Far too often Black History Month is an occasion only celebrated in schools, but for those of us who no longer have required reading or homework assignments, staying up on our history can feel like a chore.
Instead of giving your and your friend and family a history lesson with some books, go the movie route instead. Here are four titles sure to educate and entertain, which is always the best lesson to receive.
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars and directs this touching true story, based on the best-selling memoir,of the same name. In his debut as an actor, Derek Luke is Fisher, a troubled man struggling to move on from his years growing up in an abusive family. When Luke enlists in the Navy, he’s referred to a psychiatrist (Washington) who encourages Fisher to mend his past and find the family he never knew.
It’s a story of a man helping another man reach his potential as a human being by letting goes of the painful ties that bind.
Antwone Fisher
History of Entertainment: The Five Heartbeats (Fox, 1991)Arguably the best film to ever capture life in the 1960’s as a male vocal group trying to make it in the music industry. Robert Townsend both stars and directs this story loosely based on various Motown-era groups. Great music, great casts, great story and a great movie!
The Five Heartbeats
History of Pride: Hotel Rwanda (Fox, 2004)Based on a true story, Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle is Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager and family man in Rwanda. When Rwanda erupts into an all-out civil war, and in the end, killing over one million people, Rusesabagina, an everyday civilian, becomes a hero to over a thousand refugees by granting them shelter in his hotel. A must-have movie for those who want to get to know modern-day history and modern-day heroes.
Hotel Rwanda
History of Success: In the Heat of the Night (Fox, 1967)In The Heat of the Night is a classic movie that won numerous Oscars when it was released back in 1967. The legendary, Sidney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia Homicide detective who visits his mother in rural Mississippi. When a wealthy factory owner is murdered, Tibbs is blamed for the crime, with race being the biggest determinate. Eventually, they learn of Tibbs’ credentials as a decorated homicide detetctive and Police Chief Bill Gillepsie (Rod Steiger), uses Tibbs’ skills to help solve the crime. In pursuit of the perpetrator, Gillepsie and Tibbs eventually form a bond and a mutual respect for one another rarely seen between two people of different races in the still-segregated South.
In The Heat of the Night
home
