Freedom Riders Movie Analysis - Assignment Example

of Film: Freedom Riders Director: Stanley Nelson Genre: Documentary Freedom Riders Movie Review INTRODUCTION Freedom Riders documentary was released in 2010 and was set in the United States, US. The film ‘Freedom Riders of 1961 is a story of more than 400 Americans who took part in a bold and a grievous exercise to arouse the conscience of a complacent nation. The documentary was released during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides. It is a documentary that was done to commemorate the people and the struggle they went through in the fight against racial segregation.

Congressman, one of the main characters in the documentary narrates about how as a participant of the freedom rides he was violently brutalized. He sustained major head injuries as he was hit with a wooden crate by a racist. The fight for freedom lasted for six months, from May November 1961. The documentary does not only record the actions of these young activists but also reminds the audience about the immense struggle to change the law. The producer of the documentary, Stanley Nelson Earl, was born in 1951 in the New York City of United States of America.

He graduated from the Leonard Davis Films School in 1976, having attained a degree in Fine Arts. After school, he got employed by William Greaves filmmaker. Currently, Nelson works with the Fire Media as an Executive Director of the firm. His most notable films are The murder of Emmett Till, Freedom Riders, Wounded Knee, and A place of Our Own in 2004 among others. PLOT SYNOPSIS In the year 1961, most parts of the South public were still fractioned into areas for whites and blacks, despite the Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation was against the law.

The Civil Rights Movement was at a turning point. President John Kennedys administration had done very little concerning segregation, though the President was speaking in favor of civil rights. A group of student activists, both whites and blacks stepped forward to push for desegregation. These activists were travelling together by bus to the segregation-affected areas. They ate together, shared room, and hanged out together. When their actions became public news, these civil rights activists became better known as the Freedom Riders.

THE THEME OF ACTIVISM The people who joined the Freedom Riders did so because they wanted to bring a change in the society. People of the south remained segregated despite the Supreme Courts ruling against racial discrimination. Their main goal was to challenge the people who were still going against what the law provided. The Freedom Riders knew that they were likely to cause violence, but they felt that it was worth it though some people did not feel it. Some people feared for their lives, and that is the reason the group started with only 14 members.

They engaged in non-violent activism styles that were taught to them by Martin Luther Jr. Their actions were so much different from the actions of angry, violent mob because they were peaceful. By this difference, they managed to bring racial segregation to the media. The actions of the activists and their publicity aroused the people who usually ignored the racial segregation issue. The hostility they from the racism perpetrator never deterred these activists. Women activists were being stripped and jailed, but they continued to sing freedom songs.