Film Review: "Selma" (2014).

In Selma, "One dream can change the world." This historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Paul Webb, and based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lewis. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In late June 2008, Variety reported that Webb had written a script about MLK and LJB for Celador and Plan B Entertainment. The script was featured in the 2007 Blacklist, a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year. Steven Spielberg, Stephen Frears, Paul Haggis, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels, and Michael Mann were considered for the director's chair. In 2009, Lee Daniels was reportedly in early talks to direct the film, with financing by Pathé. In 2010, reports indicated that The Weinstein Company would join Pathé and Plan B to finance the $22 million film. In addition, Daniels confirmed that the lead role of King would be played by British actor David Oyelowo. Oyelowo fought very hard for seven years to get the role. The original cast included Hugh Jackman as Jim Clark, Liam Neeson as Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert De Niro as George Wallace, Cedric the Entertainer as Ralph Abernathy, and Lenny Kravitz' as Andrew Young. However, soon afterwards, Daniels had signed on with Sony to re-write and direct The Butler (2013). In July 2013, it was said that DuVernay had signed on to direct the film, and revise Webb's script. DuVernay estimated that she re-wrote 90 percent of Webb's original script. The film then lingered in development until Oprah Winfrey signed on as producer in early 2014, and was given the greenlight. Oyelowo influenced Winfrey after working with her on The Butler. By late May 2014, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo, Common, André Holland, Tessa Thompson, Giovanni Ribisi, Alessandro Nivola, Lakeith Stanfield, Cuba Gooding Jr., Dylan Baker, Oprah Winfrey, and Martin Sheen rounded out the film's cast as LBJ, Wallace, King, Bevel, Young, Nash, White, Doar, Jackson, Gray, Hoover, Cooper, and Johnson respectively. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and took place at the historical locations throughout Alabama and Georgia.

The film stars Oyelowo, Wilkinson, Roth, Ejogo, Common, Holland, Thompson, Ribisi, Nivola, Stanfield, Gooding Jr., Baker, Winfrey, and Sheen. Terrific and award-worthy performances were given by the cast, especially from Oyelowo who gave a star-making performance as King.

Selma, Ava DuVernay's triumphant directorial effort, is a life-affirming portrait of a man fighting against all kinds of injustices in segregated America. Congrats to Oyelowo for delivering a career-best performance, here, and to DuVernay for shooting such a thought-provoking meditation on mortality and justice.

Simon says Selma receives: