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The Great Debaters (2007)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
25 December 2007 (USA) moreTagline:
When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.Plot:
A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(26 articles)
‘This Is It’ First Day Box Office (Sort of) Breaks Records (From Screen Rant. 29 October 2009, 2:07 PM, PDT)
Top Oscar bloggers respond to backlash against 'Precious'
(From Gold Derby. 21 October 2009, 8:11 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
You do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do. more (94 total)US TV Schedule:
| Tue. Nov. 10 | 9:00 AM | SHOW | |||
| Sat. Nov. 14 | 4:45 PM | SHOW | more |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Denzel Washington | ... | Melvin B. Tolson | |
| Nate Parker | ... | Henry Lowe | |
| Jurnee Smollett | ... | Samantha Booke | |
| Denzel Whitaker | ... | James Farmer Jr. | |
| Jermaine Williams | ... | Hamilton Burgess | |
| Forest Whitaker | ... | Dr. James Farmer Sr. | |
| Gina Ravera | ... | Ruth Tolson | |
| John Heard | ... | Sheriff Dozier | |
| Kimberly Elise | ... | Pearl Farmer | |
| Devyn A. Tyler | ... | Helen Farmer (as Devyn Tyler) | |
| Trenton McClain Boyd | ... | Nathaniel Farmer | |
| Ritchie Montgomery | ... | Deputy | |
| Jackson Walker | ... | Pig Owner | |
| Tim Parati | ... | Pig Farmer | |
| Robert X. Golphin | ... | Dunbar Reed |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
126 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
On December 19, 2007, Denzel Washington announced a $1 million dollar donation to Wiley College so they could re-establish their debate team. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: In 1935, Marshall, Texas, was major rail center, not a one-track whistle stop. moreQuotes:
Melvin B. Tolson: We'll be one of the first Negro colleges to ever debate a white college. If we beat them, we beat ths best. moreSoundtrack:
Up Above My Head I Hear Music in the Air moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (94 total)
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This wasn't about my Texas, although I am familiar with many of the topics in this film. I have been to Marshall in my travels over most of the highways in Texas, I know about Paul Quinn College and Prairie View A & M University. This wasn't even about my Daddy's Texas, as he was just a small boy at the time. It was, however, my Grandfather's Texas. he typified the characters in this film.
With Denzel Washington directing and acting, I expected an outstanding film. I was not prepared to be so emotionally taken in that I left the theater wiping tears from eyes. This was a powerful statement about the differences in American. Differences that were typified by Franklin Roosevelt's affirmative action program for whites - the New Deal; differences that would be repeated twenty years later after WWII when the whites again received affirmative action in the form of the GI Bill. Robert Eisele's story really brought home the pain and deprivation of being Black in America, and how some could overcome that deprivation with the right help, but could never overcome the pain.
Besides Washington, there were outstanding performances by Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, and Denzel Whitaker, as a 14-year-old in college.
Tears in my eyes, I will long remember this film as one of the best of the year and of many years.