Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later (2007) YIFY - Download Movie TORRENT

Reviewed by AsgeirJonsson 9 / 10

Powerful, sobering, and quietly devastating

This HBO documentary revisits Little Rock Central High School half a century after the 1957 desegregation crisis, when nine Black students (the "Little Rock Nine") challenged the racial barriers of a deeply segregated America. Directed by Brent and Craig Renaud, the film returns to the very same hallways to examine how much-or how little-has changed.What makes this documentary exceptional is its unflinching honesty. Rather than offering a simplistic narrative of progress, it immerses us in the daily lives of students and teachers in a school that is technically integrated, but where racial and socioeconomic divisions remain stark. The documentary gives voice to both Black and white students, parents, teachers, and administrators, without overt editorializing-letting the contrasts and contradictions speak for themselves.Visually, the film is restrained but effective. There are no flashy editing tricks or dramatizations. This is observational documentary at its best, allowing real moments to unfold naturally. The Renaud brothers capture scenes of students discussing their futures, teachers confronting limited resources, and parents grappling with hard truths. The result is a nuanced portrait of institutional and cultural inertia, even within a symbol of civil rights victory.From a viewer's perspective-especially one who watches many documentaries-the dilemma arises: how do we rate a film like this? Do we rate it based on how interesting the topic is to us, or on how well-crafted the film is, even if the subject matter is uncomfortable or sobering?In this case, the film earns high marks on craftsmanship and integrity, even though its message is far from uplifting. It does not pander to feel-good narratives. It respects the intelligence of the viewer and challenges us to confront the reality behind historical symbolism.I believe many viewers who gave it a high rating on platforms like IMDb were applying the second standard: recognizing that a documentary can be excellent even when its content is painful to digest. And that's the right approach.Rating: 9/10.

Reviewed by pbczf 8 / 10

Just the way it is

This 2007 documentary tells the story of Little Rock and its Central High School fifty years after US Army paratroopers escorted nine black students to class there in 1957. This was one of the early enforcements of the US Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision, which ruled that separate White and Black school systems were inherently unequal. After setting up the historical context, the film first focuses on the school's academic success, following a well-off White family and its world of AP classes and Ivy League admissions. Then a Black teacher, teaching mostly Black kids, tells us 'If you are living in an AP world...you are out of reality.' Then we're off to what does seem like a different world where most kids don't engage with school and their parents are taking care of their high-school daughters' children rather than going to PTSA meetings. The school's principal ties together both worlds, touting the academic successes of some students and bemoaning the fact that others are reading at a third- or fourth-grade level.The film ends with a powerful scene. Minnijean Brown-Trickey, one of the nine students escorted to class in 1957, visits the school to talk to a class about her experiences. While addressing the class Brown-Trickey stops suddenly and says, 'This room disturbs the hell out of me.' She invites the students to take her place at the front of the class and tell her what's so disturbing. A Black student volunteers and comes to the front and the camera pans so that we can see the back. Are there Confederate symbols? We can't see anything. Then the student says, 'I see it. Caucasians on this side Blacks on this side?' In one of the few classes we've seen with fairly even numbers of Black and White students, segregation continues. As a Black student says, 'It's just the way that it is.'

Reviewed by MikeyB1793 9 / 10

Riveting

A riveting documentary on Central Rock High fifty years after it was forcibly integrated by the federal government under President Eisenhower. I was disappointed that this documentary did not focus more on the experience of the African American students who were escorted to Central Rock by the 101st U.S. Airborne division. There is some presentation of this, but the main emphasis is on Central Rock today.This documentary follows students (black and white) into their high school and their communities. It does not flinch on racial issues and on the racial divide that exists in America. Like all good documentaries it presents several points of view and allows the viewer to absorb and make up his own mind. I could not help but notice how clean the high school looked.It is true that America has come a long way since the Little Rock of 1957, but after viewing this documentary we must acknowledge that much needs to be done. For more on what happened in Little Rock in 1957 I strongly recommend 'A Mighty Long Way' by Carlotta Walls Lanier. Carlotta Walls was one of the original nine students who integrated into Central High. The pain that she and her family experienced from this gives a good historical back-drop to this documentary.

Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later

2007

Documentary

Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later

2007

Documentary

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Powerful, sobering, and quietly devastating

Just the way it is

Riveting

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