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Mississippi Burning (1988)

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From Time Out Film Guide

Parker's film, loosely based in fact, goes for the gut rather than the head in its assessment of Deep South racism. When three civil rights activists disappear from a small Mississippi town in 1964, the FBI responds (two of the missing men were white) by sending in agents Dafoe and Hackman, the former a by-the-book Yankee determined never to violate the rights of the interrogated, the latter a local boy who opines that to deal with scum you must sink to gutter level. Scum the villains certainly are: ugly, ignorant rednecks devoted to the Klan, and all too happy to punish blacks who protest against injustice or blab to interfering outsiders. In the film, the blacks are almost without exception seen as mute victims, and typically for a film by an Englishman, race hatred is defined in terms of class and economic envy. But Hackman is excellent, especially in his surprisingly tender scenes with McDormand, wife of sadistic deputy Dourif; and for once, Parker directs without depending on flashy visual tropes. The relative anonymity is a plus; only the end falls foul of hyperbole, and it's arguably the director's most controlled film to date.

Author: GA

Time Out Film Guide

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Gloria said...

Posted on Aug 11 2008 17:58 About time someone like Alan Parker came forth and uncovered and revealed what the souls of blacks h ave been through in those days. In correlation, this is still happening in Oklahoma but on subtile and different scale. House bill 2966, The quality of public facilities haven't changed. The signs of whites and coloreds only have been taken down. Two Black kids that recently moved into a white neighborhood was killed. Like the rest of the blacks that were killed here, nothing will be done about it. Angie Tucker and Tina Pitts been missing for a while, no investigation have been done for these black girls. Sheriff dept. is all white like in this movie. They had a klan march in recent years. The mayor rehired a klan in Virginia for chief of police when there were 3 candidates for the position. This violated laws/policies. The black part of Tulsa do not have one grocery storer store. No resturants no malls, no business are out here. I had to drive 10 miles to the whites side of town to kinko just to make one copy. The neighbors live with many burned and gutted house with tall grass for years. The city may cut the grass just one time that's all.
The mayor and the sheriff is aware of the burnings of houses in this area nothings is done. To help have business out here, she is planning to put a mental clinic here for the severly mentally challenged. The black police have been treated unfair and did not get .fair shake with their law suit they had with the city.I must say this Tulsa is the ole' Mississippi

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