16 Must-See Gems To Watch In Honor Of Martin Luther King Jr.

by bderoes-12985 | created - 3 months ago | updated - 3 months ago | Public
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1. King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1969)

185 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Follows Martin Luther King's life and decades-long civil rights activism.

Directors: Sidney Lumet, Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston

Votes: 627

2. 4 Little Girls (1997)

TV-14 | 102 min | Documentary, History

88 Metascore

A documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Maxine McNair, Walter Cronkite, Chris McNair, Fred Lee Shuttlesworth

Votes: 3,580 | Gross: $0.13M

3. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 110 min | Drama, History

77 Metascore

Story of a black woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Director: John Korty | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Eric Brown, Richard Dysart, Joel Fluellen

Votes: 2,499

also: “Legacy of Love” (2020) Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott; directed by Roberto Mighty (PBS doc'y not on IMDb) https://www.pbs.org/show/legacy-love/

4. Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)

TV-PG | 360 min | Documentary, History

A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.

Stars: Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Andrew Young

Votes: 737

5. I Am MLK Jr. (2018)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History

This documentary explores the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on civil rights through present day.

Directors: John Barbisan, Michael Hamilton | Stars: Martin Luther King, Carmelo Anthony, Nick Cannon, Clayborne Carson

Votes: 189

6. Selma (2014)

PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 95,474 | Gross: $52.08M

7. King In The Wilderness (2018)

TV-14 | 111 min | Documentary

97 Metascore

A look at the final years in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Director: Peter W. Kunhardt

Votes: 914

8. Boycott (2001 TV Movie)

PG | 118 min | Drama, History

Black Americans boycott the public buses during the 1950s civil rights movement.

Director: Clark Johnson | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Terrence Howard, CCH Pounder, Carmen Ejogo

Votes: 1,082

9. The Rosa Parks Story (2002 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 97 min | Biography, Drama

A seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

Director: Julie Dash | Stars: Angela Bassett, Peter Francis James, Tonea Stewart, Von Coulter

Votes: 1,024

10. Harriet (I) (2019)

PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Biography, Drama

66 Metascore

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn

Votes: 30,727

11. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

83 Metascore

Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

Votes: 291,152 | Gross: $49.28M

12. The Butler (I) (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Biography, Drama

65 Metascore

As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.

Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda

Votes: 119,743 | Gross: $116.63M

13. All the Way (2016 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 132 min | Biography, Drama, History

Lyndon B. Johnson becomes the President of the United States in the chaotic aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination, and spends his first year in office fighting to pass the Civil Rights Act.

Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Melissa Leo, Frank Langella

Votes: 15,243

14. The Help (2011)

PG-13 | 146 min | Drama

62 Metascore

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard

Votes: 492,874 | Gross: $169.71M

15. MLK/FBI (2020)

TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History

81 Metascore

Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Director: Sam Pollard | Stars: Martin Luther King, J. Edgar Hoover, David Garrow, Clarence B. Jones

Votes: 1,751



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