Scherman's article came to the attention of Jeffrey Porro who showed it to his friend, writer and TV producer Robert Eisele. Eisele and Porro developed the idea and brought to Oprah Winfrey's company, Harpo Films. That's about the time that Denzel Washington came on board to direct and star as Tolson. The film marks his return to directing after making his directing debut in 2002 with another true story,
Antwone Fisher .
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The debaters (MGM/TWC)
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The film begins with Tolson choosing his debate team for the 1935-36 school year. He decides on four students: Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams); the well-read but undisciplined Henry Lowe (Nate Parker); the first woman to join the team, Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett); and the fourteen-year-old James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Tolson is a tough, intimidating coach who puts his students through their paces. Although he demands sharp minds and quick thinking, Tolson doesn't allow his debaters to formulate their own arguments. Instead he writes their arguments, and essentially directs them in a performance. Performances good enough to overpower their opponents and to establish a phenomenal winning streak that eventually gains the attention of Harvard, where they engage in a final debate. (In real life the final debate was at USC but the filmmakers felt that Harvard provided a more impressive final face-off.)
While Tolson and Farmer, Jr. (who would go on to be an important civil right leader and co-founder of the Congress for Racial Equality) are real figures, other characters are more loosely drawn from actual individuals. The character of Henry Lowe is based on Henry Heights while the sole female debater, Samantha Booke is inspired by Henrietta Bell , who would become a social worker and who is still alive today. Supposedly an interview with her will appear as a bonus feature on the DVD release of the film.
The film briefly sets the historical backdrop for the story, reminding us that FDR is president, Hitler is rising to power, the Depression is affecting American lives, the racial divide is very clear and "in Texas they lynch Negroes." Against this backdrop, Wiley College is like an oasis of learning. Seeing Tolson expose his young students to the poets of the Harlem Renaissance and instilling in them a sense of pride and rebellion is inspiring. He also educates them on the subtleties of language, and the way racism or at the very least a bias has been built into certain words that equate black with bad or evil. Tolson's insights, teaching style and the materials he focuses on would still be welcome in classrooms today. Tolson is a fascinating character who could command an entire movie himself, in fact his work with tenant farmers seems to involve an even more daunting challenge than his debate team. Tolson was not only a debate coach and professor but a renowned poet and activist. He displayed courage, intelligence and a passion that could ignite young minds. And I have to confess that I knew nothing about him before this movie, so I am grateful for this enlightenment, which has led me to read some of his poems and essays. But Washington, as both director and actor, doesn't allow Tolson to overshadow the other characters. Instead, his performance instead teases us with a glimpse of a great man and provides us with insight into one aspect of a varied career. It's also a performance that Washington seems to relish doing.
As the young Farmer, Denzel Whitaker (no relation to Forest but named after one of his idols, Denzel Washington) excels. He has a sweet round baby face that makes us believe he's a mere fourteen. He displays a clever mind yet he also reveals an emotional immaturity that makes him an intriguing character. Jurnee Smollett who was so stunning as the little girl in Eve's Bayou has matured into a fine and beautiful actress. She conveys both the drive and insecurity of Booke. Her Booke is a young black woman who knows she is smart enough to compete with both men and whites yet that doesn't prevent her from having moments of doubt. Nate Parker wrestles with a more difficult role as Lowe, who carries some familiar emotional baggage but doesn't get enough screen time to make us fully understand his character. Parker delivers a strong performance nonetheless as a man who's a voracious reader and natural rebel. All three young performers get high marks for their work.
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Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington (MGM/TWC)
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Unlike Remember the Titans , in which Washington played a Virginia high school football coach dealing with racial issues in the 1960s, The Great Debaters is more self-conscious of its social significance and of the history lesson it is imparting. But what keeps the film from becoming preachy is the ability of Washington and Eisele to keep the characters multi-dimensional and sometimes flawed. They are also aided by the fact that this is a truly amazing story. The debate team's success is remarkable for a number of reasons: the small size of the school, the racial prejudice as well as the youth and inexperience of the debaters. The film is at its best with Tolson and his students, it is here where the film finds its strongest moments. An inspirational teacher or mentor is always something to be celebrated. We need to remember the importance such people can have on young lives. Tolson touched the lives of a number of people like Farmer, Jr. who went on to great achievements of their own.
Washington and writer Eisele, though, do make some expected and forced points about the Jim Crow South. James Farmer, Sr. (Forest Whitaker) is established as a highly educated man who's fluent in seven languages, yet he's just a "boy" to the white tenant farmers, and he must humble himself to them when he accidentally kills one of their pigs. The point is worth making but we see it coming and the message is delivered without subtlety. In addition, almost all the white characters are stereotypes. It's not that these types of people or their racism didn't exist but the film could have provided some variety. After all Tolson worked with both black and white tenant farmers to gain workers rights, and there were people at the white colleges who were willing to invite Wiley to debate. So to see some of those characters would have provided a good balance among the minor white roles.
A scene depicting a Texas lynching, however, is handled well and proves deeply affecting. In a scene after the incident, Farmer, Jr. runs home and gives his father a hug that sums up the overwhelming emotions that the young boy has just gone through. It's a wordless scene that works beautifully. It also serves as a contrast to the final debate where Farmer, Jr. finds the words that begin to express his complex emotions about the horrific event. In moments like these the film makes its history lesson deeply personal and moving.
The Great Debaters (rated PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality) is a well-crafted and enlightening film. It focuses on a chapter of African American history that is well worth remembering. The attention may actually even help the real Wiley College, which almost closed in the 1990s. Washington made a million dollar donation to help the school restart their debate team. So maybe this is an instance of a film being able to make an impact on more than just the viewing audience.
Companion viewing: Eve's Bayou, Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers, Rocket Science
And I'll end with a sample of Tolson's poetry :
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Cover from one of Tolson's book
The Sea-Turtle and the Shark by Melvin B. Tolson
Strange but true is the story
of the sea-turtle and the shark-
the instinctive drive of the weak to survive
in the oceanic dark.
Driven
riven by hunger
from abyss to shoal,
sometimes the shark swallows
the sea-turtle whole.
The sly reptilian marine
withdraws,
into the shell
of his undersea craft,
his leathery head and the rapacious claws
that can rip
a rhinoceros' hide
or strip
a crocodile to fare-thee-well;
now,
inside the shark,
the sea-turtle begins the churning seesaws
of his descent into pelagic hell;
then . . . then ,
with ravenous jaws
that can cut sheet steel scrap,
the sea-turtle gnaws
. . . and gnaws . . . and gnaws . . .
his way in a way that appalls-
his way to freedom,
beyond the vomiting dark,
beyond the stomach walls
of the shark.
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