Movie review: The Great Debaters

By Stan Dyer

Although this movie opened six months ago in December of 2007, I just recently had the opportunity to view it. I am sorry I waited so long. Despite changing a few names, and omitting a couple of historical facts, the movie does base its story on actual events and accurately depicts the reality of life in the 1930's for many. Yes, it is a movie about a debate team, but do not let the apparent subject matter fool you. This movie is really about American history, both past and present, seen from a varied perspective. In a sense, it is the "Remember the Titans" for the non-sports world of academia.

The movie begins at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas with Professor Melvin Tolson who is putting together a debate team for the college. Of the many applicants, Hamilton Burgess, Henry Lowe, Samantha Booke and James Farmer, Jr. are chosen. Behind the leadership of Tolson, the team amasses a long string of victories that culminates in a contest with the national debate champions, Harvard. If that were all there was to the movie, it would be as exciting as watching grass grow. The debate team is really just a front. The real movie is about life in 1930's Texas as seen through minority eyes.

Melvin Tolson is not only a college professor and sponsor of the debate team, he is also an organizer for a tenant farmer's labor Union trying to organize workers of mixed backgrounds. People sometimes forget that 1935 was the middle of the Depression and all people were looking to improve their lot in life. This was the era of an emerging social welfare state and men with names like Huey Long, Dr. Francis Townshend, and Father Charles Coughlin were turning many heads with their radical ideas to assist struggling families. This was also the era of Roosevelt's "New Deal", the beginning of Social Security, the Wagner Act and the NLRB. It is no surprise that the team is called upon to discuss these and other issues. It is also no surprise that the Sheriff of Marshall Texas arrests Professor Tolson for "communist" activity. People forget that World War II was just around the corner in 1935 and people still saw communism as a viable alternative to a seemingly failed system of democracy in America. Those with jobs, however, saw change as a threat to their status quo and the ideals of their country. Debate team member Hamilton Burgess even goes as far as to quit the team suspecting Tolson is a communist and not wanting to be associated with that. The debate team, itself, is an interesting mixture.

With Burgess being the only returning member, the remaining four are a black woman, an intelligent, but "wandering" man of ideals, and a young, 14-year-old prodigy. Samantha Booke is the young, black woman who transfers to Wiley just to be on the debate team. She wants the experience in organized argument to help her in her chosen career as a lawyer. She wants all this in a time when women generally were almost exclusively omitted from such pursuits and delegated to the professions of nursing, teaching and motherhood. Even at her college, she raises eyebrows simply by being the lone woman on the debate team, and she certainly encounters no other female competitors.

James Farmer, Jr., is the prodigy. The son of a highly respected and intelligent minister, he has finished high school at age 14 and is now a freshman at Wiley College. He has a lot of growing up to do, but ends up using his short experience, his father's guidance and his wit to win the final debate and catapult his school's debate team into national prominence. From there, he goes on to work toward Civil Rights and form the Congress of Racial Equality.

The final member of the team is Henry Lowe. He is the street-smart vagabond with a penchant for carousing and a mind like a steel trap. His indiscretions and strong will almost destroy the team, but, in the end, helps to pull them together with his leadership when they need him most.

I suspect that many of the critics who did not like this movie are not students of history. Without knowledge of American history, the plot falls apart. With, however, a basic knowledge of "Plessy vs. Ferguson", Separate but Equal, Jim Crow, the reality of Lynching, and an understanding of the ongoing Civil Rights struggle, the power and message of this movie become more than apparent; they explode off the screen. The movie is like a mixture of "The Color Purple", "Remember the Titans", and "Grapes of Wrath". It is powerful, moving and eye opening.

This movie is "A+" all the way. Despite its plot similarities to other movies, it is unique in its choice of subject matter, presentation, and theme. When you watch this movie, look beyond the basic story. Instead, look deeply for the social message and how it applies to today's society. I especially like the messages of "Unjust law is no law at all", "The Judge is God - The opponent does not exist", and how we cannot create desolation and call it peace. I also like how young, James Farmer, Jr. comes of age in the end and the director uses foreshadowing to drive home the point.

(Notes from the author: 1) The actual debate at the end with Harvard did not happen. The debate occurred but it was with Southern California who was the debate champion of the time. Wiley did win. 2) The character of Samantha Booke probably more accurately depicts Henrietta Wells, the only female member of the 1930 Wiley debate team. 3) The Wiley debate team received no recognition for their victory over the reigning champion since they were not a member of the National Debating Society. Blacks were not allowed to join the society until after World War II.)

Title: The Great Debaters

Director: Denzel Washington

Genre: Historical Drama, Rating: PG-13, Run Time: 2 hours

Cast: Denzel Washington as Melvin Tolson, Forest Whitaker as James Farmer, Sr., Nate Parker as Henry Lowe, Denzel Whitaker as James Farmer, Jr., Jurnee Smollett as Samantha Booke, and Jermaine Williams as Hamilton Burgess.