Best scenes in the movie?


What do you think was the best scenes in the movie? There were so many great ones that it's hard for me to name just one, but for me, in no particular order, it is:

1. The pig farmer scene. You couldn't help but feel for James having to swallow his pride and degrade himself in front of his family to avoid getting shot. Great acting by Forest

2. The lynching scene, mostly due to everyone's reactions to it afterward.

3. The slapping scene. Denzel's reaction was perfect.

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4. Jurnee Smollett's extraordinarily moving delivery during the Oklahoma City College debate.

5. Tolson's emotional reaction upon finding out that the Wiley team was being invited to compete against Harvard.

6. Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington at the faculty party: two acting giants showing their mettle, even in less important scenes

7. The evocative and visually arresting scene in the barn, where Southern Tenant Farmer's Union was meeting

8. The beauty and tranquillity of those scenes on a Texas lake

9. John Heard's scenes as sheriff (didn't anyone else think he did a great job?) and that shocking closeup of the tenant farmer's pulverized face.

10. The "two Whitakers'" heated family argument

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11. Tolson reciting lines from "I Too, Sing America," a well-known poem by Langston Hughes.

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"4. Jurnee Smollett's extraordinarily moving delivery during the U of Kentucky debate."

Actually, I think that was Oklahoma City College, but that was a great scene.

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Thanks, you're right of course. I fixed my post.

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1. The Whitakers'argument between the Father and Son

2. The slap...LOL Denzel said "argument resolved" just as cool as he could be.

3. The faculty party, when they were conferring about Tolson's so called radical methods, and threw Jesus in the mix.

4. Putting the car in reverse real smooth and quick; getting the hell out of there upon seeing the lynching.


I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness. -Ossie Davis, Actor

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10. The "two Whitakers'" heated family argument

I'll second this one...I'll even go one step further and say that Denzel Whitaker's performance is the best thing about this movie...that kid is going to be a major star someday.

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the slap

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I went to see the movie on Christmas Day, and when Jurnee slapped him all of a sudden, everyone gasped. IT WAS HILARIOUS. no one saw it coming!

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the slap was probably the best slap in ANY movie! but denzel's face was just f'n priceless!

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the slap was probably the best slap in ANY movie! but denzel's face was just f'n priceless!

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The final debate scene was great. "You should pray I choose the latter" was a chilling and effective line delivered extremely well.

And of course, a nod to the slap- hilarious and unexpected.

Mildred! He's at it again. http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=8093247

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- When Melvin explains the Willie Lynch story. Best line ... "I am here to help you find, take back, and keep your righteous mind."
- Samantha at the OKC College debate.
- The slap.
- The look of the beaten farmer.
- The pig scene.


Totally awesome film. Even when Henry asks Melvin, did he really want someone like him on the team. He was told "you have to try out." It lets you know, every thing we do takes effort. We shouldn't expect anything without working for it.

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The lynching scene and all of the reactions during and after were just PHENOMENAL...I was so moved...esp henry and james fight...when henry said "what do you think he did?" and henry screamed "HE DIDNT HAVE TO DO NOTHING!" OH MY GOD I was crying!! So very powerful

I was also touched when Samantha and Henry were at the lake, and Henry was being so vulnerable and honest, and she wiped his tears away....absolutely beautiful

Of course Samantha's speech in Oklahoma...WOW she gave me chills!

Tolson's willie lynch story literally made me cringe

AND James' last speech...my God, wonderful

That movie was absolutely fantastic...and it was moving and has had lasting effects and thats exactly what art is supposed to do.


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why does my race matter? I was moved and that's all that should matter...in fact that IS all that matters

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I think my favorite scene was when Henry Lowe challenged Denzel during practice to tell them about himself. Then Denzel goes off on a 2 or 3 minute speech about the "Lynch Method" of keeping the slave strong but take his mind out of the equation. And that him and the rest of the faculty are there to return his mind to him, because he evidently lost it. That's all you need to know about him.

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1. The last argument given by James Farmer Jr. - it seemed clear to me that is what won the debate for Wiley Collage.
2. Samantha Brooke's argument at Oklahoma City College about the Negro being the essential thread in the history of our country - I chill just remembering it.


Could have been Great but was only Good:
The pig farmer scene BUT only the part of Dr. James Farmer, Sr. His cool calm and very careful selection of his words. I loved the scene except for mediocre part of the scene played by the pig farmers.

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The credit sequence with the actual pictures of the debaters was very touching. This was a really good film all around for me, but just being reminded of the real people on the debate team was a nice ending.

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Here is a clip of one of my favorite scenes:

Forest and Denzel together!

http://www.film.com/movies/mediaplayback/thegreatdebatersjustconcerned /17733069

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"The faculty party, when they were conferring about Tolson's so called radical methods, and threw Jesus in the mix."

Aww -- that's real right there for yo' a$$! LoL! I couldn't help but laugh out loud with that part. Man, the entire portion of that situation was excellent, EVEN to IMDb discussion as example of proof. Yep.

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Samantha's speech at U of Oklahoma (or Kentucky).. That speech was just remarkable.

"..the time for justice, is always, ALWAYS RIGHT NOW!"

Her accent was great as well.

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It was Oklahoma.

"Is it gonna come tomorrow, is it gonna come next week, in a hundred years, never? I say the time for justice, the time for equality, the time for freedom always, is always right now!"

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I have no doubt that Martin Luther King, who composed one of history's greatest speeches, whose I Have a Dream speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars, would have been extremely proud of the way Jurnee Smollett delivered those lines. :)

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Martin Luther King, one of the greatest American writers and orators of the 20th century.

A black man.

Eat your heart out racists.

More great speeches by black Americans.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmspeeches.html

And here is a great quote about "hate" from Coretta Scott King.

"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”

(Liberalism, on the other hand, comes easy when you have the capacity to love. Just like life, as Coretta Scott King implies.)

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Martin Luther King plagiarized his speeches. Look it up...

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It doesn't mean he didn't plagiarize his speech.

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