who was the assistant attorney general in the movie selma

by Mr. Pierce Bartell 5 min read

As Deputy and U.S. Attorney General during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Nicholas Katzenbach was a key governmental figure during the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Who are the actors in Selma?

Jan 04, 2015 · The White House sends Assistant Attorney General John Doar (Alessandro Nivola) to Selma to persuade King to postpone the demonstration until the federal government could protect the marchers.

Who played Martin Luther King in Selma?

Jun 16, 2021 · selma, which was released in 2014, also stars cuba gooding jr. (lawyer and activist fred gray), alessandro nivola (john doar, the justice …

Why did the White House send John Doar to Selma?

Jan 10, 2015 · And two Johnson men, adviser Lee C. White and Assistant Attorney General John Doar, are portrayed as quietly determined allies of the movement. Selma is unapologetic in depicting the movement as...

Did Ava DuVernay misrepresent Lyndon Johnson in Selma?

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How historically accurate is the movie Selma?

Such caution need not apply to Selma - Ava DuVernay's fascinating biopic focused on civil rights leader Martin Luther King; it has been deemed 100% historically accurate.Nov 29, 2016

Why is Martin Sheen uncredited in Selma?

Sheen is uncredited in both films. In real-life Jimmie Lee Jackson survived for days in the hospital after his shooting before dying of his gunshot wounds, and was able to speak to the FBI about the circumstances of his beating and shooting by the Alabama police.

Who are the 5 most important characters in the film Selma?

Selma (2014)David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King.Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon Baines Johnson.Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King.Andre Holland as Andrew Young.Omar J. Dorsey as James Orange.Alessandro Nivola as John Doar.Giovanni Ribisi as Lee White.Colman Domingo as Ralph Abernathy.More items...•Dec 24, 2014

Who led the Selma march?

Martin Luther KingOn 25 March 1965, Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, where local African Americans, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC ...

What is the symbol in Selma movie?

What Selma symbolizes most isn't even racial. Selma is symbolic of the problems that arise from focusing on rights rather than their accompanying, and essential, responsibilities. Obviously, and ashamedly, denying voting rights to blacks in 1965 was wrong.Mar 13, 2015

Who was president during Selma?

President Lyndon B. JohnsonOn March 20, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson notifies Alabama's Governor George Wallace that he will use federal authority to call up the Alabama National Guard in order to supervise a planned civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery.

Who plays John Lewis in Selma?

On May 28, Stephan James was confirmed to be portraying the role of SNCC activist John Lewis in the film. On May 29, Wendell Pierce joined the film to play civil rights leader Hosea Williams. On May 30, Cuba Gooding Jr. was set to play civil rights attorney and activist Fred Gray.

Was the Selma march successful?

Eventually, the march went on unimpeded -- and the echoes of its significance reverberated so loudly in Washington, D.C., that Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which secured the right to vote for millions and ensured that Selma was a turning point in the battle for justice and equality in the United States.

Why is the movie called Selma and not King?

It's about the people: Selma isn't a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr. It's called Selma because of the famous "Bloody Sunday" march on March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama. Six hundred marchers gathered and marched to Montgomery, facing the threat of violent police.Jan 15, 2015

Why did MLK turn around in Selma?

Edmund Pettus Bridge King paused the marchers and led them in prayer, whereupon the troopers stepped aside. King then turned the protesters around, believing that the troopers were trying to create an opportunity that would allow them to enforce a federal injunction prohibiting the march.

What happened on the Edmund Pettus Bridge?

The Edmund Pettus Bridge was the site of the conflict of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when police attacked Civil Rights Movement demonstrators with horses, billy clubs, and tear gas as they were attempting to march to the state capital, Montgomery.

What bridge did MLK walk across?

Edmund Pettus BridgeOn March 21, U.S. Army troops and federalized Alabama National Guardsmen escorted the marchers across Edmund Pettus Bridge and down Highway 80. When the highway narrowed to two lanes, only 300 marchers were permitted, but thousands more rejoined the Alabama Freedom March as it came into Montgomery on March 25.

Who is the attorney general for the second march?

The White House sends Assistant Attorney General John Doar (A lessandro Nivola) to Selma to persuade King to postpone the demonstration until the federal government could protect the marchers.

Who played President Johnson in the Selma march?

He clung to life for a week before dying, and he became a martyr for the Selma marches that followed. Movie: President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) is mistrustful of King’s agenda and rejects his urgent pleas for federal legislation that will specifically secure and protect the right to vote for minorities.

Why was King absent from the Selma march?

Movie: King is absent from the first Selma march, so-called Bloody Sunday, after the Alabama state troopers and horseback posse brutally attack the unarmed and peaceful marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The film suggests that he was delayed in Atlanta to steady his faltering marriage.

What was Selma famous for?

Selma has won critical raves for its depiction of Martin Luther King Jr., and the crucial 50-mile civil-rights march from the small Alabama town to the state capitol in Montgomery in March 1965.

What was the most ambitious legislative agenda of any President since F.D.R.?

Johnson had the most ambitious legislative agenda of any President since F.D.R. (his idol), and he explained to King that he was worried that Southern opposition to more civil-rights legislation would drain support from the War on Poverty and hold up bills on Medicare, immigration reform, and aid to education.

Why did Johnson lobby King?

Real life: This has become a major point of controversy, since Johnson had lobbied King to make the right to vote his next major project and to find the perfect battleground —i.e., one with a short-fused segregationist government that would violently attack protests—in order to galvanize the nation.

Who played James Reeb in the movie?

Movie: A white minister named James Reeb (Jeremy Strong), who heeded King’s call and came down from Boston to march on Montgomery, is targeted by epithet-spouting white segregationists the night after the second march, beaten senseless with clubs, and dies.

Who played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the movie Selma?

SELMA, from director Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when revered leader and visionary Dr. King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators on a campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of brutal opposition.

Who was the leader of the Selma march?

The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson ( Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. SELMA, which was released in 2014, also stars Cuba Gooding Jr. (lawyer and activist Fred Gray), Alessandro Nivola (John Doar, ...

When is Selma on CBS?

CBS to air “Selma” this Sunday, June 20.

Professor Peniel Joseph

Historian Peniel Joseph says criticism of the film Selma as historically inaccurate is misguided, and that the movie correctly portrays African-Americans as the drivers of the civil rights movement.

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Plot

Image
In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) accepts his Nobel Peace Prize. Four black girls walking down stairs in the Birmingham, Alabama 16th Street Baptist Church are killed by a bomb set by the Ku Klux Klan. Annie Lee Cooper attempts to register to vote in Selma, Alabama, but i…
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Production

  • Development
    On June 18, 2008, Variety reported that screenwriter Paul Webb had written an original story about Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson for Celador's Christian Colson, which would be co-produced with Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment. In 2009, Lee Daniels was reportedly in early talk…
  • Casting
    In 2010, Daniels (who was the attached director at the time) confirmed that the lead role of King would be played by British actor David Oyelowo. King was one of four main roles played by British actors (the others roles being those of King's wife, President Johnson, and Alabama Governor W…
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Release

  • Selma premiered in Los Angeles at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre during AFI Fest on November 11, 2014, after which it received a standing ovation. It opened in limited release in the United States on December 25, 2014, including in Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta,before its wide opening on January 9, 2015. The film was screened in the Berlinale Special Galas section of the …
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Reception

  • Critical response
    Selma received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to DuVernay's direction and Oyelowo's performance, though it was met with some criticism for its historical inaccuracies, which largely centered on the perceived vilification of Johnson and the omission of several prominent Jewish …
  • Accolades
    The film won and was nominated for several awards in 2014–15. In addition, Selmawas listed on many critics' top ten lists.
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Historical Accuracy

  • The historical accuracy of Selma's story has been the subject of controversy about the degree to which artistic license should be used in historical fiction.The film was criticized by some for its omission of various individuals and groups historically associated with the Selma marches, while others challenged how particular historical figures in the script were represented. Most controve…
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See Also

External Links

  1. Official website
  2. Selma at IMDb
  3. Selma at Box Office Mojo
  4. Selma at Rotten Tomatoes
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