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4 Little Girls 
Actors : Dianne Braddock, Carolyn Lee Brown, Gerald Colbert, Arthur Hanes Jr., Freeman Hrabowski III
Studio : Hbo Home Video
by Hbo Home Video
Brand : LEE,SPIKE
Release Date : 2001-01-23
Publisher : Hbo Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780783118154
UPC : 026359147821
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 44 reviews)
List Price : $14.98
Our Price : $8.78
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Americancivilwar.com essential video |
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There are many remarkable things about the documentary 4 Little Girls. Spike Lee's striking, beautifully realized film is a cinematic lesson of what kind of material is better suited to the documentary format. In his first documentary, Lee shares an attribute of Ken Burns: the major event in his documentary is not seen on camera. Except for four quick glimpses of black-and-white autopsy photos, the picture stays clear from the bombing. Lee remains with the faces, the girls' friends, families, and the historic figures of the era. They've all grown up since the bombing but their memories haven't faded. The vital facts of the case are certainly here: the troubled history of Birmingham, the court proceedings, friends' last run-ins with the girls. What touches us deeper though are those witnesses telling us of living through the core era of segregation and bigotry: a father explaining to his child why she can't have a sandwich in a cafeteria and a woman offering up tears of past events. There's even an interview with George Wallace, the prince of segregation, that belongs in a David Lynch feature. Lee's film asserts the bombing energized the civil rights movement and when the voice of America, Walter Cronkite, echoes those sentiments, you believe he may have it right. --Doug Thomas |
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Product Description |
Documents the events surrounding the 1963 bombing of an African American Baptist Church in Alabama, which resulted in the deaths of four young girls.
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Release Date: 8-JAN-2002
Media Type: DVD |
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'4 Little Girls' who left behind a great legacy..... |
September 15, 1963 is a date that remains imprinted in the minds of many--particularly, those from Birmingham, Alabama. This was the day that four innocent young girls died in a racially motivated bombing at an African American Baptist church. Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins were innocent casualties in a race war that raged on in the Southern United States, as well as the rest of the country. This was a time when people of all ages were getting involved in the civil rights movement. This included young children as young as twelve years old (the same age, relatively as the four young girls who were murdered). This horrific crime motivated people to become more involved in activism, out of a sense of obligation, also to speak out against racially motivated violence, such as the bombing. Director Spike Lee does a beautiful job of integrating film reel footage from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, along with segments featuring family, friends, and religious leaders connected with the victims, recalling the events that lead up to the tragedy. What's more, Coretta Scott King (late widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.), Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill Cosby add their perspective to the mix. One of the most chilling parts of the film, for me, was an unsettling clip of the late Governor George Wallace, a notorious advocate for segregation. When the elderly politician presents his African American "right hand man" as his best friend, a chill ran up my spine.
This is a really important documentary to see for several reasons. For starters, I believe everyone should be aware of what took place on that fateful day in Birmingham. Secondly, the film presents this tragic event in a very beautiful and respectful way. Spike Lee is a tremendous storyteller and this piece is very understated, and, yet profound. It's great to see that Lee knows how to make a great statement without resulting in exploitative tactics or manipulation of his audience. The story speaks for itself and this is not an ego trip on the part of the filmmaker in any way. It is a tribute to a tragedy that became a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the eventual prosecution of Robert Chambliss, one of three racists responsible for the bombing. Don't miss out on this film. |
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Excellent Documentary |
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I am a middle school teacher and used this documentary to help my students visualize what segregation looked like in the 1960s. We read The Watsons Go to Birmingham which focuses on segregation in the south but it was not until watching the documentary that it really became real for my students. Not being completely familiar with segregation in Brimingham myself, this documentary also hit home for me. It is very informational and is also done very well so that it keeps even a 12 year olds attention. |
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Good Movie, but, needs more substance. Additionally, sequence of events needs to be more organized |
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Good Movie, but, needs more substance. Sequence of events also needs to be more organized. |
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Disturbing but an unfortunate page in US History... |
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I guess time is the only way for us to measure our progress and I'm happy to see that the wheels of justice finally turned on those who committed that act of cowardly terrorism. There are no other words for bigotry and racial hated other than "ignorance". This includes any extremists who would kill someone because of the color of their skin or how they were put on this Earth by the same God they worship. I hope all those graves have been filled with those people and America and the world can finally move on and use everyone's ability to make this world a better place. This was an excellent documentary and I'd recommend it to anyone when they shape their character and the character of those they are responsible to teach. Our children need to know how not to act and this film should be mandatory viewing in our schools and our homes because change starts with them...Thanks Spike Lee... |
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African-Americans |
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A very good movie to show a story that turned into a pivotal moment in the civil rights of the 60's. |
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