Prom Night In Mississippi (2008/Docurama DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Documentary: B
How
backwards can things get in The United States?
In Charleston, Mississippi where Civil Rights workers were
senselessly killed, a form of apartheid still exists where people are separated
by skin color from choice prejudice as if time has stood still. Though black teens were entered into their
white high school back in 1970, there was never an integrated prom. Decades later, there still has not been such
a prom and actor Morgan Freeman’s offer to pay for one was rejected in the late
1990s. Director Paul Saltzman contacted
him about making the offer again and Prom
Night In Mississippi (2008) is the resulting documentary.
This
time, the school accepted, but the town had many who were none too happy about
it and we meet the teens who dare to attend, those who have to hide their
identity to discuss the situation, those who feel threatened by change and all
the history behind it. Animation is
sometimes used to tell what is going on and it is amazing the resistance and
hate still seething down there, though we also meet the new generation who
wants to change things for the better and for good.
It is sad
when some of the parents use the “N-Word” in every other sentence as they do
not know how to deal with the event and an all-white prom is actually still
held! However, it is a constantly
interesting work and now that we can see the changes going on before an Obama
Administration was thinkable and happened, it has more irony than anyone making
it at the time could have imagined.
Impressive and worth going out of your way for, Prom Night In Mississippi is one of the best documentaries of the
year.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 x 1 image is not bad considering it includes various types of HD
and is a documentary, but this tradedown to DVD is a bit soft, though color and
some detail is good. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo sound performance is not bad either, even with the usual location
audio issues. Extras include text
filmmaker biography, theatrical trailer, Conversation with the Director &
Producer (Patricia Aquino) and Deleted & Extended Scenes.
- Nicholas Sheffo
