions to the things we-re seeing, as if it-s on the news later rather than live.
And that actually feeds into what you were saying about private lives and public lives: All these people (including LBJ) at home at night, in private, having this violence and terror thrust into their lives.
Maybe a comment on how people only cared when it affected them personally in some way, Idk.
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Well if you look, some of the people watching the Bloody Sunday violence have lamps on and blinds shut so it must be night time, and I-m guessing DuVernay intercut these two different times in the day to show people-s reactions to the things we-re seeing, as if it-s on the news later rather than live.
And that actually feeds into what you were saying about private lives and public lives: All these people (including LBJ) at home at night, in private, having this violence and terror thrust into their lives.
Maybe a comment on how people only cared when it affected them personally in some way, Idk.
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Randall
In 1965 there WAS NO real time News feeds. All television news was filmed and played back on the -Six O'clock News-. Sometimes(like after the Kennedy Assassination) the Television station would pre-empt regular programming with news but usually just the Newsman reporting what was known at the time(not usually a live feed. BTW the first person to be killed on live television was Lee Harvey Oswald as the national news was broadcasting his transfer from the Police Station to the jail.
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In 1965 there WAS NO real time News feeds. All television news was filmed and played back on the -Six O'clock News-. Sometimes(like after the Kennedy Assassination) the Television station would pre-empt regular programming with news but usually just the Newsman reporting what was known at the time(not usually a live feed. BTW the first person to be killed on live television was Lee Harvey Oswald as the national news was broadcasting his transfer from the Police Station to the jail.
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Meganopteryx
I'm noticing that the scenes of people watching the violence in horror in the privacy of their own homes are shot at night. presumably 5 hours later than the violence actually happened, when it was finally aired. So I think maybe they were meant to be cross-cuts in time, though our modern cinematography has trained us that cuts hint at simultaneous action. I haven't seen the movie myself so all I'm getting this from are from cuts shown in the video. If I'm wrong, let me know.
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I'm noticing that the scenes of people watching the violence in horror in the privacy of their own homes are shot at night. presumably 5 hours later than the violence actually happened, when it was finally aired. So I think maybe they were meant to be cross-cuts in time, though our modern cinematography has trained us that cuts hint at simultaneous action. I haven't seen the movie myself so all I'm getting this from are from cuts shown in the video. If I'm wrong, let me know.
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William
i don't see there being a lack of inclusion in the academy awards. Only 13% of directors are female, and since there are only 12. 1% of African Americans in america that means that only 1. 074% of directors are black females. So looking at those statistics it seems that they have been represented quite fairly. As 1. 11% of female directors have been nominated for best picture.
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i don't see there being a lack of inclusion in the academy awards. Only 13% of directors are female, and since there are only 12. 1% of African Americans in america that means that only 1. 074% of directors are black females. So looking at those statistics it seems that they have been represented quite fairly. As 1. 11% of female directors have been nominated for best picture.
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SkywalkerAni
As long as the movie is overall accurate with the history involved, I'm OK with a few liberties being taken. Like, with what you said in the beginning, yeah, the exact timeline may not be accurate, with when events take place, but since the events did happen, and the order they're shown are meant to evoke emotions, I'm ok with it. Does that make sense?
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As long as the movie is overall accurate with the history involved, I'm OK with a few liberties being taken. Like, with what you said in the beginning, yeah, the exact timeline may not be accurate, with when events take place, but since the events did happen, and the order they're shown are meant to evoke emotions, I'm ok with it. Does that make sense?
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Double
-sigh- adding drama to a film that references history, is a historic issue with entertainment based film makers.
Maybe we should ask them to make 2 version of the film, 1 as normal and another with some sort of screen overlay that will say when movie events are historically accurate and when they are added drama.
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-sigh- adding drama to a film that references history, is a historic issue with entertainment based film makers.
Maybe we should ask them to make 2 version of the film, 1 as normal and another with some sort of screen overlay that will say when movie events are historically accurate and when they are added drama.
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wayVier
I had missed the second episode and it took me way too long to find it. It's not even numbered in the title (while your other episode include -#- in their titles. Maybe put a link in the description or in a caption somewhere for easier navigation if someone misses an episode? Thanks!
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I had missed the second episode and it took me way too long to find it. It's not even numbered in the title (while your other episode include -#- in their titles. Maybe put a link in the description or in a caption somewhere for easier navigation if someone misses an episode? Thanks!
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