The true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
- Released:
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Drama
- Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, Roger Guenveur Smith, Princess Elmore, Josh Ventura, Ed Amatrudo, Gail Everett-Smith, Brendan Patrick Connor, Tim Ware, Keisha Tillis, Kevin Brown, Bradley King, J.P. Edwards, Jackson Beals, Summer Rain Menkee, Reid Jameson Smith, Mike Dolphy, Ralph Hughes, Ed Sturdivant, Rakeem Massingill, Al Mitchell, Lee Spencer, Njema Williams, Sean Michael Weber, Alyssa Talbot, Euseph Messiah, James Sanders III, Thea Clark, Jamie Renell, Friedman Twinkies, Jonathan D. Williams, Jaylin Webb, Eric Whitten, Diallo Thompson, Cora Maple Lindell, David Caprita, Elizabeth Youman, Charles T. Massey, Angela Yale, Phil Biedron, Carol J. Mckenith, Torey Adkins, Maurice Johnson, Noel Sampson, Brandon P. Bell, Oz Keenum, Destin Freeman, Bree Fyffe, Josh Mendez Sr., Marcus Atkins, Darian Rolle, Brennan Schram, Melina Datta, Blaine Huslig, Ryan Austin Bryant, Richard Nash
- Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Comments
- blpkst - 9 January 2023
Strength, Courage, Bravery a Story That Needs Telling
Danielle Deadwyler deserves an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Mamie Till-Bradley Mobly, the mother of Emmett Till, a 14 year old boy who leaves Chicago to visit cousins in Mississippi the summer of 1955. Because Emmett was raised and lived in Chicago, he doesn't have a grasp on how the balance of power is so mercilessly stacked against him. Emmett pays dearly for trying to compliment a white woman whom he innocently thought resembled an actress.
Gratefully, we are spared the subsequent brutal and barbaric beating and torture the 14-year old boy sustained. However, we do see the aftermath of the torture when his distraught mother sees his body at the funeral home in a heart wrenching scene. What comes next made history and became instrumental in moving the Civil Rights movement forward. Anger is a strong propellant. Instead of being crushed and defeated, Mrs. Till with the fearsome courage of a lioness is determined to show the world "what they have done!" Subsequently, Emmett's battered, bruised and swollen body is presented in an open casket. Photographs of Emmett in his open coffin were broadcasted across the globe and shocked the world. The courtroom case only proved what Black people in America already knew that it was impossible for a Black person to get justice in the Deep South. The perpetrators were found not guilty! Two years later the two men exonerated in the court trial, confessed to the killing of Emmett Till to LOOK magazine for $4,000.
The story is told well. The script and cast are excellent. It is beautifully filmed. I hope that it is rewarded with both Oscar nominations and wins, especially for Danielle Deadwyler as actress in a lead role. She was fantastic.
Brenda Pizzo, Boston. - nogodnomasters - 1 December 2022
Be Smart
I believe most of us know the tragedy of Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) who was called "Bo" or even "Bo-Bo" for much of the film. His mother (Danielle Deadwyler) warns him on how to behave while in Mississippi, warnings which the fourteen year old ignored. The scene in the store and his encounter with Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett) appears to be the most accurate and reliable information available as one person is dead and the other doesn't recall everything but did claim she lied on the stand. Emmett's father was described as a hero in WWII who died in the war. They were divorced after he cheated on her. Later when he choked her to unconsciousness he was given an opportunity to avoid jail by enlisting. In Italy he did die. He was executed for the murder of one woman and the rape of two others. The actor looked almost exactly like Till, although Till had a stutter from the polio he had contracted as a child. Mamie knew the power of viewing Emmett's body all beaten which we do see in the film, looking a little like "Elephant Man." I thought it was a bit creepy when the mother claimed she had put her hands on every inch of her son's body.
The horror of his murder was omitted. Unlike Mamie, the creators wanted a more sanitized film, one about hope. I also don't recall the outcome of the trial being announced in the film. If you are going to show nearly an hour of the courtroom, saying the outcome should be expected. I was a bit disappointed in the film and it failed to move me as the creators had hoped.
Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.
