Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963)

Release Date:

21 October 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Governor George Wallace will not let two black students into an Alabama school, against the wishes of President Kennedy. Loud shouts come from both sides of the issue as JFK stands by his decisions. |

Plot Keywords:

Alabama | Racial Integration | Cinema Verite | Lincoln Memorial | Kennedy Family

Cast

John F. Kennedy	...	Himself - President of the United States
George Wallace	...	Himself - Governor of Alabama
Robert F. Kennedy	...	Himself - Attorney General of the United States
Vivian Malone	...	Herself - a Negro Student
James Hood	...	Himself - a Negro Student
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy	...	Himself - Robert F. Kennedy's Son (as Michael)
Burt Marshall	...	Himself - Assistant Attorney General
Nicholas Katzenbach	...	Himself - Deputy Attorney General
John Dore	...	Himself - Deputy Attorney General
Jack Greenberg	...	Himself - N.A.A.C.P. Advisor
Creighton Williams Abrams	...	Himself - Confrontation Planner for Military (as General Abrams)
Kerry Kennedy	...	Herself - Robert F. Kennedy's Daughter
Peyton Norville	...	Himself - United States Marshal (as Marshal Norville)
Henry Vance Graham	...	Himself - Commander of Alabama National Guard (as General Graham)
Dave McGlathery	...	Himself - a Negro Engineering Student

Runtime:

52 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

ABC News

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (1999)

Soundtrack:

(I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

A fascinating cinéma vérité documentary which has to be seen to be believed.

A truly remarkable documentary which had cameras with all the principals involved in the confrontation between Governor George Wallace of Alabama and the federal courts in letting two black students enroll in the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. I was awed at witnessing the planning sessions of President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, General Abrams, Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, etc. The University had already approved the admission of the two students; Alabama was the only remaining state which had not fully integrated its university system, and Governor Wallace vowed to stand at the entrance and prevent the students from entering. What the federal government will do when that happens is the focus of the documentary? The tension is real! The drama is real! The participants are real! A most extraordinary documentary I never knew existed before it bowled me over when I saw it in 1981 in a theater, and again when recently shown on the Turner Classic Movies channel. I would have thought it could never have been made. After all, I'm sure Governor Wallace knew it was a lost cause, yet he gave permission for the film makers to film him and his staff and the confrontation. The principals were covered by four teams of film makers and most of the footage appeared unstaged. Shots of Robert Kennedy at home with his kids and George Wallace with his daughter (or granddaughter) helped to make them more human rather than larger than life. The sense of history was overpowering. A must see for anyone interested in the civil rights movement or any of the participants.