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The Great Debaters (2007) DVD Review
The Great Debaters (2007) DVD Credits:
The Great Debaters (2007) Directed by:
Denzel Washington
The Great Debaters (2007) Written by:
Not available at this time
The Great Debaters (2007) Cast:
Columbus Short, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise
The Great Debaters (2007) Released by:
Harpo Films
Region:
1
The Great Debaters (2007) DVD Release Date:
12th May 2008
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The Great Debaters (2007) Synopsis:

Based on the true story of a professor at historically black Wiley College in East Texas.

The Great Debaters (2007) DVD Review:

Sometimes the pitfalls of a film are not the quality or the truth behind what is in it, but it is in audience’s willingness to see a film they feel they have seen before. The trailers for The Great Debaters did a great job of showing audiences the similarities it had to other films. This was to be another inspirational teacher film, but it also seems to fit in with many underdog sports films, especially the racially charged ones of the recent past including Pride which also stars Nate Parker. The very first shot of the trailer is of Denzel Washington standing on a desk to talk to his students in the all-black Wiley College, and it seemed that it would be a combination of Pride and Dead Poet’s Society, but fortunately there is much more to this film than the trailer lets on. There are some truly difficult moments in this true story from the pages of our nation’s not-to-distant past. Fortunately there is redemption within the story among the difficult issues, and sophomore director Denzel Washington does a fantastic job, as he does acting which always goes without saying.

Denzel Washington’s first film, Antwone Fisher, was remarkably inspirational and touching, although I suppose you could easily compare the similarities between it and Good Will Hunting that would stand firmer than any comparison of The Great Debaters to another film. Antwone Fisher was a strong film, but I sincerely think that Washington has grown as a director with his second film. He also plays the role of the brilliant and controversially political debate team coach Melvin B Tolson, a role that Washington could have played in his sleep. Tolson started the first debate team at Wiley College in Texas and eventually led the team to some monumentally important debates against white universities, including Harvard, but he was also passionately involved in unionizing the poor sharecroppers living in Texas. His politics made him a dangerous man in many people’s eyes, often losing respect for what he believed, belittled for his race despite his attempts to help blacks and whites alike.

Despite his politics there are three members of the debate team standing by to do what Tolson says, no matter how much they may argue or complain. Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett) is an ambitious and passionate young woman and the first to make the debate team. Henry Lowe (Nate Parker) is a troubled young man with a great deal of anger which usually leads him to drink, and James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker) is the boy scout of the group, not yet exposed to the horrors of the world. James follows Tolson one night and he finds out first hand what his professor is involved in, losing his naïve innocence along the way.

Some of those most offended by Tolson’s actions are the parents of the children on the debate team, especially James Farmer Sr. (Forest Whitaker), a local preacher and professor. Farmer is a good man even though he disagrees with Tolson and part of the brilliance in the script is how gracefully they are able to agree to disagree. Farmer’s son is played by the talented young Denzel Whitaker, who was named after Denzel Washington. It isn’t difficult to see why some might consider Washington worthy of naming their son after, after all he donated a million dollars to Wiley College to start the debate team back up just eight days after the premiere of The Great Debaters. It is obvious to see that Washington possesses great passion and dignity, which is what makes him so enjoyable to watch playing even greater men.

Disc one of the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition has deleted scenes, two musical segments from the movie with edits from other scenes to make a music video of sorts. There is also a historical perspective featurette. The second disc has a number of great featurettes and features, including the poetry of Melvin B. Tolson. There are featurettes about the production design, costuming, and music as well as the art of debating and the training the young actors had to go through in order to learn it. There is also a quick featurette about Forest Whitaker’s role in the film.

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The Great Debaters (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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