The Great Depaters follows the 1935 Wiley College debate team from its modest beginnings in Marshall, Texas, to national prominence. English professor/farmers' union organizer Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington, who also directed) coaches the team, embodying worthy life lessons for both his students and his colleague, theology professor James Farmer Sr., the strict father of 15-year-old team member James Jr.. Among these lessons are his resistance to a brutally racist local sheriff and his determination to overcome the pervasive racism of the time. The team overcomes a number of trials -- a brief and suitably tender affair between two members, their coach's incarceration and blacklisting, some rebellious drinking, and a harrowing scene in which they witness a lynchingn and their debate topics tend to underscore broader struggles. Ultimately, they make it to a final showdown with Harvard.
No comments:
Post a Comment