The Long Walk Home
The Long Walk Home | |
---|---|
Richard Pearce | |
Written by | John Cork |
Produced by | Howard W. Koch Jr. Dave Bell |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | US$4,803,039 |
The Long Walk Home is a 1990 American
Set in Alabama, it is based on a screenplay about the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956) by John Cork and a short film by the same name, produced by students at the University of Southern California in 1988.
Origins
The feature film is based on a short screenplay and film of the same name, written by John Cork, then a graduate student in directing at USC. He had submitted his script to the Cinema Department for consideration, hoping also to direct it. While USC selected Cork's script for production, the department assigned Beverlyn E. Fray, another student, to direct it. The scenario on which the film is based, actually happened to Cork and his maid, Elizabeth Gregory Taylor, in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. The short film won several awards, including first place at the Black American Cinema Society. Cork, however, was unhappy with the finished project and unsuccessfully tried to block screenings of the short film.[1][2]
Plot
The film was expanded as a feature.
Set in
Miriam Thompson offers to give her a ride two days a week to ensure she gets to work on time and to lessen the fatigue her "long walk home" is causing. Around the city, some informal carpools and other systems are starting, but most of the blacks are forced to walk to work.
As the boycott continues, tensions rise in the city. Blacks had been the majority riders on the city-owned buses, and the system is suffering financially. Miriam's decision to support Odessa by giving her a ride becomes an issue with her husband, Norman Thompson (Dwight Schultz), and other prominent members of the white community who want the boycott to end. Miriam has to choose between what she believes is right or succumb to pressure from her husband and their friends.
After an argument with her husband, Miriam decides to follow her heart. She becomes involved in a carpool group to help other black workers like Odessa. In the film's final scene, Miriam and her daughter Mary Catherine (Lexi Randall), who is the narrator of the story in flashback, join Odessa and the other protesters in standing against oppression.
Cast
- Sissy Spacek as Miriam Thompson
- Whoopi Goldberg as Odessa Cotter
- Dwight Schultz as Norman Thompson
- Ving Rhames as Herbert Cotter
- Dylan Baker as Tunker Thompson
- Erika Alexander as Selma Cotter
- Lexi Randall as Mary Catherine (as Lexi Faith Randall)
- Richard Parnell Habersham as Theodore Cotter
- Jason Weaver as Franklin Cotter
- Crystal Robbins as Sara Thompson
- Cherene Snow as Claudia
- Chelcie Ross as Martin
- Dan Butler as Charlie
- Philip Sterling as Winston
- Schuyler Fisk as Judy (Girl at Oak Park)
- Mary Steenburgen as Narrator
Development
One of the three
Cinematographer John Bailey was to have made his directorial debut on this film but was replaced by Richard Pearce early into production.
Release
The film was released theatrically on December 21, 1990. In the U.S., it gained another theatrical release in March 1991 after Miramax withdrew the film from its limited December 1990 release due to the heavy competition of the 1990 holiday season.
After the film's theatrical run, it was released to videocassette by
In 2002, the film was released twice on DVD by
Reception
Critical response
The Long Walk Home received mostly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 88% of 16 professional critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.7 out of 10.[3]
Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, praising the performances by Spacek and Goldberg, while criticizing some aspects of the film, like the inclusion of a white "narrator".[4]
See also
References
- ^ Cieply, Michael (1988-02-04). "USC Student Suit Challenges Film-TV School Practices". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
John Cork, a 26-year-old directing student, asked the court to block screenings of "The Long Walk Home." The award-winning short film was based on a screenplay written by Cork, but directed by another student.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1988-01-18). "USC Student First in Cinema Society Contest". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
USC graduate student Beverlyn E. Fray's "The Long Walk Home," a subtle and eloquent 20-minute drama written with John Cork (from his original story) on the impact of the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott upon a black maid and her white employer, took the top prize of $1,500 in the Black American Cinema Society's annual independent film and video competition held Saturday at USC's Davidson Conference Center.
- ^ "The Long Walk Home". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1991-03-22). "The Long Walk Home Movie Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-07-14.