Five notable portrayals of Martin Luther King Jr.
__________________________________________
While most students and faculty working and studying at Saint Joseph’s University are not old enough to remember or were born after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to campus in 1967, it is still possible to see his inspiring story portrayed in various forms. Books and documentaries are one way to learn of his journey, but some creators were enthralled enough to produce films, plays and TV series based on his life. Here are some of the best portrayals of King on stage and screen.
“King” (1978)
Starring: Paul Winfield as Martin Luther King, Jr., Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King, Ossie Davis as Martin Luther King, Sr.
This three-part miniseries was the first time King’s story was told in any form of visual media. Premiering ten years after his death in 1968, the series acts as a biopic to discuss his life, specifically looking at his relationships with his wife and father. Working to humanize a legend is never easy, but “King” manages to do it with grace. King’s son, Martin Luther King III, also appeared in the three episodes as a Southern Baptist pastor.
“The Mountaintop” (2011)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson as Martin Luther King, Jr., Angela Bassett as Camae
Originally premiering in Los Angeles in 2009 before the 2011 Broadway production, this play written by Katori Hall is a fictionalized account of the night before King’s assassination in 1968. Inside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, King speaks with one of the housekeepers, Camae, about his years in the Civil Rights Movement and reflects on his speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” which was delivered the day before.
“Boycott” (2001)
Starring: Jeffrey Wright as Martin Luther King, Jr., Terrence Howard as Ralph Abernathy, C.C.H. Pounder as Jo Ann Robinson.
This TV movie was created to mark the 35th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott as it also looks at the actions of Rosa Parks (Iris Little-Thomas), and the creation of the Montgomery Improvement Association and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Both King (Jeffrey Wright, “Westworld”) and Rev. Ralph Abernathy (Terrence Howard, “Empire”) are prominently portrayed here. The film won a prestigious Peabody Award in 2002 for “refusing to allow history to slip into the past.”
“All the Way” (2016)
Starring: Bryan Cranston as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King, Jr., Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson.
Based on a Broadway production by Robert Schenkkan which won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play, the HBO original film “All the Way” is the story of the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. While the movie tends to focus on then-President Johnson and his struggles in persuading his fellow party members to support the bill, King (Anthony Mackie, “Captain America: Civil War”) is seen in a supporting role, urging Johnson onward. “All the Way” received critical acclaim upon its premiere, with Mackie receiving positive notices for his performance as King.
“Selma” (2014)
Starring: David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon Baines Johnson.
This 2014 major motion picture is perhaps the best known portrayal of King’s story, directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay (“13th,” the upcoming “A Wrinkle in Time”) and produced by Oprah Winfrey, who also stars in the film. The narrative follows King (British actor David Oyelowo) after accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, where he returns to the United States to plan the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights.
Winfrey co-stars as Annie Lee Cooper, whose voting registration is turned down by an Alabama registrar, and Tim Roth appears as segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace. Nominated for two Academy Awards, “Selma” won the award for Best Original Song (“Glory,” written by John Legend and Common), but is often said to have wrongfully lost the Best Picture prize. With its various storylines, uncompromising honesty and call to action, “Selma” is an undisputed modern classic.
