Simple yet riveting, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till articulates the madness of racism in the South of the 1950s. Combining archival photos and footage with deeply felt interviews, this documentary tells the harrowing story of what happened when a mischievous 14 year old black boy from Chicago, visiting his relatives in Mississippi, whistled at a white woman in the street.
The lynching that followed was so gruesome that a media circus surrounded the trial–and what stunned the nation was not only the crime, but the blithe unconcern the citizens of a small Mississippi town felt toward the brutal murder of a black teenager.
The interviews suspensefully unveil the story, moving from the viewpoint of Till’s mother to the perspective of his Southern cousins to actual film of Till’s uncle, who had the astonishing courage to accuse the two killers in court. Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, addressed the entire country in news footage, begging that something be done so that her son did not die in vain.
The awkward, un-media-savvy quality of the 1950s interviews may seem to come from another world, but the harsh truth of what happened sprang all too clearly from America’s still unresolved racial conflicts. A passionate, compelling documentary.
Leslie Graham – Aaaaah, spoken like a true coward!!
XtremeNortherner – Just ignore the ridiculous, under-educated, racist clown and save your breath. He and all the other sewage waste who think like him are a minority and they’re not worth your emotion. The decent, ethical, loving, compassionate, moral, color blind, worthwhile parts of this loser (and all who think like him) ended up as a wet stain on a mattress.
I think the moral of the story is don’t whistle at white girls.
If he had minded his place and his manners none of this would have happened.
What’s wrong with you??Have you no decency?!
Such a terrible story. You can see the guilt on the two men’s faces when they were acquitted.
Continue to Rest in Peace Emmett Till and the beautiful Mamie Till-Mobley. Wonderfully put documentary.