MovieChat Forums > The Long Walk Home (1991) Discussion > Watched it in Social Studies

Watched it in Social Studies


Hello everyone!
I'm thirteen, and my Social Studies teacher showed this to our class when we were on the topic of black history, and slavery. I must say this was a very powerful movie, and it's not something I'm going to forget quickly. I also have to say that Whoopi did great in that role. She was nothing like her usual outgoing characters, and it even took awhile for our class to recognise her. After all, it can be really annoying when a character that usually takes other types of parts tries something new, and all you can think about is their other roles. But she pulled it off great! I loved the bit where she got the new shoes. ^__^ Awww!

The only problem is, whenever someone talks about A Walk To Remember, I start to think about The Long Walk Home! o.o;;

Hypno Toad Needs More Credit.

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I watched it in Social Studies too, but that was in 1993, but it was also to coincide with MLK. Good movie, but some of the characters (the racist white Southerners) annoyed me.

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That this movie took the approach that the women were intimidated by men annoyed me. Women in general were submissive to men at this time in history (compared to now is another subject) but there are news clips of the sheriff saying "Mrs. Ntolabs" is supporting the boycott of the buses by giving her maid a ride to work.

Mrs. Ntolab's reply? "If Sheriff So-n-so wants to come clean my house, I won't give the maid a ride to work."

Case closed.

Sissy Spacek's husband in the movie was interrogating Whoopi about how she got to work, and Whoopi looked all put-upon and shot a nervous glance to Sissy Spacek who looked back as if to say 'dont tell him I gave you a ride to work.'

Obviously, this didn't occur.

No doubt, white men bad-mouthed the boycott around the maids, but blacks had grown to expect behavior such as this from whites.


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"That this movie took the approach that the women were intimidated by men annoyed me."

Richard, that's what was going on in that time period.

Black civil rights was a HUGE issue, but, women's rights were right underneath it. In fact, a lot of white women were drawn to the civil rights movement because they wanted equality too. Your average white woman did NOT have much of any power back then. When Sissy's character makes the point of having a college education but going and getting a secretarial job, she's telling the truth. About all women did back then was nurse, teach, telephone operator, or a secretary. Women rarely could buy property on their own, were only given jobs if they weren't trying to get pregnant. Had to obey their husbands. Raise children and take care of a house. Women were not being respected for their roles and civil rights is about EVERYONE getting a fair shot at the going for the American Dream as the Constitution upholds.

It's the way it was and it may annoy us, but we have to see the truth in history.

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incassiana: "Richard, that's what was going on in that time period.

Black civil rights was a HUGE issue, but, women's rights were right underneath it. In fact, a lot of white women were drawn to the civil rights movement because they wanted equality too. Your average white woman did NOT have much of any power back then. When Sissy's character makes the point of having a college education but going and getting a secretarial job, she's telling the truth. About all women did back then was nurse, teach, telephone operator, or a secretary. Women rarely could buy property on their own, were only given jobs if they weren't trying to get pregnant. Had to obey their husbands. Raise children and take care of a house. Women were not being respected for their roles and civil rights is about EVERYONE getting a fair shot at the going for the American Dream as the Constitution upholds.

It's the way it was and it may annoy us, but we have to see the truth in history."
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Now try going back and reading my entire post. Newscasts from the time showed that husbands and men were NOT intimidating women who went and picked up their maids to do their housework.

Men could make chauvinistic responses, but the women didn't get nervous and stammer, afraid of what to say to keep some secret.

I'm well aware of civil rights and women's lib in history, what I don't appreciate is Hollywood films attempting to rewrite it that everything was about white men trying to hold on to some control and women, black or white, had to do some undercover espionage work to overthrow it.

A good movie about the bus strike in the 1960s would be nice, but this movie isn't it.

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Uhh maybe in some cases but newsreels don't tell the whole story. I've personally spoken with many women from the times who lived through it. Fact is women were oppressed. Doesn't matter what the newsreels say. Those things were made to make everything seem peachy anyway half the time.

Get down in some intimate conversations with women 60+ and they'll tell you how it was.

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LOL!

Uhhh, . . . . . I don't care for posts that begin with that, for starters.

Secondly, silly me, I must have failed to mention I have lived in Mississippi all my life. I think I've crossed paths with women who were there over the age of sixty once or twice in my life, black as well as white.

I was actually surprised to see the woman who said the sheriff could come clean her house as it seemed that newsreels of the time never showed native Mississippians and southerners in any other light except for 'integration bad, segregation good'.

And for the record, I saw that clip on Eyes on The Prize, must have failed to mention that too.

It's amusing tho, you are going to say 'doesnt matter what the newsreels say' when they were so crucial in civil rights movement.

When it works to show oppression, the newsreels are beneficial, but when they tell a different story to how those who were so oppressed, the newsreels are clearly edited and unimportant.

Do you think that woman went home and her husband slapped her around for mouthing off about the sheriff?

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You can watch all the film you want, but I lived it. Women were subservient to men, no ifs and or buts. There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part, the men were the kings of the castle.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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jejozi: "You can watch all the film you want, but I lived it. Women were subservient to men, no ifs and or buts. There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part, the men were the kings of the castle.
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You're right, friend. thanks for the clarification! Have a nice day!

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I will as long as I never have to wee a post from you again. I bet you were beat up a lot at school.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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jejozi: "I will as long as I never have to wee a post from you again. I bet you were beat up a lot at school."
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;)

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Women are SUPPOSED to obey their husbands. The Bible tells us so, after all.



This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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The main character was Mrs. Thompson (not Mrs. Smith) and it was Dwight Schultz who played her husband (not Stephen Collins).

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ntolabs: "The main character was Mrs. Thompson (not Mrs. Smith) and it was Dwight Schultz who played her husband (not Stephen Collins)."
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Bless your heart, you dear thing. You are adorable. You really, really are.

I guess you didn't see my paranthesis around Mrs. Smith, as I wasn't referring to this movie, I was referring to ACTUAL NEWS FOOTAGE from Eyes On The Prize, an actual exchange that took place between an actual suh-thuhn white woman and a law enforcer.

Dwight Collins? Stephen Schultz? Is there a difference? Of course, there is.

Of course, there is.

But anyway, I went back and polished up my previous post all nice and neat for ya, okay?

Do ya like it?

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My, my, aren't you a condescending richard.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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jejozi: "My, my, aren't you a condescending richard.
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Thanks, friend!

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And proud of it. The worst kind.

I'm not your friend and I would never consider being a friend with the likes of you. I know that just kills you, but you're such a Limbaugh-like you.



This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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jejozi: "And proud of it. The worst kind.

I'm not your friend and I would never consider being a friend with the likes of you. I know that just kills you, but you're such a Limbaugh-like you.
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Love ya bunches!

<3

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And I bet you're absolutely fabulous.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

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jejozi: "And I bet you're absolutely fabulous."
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You know me inside and out, friend!

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I'm 15 and I watched this for History this year for our topic on Black History and I found this helped. Any other films that may help me with this topic?

Greatly appreciated.

Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

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I watched this in English. I LOVED IT! Normally I am so hyper in that class, but after this movie, I was completely silent. Everyone kept asking me what was wrong. lol.
But, I love this movie!

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I watched it in english too, just last week i think -- I'm not that good with time, however. We had to compare it to To Kill A Mockingbird, the essay was due today. I really liked it.

Eat your salad before it gets cold. - Chrissy Snow
When I was your age I was 14 too. - "

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For another movie, you might like The Color of Courage. It's actually a movie for TV, but it's available on VHS, and I assume probably DVD, though I didn't check. Linda Hamilton and Lynn Witfield are neighbors in the 1940's in what is a white-only housing development, until Lynn Witfield's family moves in that is. Like the Long Walk Home, it addresses the issue of racism and does a nice job of depicting the status of women at the time. Nice performances are given by all the actors involved, and it's also a good history lesson, since before I'd seen the movie I was unfamiliar with the Supreme Court case that the movie is about.

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Yes -

The Rosa Parks Story
A Huey P. Newton Story
4 Little Girls

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Yeah i watched this movie today too in social studies. It was great. I wanted to cry at the end because i loved it when the women held hands and sang, and those rude white mean backed off. Whoopi was great in this movie, I loved it.

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We watched this is U.S. History (we're actually right in the middle of it right now)

Even though it makes me uncomfortable, it's a fantastic movie. So poignent, especially as I watch gay rights (a cause I'm very involved in) taking similar structure.

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I watched it in social studies all last week. It was a pretty good movie i must say.

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I remember watching it in 7th grade when I was younger. I felt the same way. I really liked this movie. My teacher was great, he though textbooks were boring so we watched movies that were like this one and read novels instead. When we learned about the Native Americans we watched Last of the Moheagans. When we learened about the legal system we held court trials in the classroom. Much better than reading a boring textbook.

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I wish I had your teacher growing up.

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