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The movie was “The Great Debaters.” The credits rolled. Denzel Washington played Denzel Washington in the unofficial prequel to Remember the Titans. The ending was predictable and cinematic. The good guys won and racism was vanquished, at least for the moment. The audience knows this going in – they’ve seen it so many times in movies that the message barely registers.
This is a shame, because “The Great Debaters is a great film when isolated from its predecessors.
The film begins in the 1935 fall semester at Wiley College, a historically black college in Marshall, Texas. The plot revolves around the Wiley debate team – the most popular student organization on campus. At first the team just deals with the odds of competing against the top black colleges in America. However, as they continue to win and get noticed, the issue of their town’s ever-present racism and the radical political actions of their coach begin to get in the way of winning. Finally, after a long writing campaign, reigning national champion Harvard University invites the school to debate on national radio.
The movie stars Washington as the debate coach and the leader of a secret integrated farmer’s union. Forrest Whitaker plays another professor at the college who disapproves of Washington’s radical character. The debaters are played by relatively unknown actors Jermaine Williams, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker. Forrest and Denzel Whitaker, no relation, play father and son. Denzel Whitaker stands out as 14-year-old college student James Farmer Jr. Parker and Smollett’s performance was also noteworthy. Both might shine as future stars.
With Washington (“Training Day”) and Forrest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”), the film is the first to star two African American winners of the Academy Award for Best Actor. Directed by Washington, who also directed 2002’s “Antwone Fisher,” and produced by media icon Oprah Winfrey, the film could hardly be expected to disappoint. It didn’t.
“Debaters” follows the formula of a typical sports movie, especially ones such as “Remember the Titans” and “Glory Road” that handle racism. The team struggles at first, wins early, stumbles but still rushes head-on toward a glorious finish. Although fans of the aforementioned films will recognize the pattern, this film stands with the others and should not be considered a knock-off. Though there are countless tales of the heroism of African Americans trying to win freedom and equality, this story needed to be told.
The most heart-wrenching moment in the movie is when the debate team accidentally drives right into a lynch mob. The scene touches each character differently and affects them for the rest of the movie. This scene was inserted into the movie to show the climate of racism in 1935 Texas. It is a fabrication meant to recreate the Jim Crow south for the viewer.
This is one of many changes Washington made to the true story; in his biggest move, he relocated the debate to Harvard when in reality the debate was with the University of Southern California, the national champions in 1935.
“We set the film here because Harvard is the gold standard,” Washington told The Harvard Crimson at the film’s premiere.
“The Great Debaters” is a wonderful film that illustrates the struggles of African Americans during the Jim Crow era, and Washington’s direction and a stellar cast help to keep this film afloat in an increasingly crowded genre.
Pat Devers can be reached at [email protected].
