It’s crucial to recognize that Black history can be everywhere through literature, music, etc. Moreover, for visual learners, movies can be a good source of new or more information. They can be fiction or nonfiction; however, what matters most is the overall message and how it is conveyed. So, get details from five significant Black history movies that serve as a prime example of Black history and the education of the realities, struggles, and tragedies that Black people had to go through in the past.

TILL

If you’re inquisitive about national controversies and their correlation with Black people, then the story of Emmett Till, displayed well in the movie Till, will surprise you. The film underscores the real-life lynching of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old boy who was accused of teasing a white female and killed by her husband and her husband’s half-brother. The movie then goes on to demonstrate the mother’s (Mamie Till Mobley) grief and melancholy over her son’s death and how she manages to cope while bringing justice to the racist and inequitable killing.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu and written by herself, Michael Reilly, and Keith Beauchamp, the movie had a decent box office release with $11 million. Till was released on October 14th, 2022, and according to the Internet Movie Database, has been nominated for ninety awards and has won twenty-five. The movie stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till Mobley, Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till, Whoopi Goldberg as Mamie Till’s mother, Frankie Faison as Mamie Till’s father, and Haley Bennett as Carolyn Bryant, who was the alleged victim of Emmett Till’s teasing.

GREEN BOOK

It was rare for white society to get along with Black people, especially in the Deep South, which was heavily known for its racism and Jim Crow Laws. But, in Green Book, the movie demonstrates the friendship of a Black and White man based on a true story. Dr. Don Shirley was an African-American pianist who was incredibly talented and was going on a tour in the South. Eventually, Frank Anthony Vallelonga (or “Tony Lip”) comes along, the driver who took Shirley to his locations. While Vallelonga wasn’t necessarily a racist or a non-racist, he developed a bond with the musician, who was constantly being harassed with racial slurs and insults.

Green Book was directed by Peter Farrelly, known for producing the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber. It was written by himself, Nick Vallelonga, and Brian Hayes Currie. The film was released on September 11th, 2018, and gained a lot of popularity; it was nominated for a hundred twenty-three nominations and won fifty-eight. It also won five Oscars (three for the film and two for the actors involved): Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Film Editing. On the Internet Movie Database, it is ranked #131 in the Top 250 Movies on their website page. The movie stars Viggo Mortensen as “Tony Lip” and Mahershala Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley: both won an Oscar for their performance and depiction of the real-life story.

HARRIET 

Through the movie Harriet, you can learn and discover more about the biography of Harriet Tubman while also witnessing the action and suspense she had to go through. Under the code name “Moses,” Harriet Tubman (whose real name was Araminta “Minty” Ross) was a significant figure in the Underground Railroad and U.S. history, who is determined to have saved around seventy people from slavery by helping them escape. There is an ongoing myth that she had saved around three hundred, though it is only confirmed that she saved seventy. Through this movie, we witness the strategies used by Tubman, the betrayals and tragedies that occurred throughout her journeys, and the accomplishments she made, hence changing history.

Harriet was directed by Kasi Lemmons and  written by herself and Gregory Allen Howard. Released on November 1st, 2019, the movie stars Cynthia Erivo (recently popular for the movie Wicked) as Harriet Tubman, Janelle Monáe as a supporting character, Marie Buchanon, Leslie Odom Jr. as William Still, and Joe Alwyn as Gideon Brodess, the antagonist. The movie has been nominated for fifty-six awards, with two being Oscar nominations, and has won twenty-one.

While the movie is accurate, there are some notable distinct things with this movie. For instance, the characters Marie Buchanon and Gideon Brodess were not real people in Tubman’s life. However, according to an article by Refinery29, while discussing which characters in the movie are fictional and accurate, the article defends the creation of these new characters so that it can “allow Harriet to better show the emotional arc of Tubman’s lengthy, painful, inspiring story within the confines of a two-hour film.”

FENCES

Based on the book, Fences explicitly exhibits the struggle of an African-American working-class man attempting to raise a family while dealing with his issues from the past. The movie is fictional; nevertheless, the film and book accurately portray the recurring themes of responsibility, race relations, money, class/status, and family. While they are lucid, the main character’s (Troy Maxson) complex life and attitude, primarily with his son, Cory, becomes visibly and increasingly detrimental to him as the story progresses. There are also plenty of motifs in the film, such as Troy’s love for baseball, the constant discussion about death, the cultural aspect of the music, and Troy’s desire to build a fence. Throughout Fences, these motifs help elucidate the thoughts and feelings of the characters without them saying it blatantly.

The film was directed by Denzel Washington and released on December 15th, 2016. However, August Wilson wrote the story, and the book was written in 1983 and released in 1985. Some actors that the movie stars are Denzel Washington as Troy Maxson, Viola Davis as Rose Maxson (Troy’s wife), Stephen McKinley Henderson as Troy’s best friend, Jim Bono, and Jovan Adepo as Cory. The movie has been nominated for a hundred and twenty-two awards and has won sixty, four being Oscars. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Viola Davis won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

HIDDEN FIGURES

Hidden Figures, displaying a true story, explains the story of three Black women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who were very talented in the field of engineering and mathematics and helped with the launch of John Glenn (an astronaut) into orbit and successfully having him land back on Earth safely. These women worked at NASA in 1962 and consequently experienced heavy racism and sexism towards them. Although harassed, discriminated against, and segregated, they did not let that deter their aspirations. Because of their dedication, they served as significant “human computers” to NASA in which they could solve complex problems. They also shaped the Space Race during that moment while laying the groundwork for future generations of Black women in the fields of STEM.

The film was directed by Theodore Melfi and written by himself, Margot Lee Shetterly, and Allison Schroeder. The film was released to theaters on January 7th, 2017, and was nominated for ninety-four awards and won thirty-seven. Of those nominations, three were Oscars: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Octavia Spencer for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, and Kevin Costner as Al Harrison.

There are certainly more movies on various streaming platforms that demonstrate the impactful and compelling view of Black history. Movies such as 12 Years a Slave, Shirley, The Blind Side, and others explore the different views of many Black people who experience struggles or witness achievements and growth that are made. However, movies like these serve as good examples to teach others the truth of Black history and how films like these continue to impact society today.