The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters is a 2007 American biographical 1.1

drama lm directed by and starring Denzel Washington.
It is based on an article written about the Wiley College
debate team by Tony Scherman for the 1997 Spring issue
of American Legacy.[2]

Historical background

The lm co-stars Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate

Parker, Gina Ravera, Jermaine Williams and Jurnee
Smollett. The screenplay was written by Robert Eisele.
The lm was released in theaters on December 25,
2007.[3]
The 1930 Wiley College debate team in Marshall, Texas.
Henrietta Bell Wells, front row, center.

Plot

The lm depicts the Free Wiley Debate team beating Harvard College in the 1930s. They did not debate Harvard,
however. The debate depicted in the lm instead mirrored the match up between Wiley and the University
of Southern California, who at the time were the reigning debating champions. Wiley College did indeed win
this matchup.[4] According to Robert Eisele: In that era,
there was much at stake when a black college debated
any white school, particularly one with the stature of Harvard. We used Harvard to demonstrate the heights they
achieved.[5]

Based on a true story, the plot revolves around the eorts

of debate coach Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington)
at historically black Wiley College to place his team on
equal footing with whites in the American South during
the 1930s, when Jim Crow laws were common and lynch
mobs were a pervasive fear for blacks. In the movie, the
Wiley team eventually succeeds to the point where they
are able to debate Harvard University. This was their 47th
annual debate team.

The lm omits another reality: even though they beat the

reigning champions, the Great Debaters were not allowed
to call themselves victors because they were not truly considered to belong to the debate society; blacks were not
admitted until after World War II.[6]

The movie also explores the social constructs in Texas

during the Great Depression including not only the dayto-day insults and slights African Americans endured,
but also a lynching. Also depicted is James L. Farmer,
Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), who, at 14 years old, was on
Wileys debate team after completing high school (and
who later went on to co-found C.O.R.E., the Congress
of Racial Equality). According to the Houston Chronicle,
another character depicted on the team, Samantha Booke,
is based on the real individual Henrietta Bell Wells, the
only female member of the 1930 debate team from Wiley
College who participated in the rst collegiate interracial
debate in the United States. Wells also happened to be a
minor African American poet whose papers are housed
at the Library of Congress.

2 Cast
Denzel Washington as Melvin B. Tolson
Forest Whitaker as James L. Farmer, Sr.
Nate Parker as Henry Lowe
Jurnee Smollett as Samantha Booke

The key line of dialogue, used several times, is a famous

paraphrase of Augustine of Hippo: An unjust law is no
law at all.

Denzel Whitaker as James L. Farmer, Jr.

Another major line, repeated in slightly dierent versions

according to context, concerns doing what you have to
do in order that we can do what we want to do. In
all instances, these vital lines are spoken by the James L.
Farmer Sr. and James L. Farmer, Jr. characters.

Gina Ravera as Ruth Tolson

Jermaine Williams as Hamilton Burgess

John Heard as Sheri Dozier

Kimberly Elise as Pearl Farmer
1

5
Devyn A. Tyler as Helen Farmer
Trenton McClain Boyd as Nathaniel Farmer

HOME MEDIA

Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion

Picture: Jurnee Smollett

Tim Parati as Pig Farmer

Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in

a Motion Picture: Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker,
Denzel Whitaker

Justice Leak as Harland Osbourne

Stanley Kramer Award

Jackson Walker as Pig Owner

Robert X. Golphin as Dunbar Reed

Damien Leake as Wilson
Frank L. Ridley as Security Guard

Production

4.3.2 Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture
Drama[13]
Image Award for Outstanding Director in a Motion
Picture: Denzel Washington

The lm was the rst since 1979 to be allowed to lm on 4.4

Harvards campus.[7]

4
4.1

Release and reception

Box oce

Urban debate leagues

The release of the lm coincided with a nationally

stepped-up eort by urban debate leagues to get hundreds
of inner-city and nancially challenged schools to establish debate programs.[14][15] Cities of focus included Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

The Great Debaters debuted at No. 11 in its rst weekend

4.5 Denzel Washingtons donation
with a total of $6,005,180 from 1,171 venues. The lm
grossed $30,236,407 in the US.[1]
On December 19, 2007, Denzel Washington announced
a $1 million donation to Wiley College so they could
re-establish their debate team.[16] June 2007, after com4.2 Critical response
pleting lming at Central High School, Grand Cane,
As of November 20, 2012 the review aggregator Rotten Louisiana, Washington donated $10,000 to Central High
Tomatoes reports that 79% of critics gave the lm posi- School.
tive reviews based on 131 reviews. The consensus reads:
A wonderful cast and top-notch script elevate The Great
Debaters beyond a familiar formula for a touching, uplift- 5 Home media
ing drama.[8] Metacritic reported the lm had an average
score of 65 out of 100 based on 32 reviews.[9]
5.1 DVD release
Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer named it the
5th best lm of 2007[10] and Roger Ebert of the Chicago The Great Debaters was released on DVD on May 13,
2008 on 1-disc and 2-disc editions. In the 2-disc ediSun-Times named it the 9th best lm of 2007.[11]
tion, the rst disc includes no extra material, but the
Some critics have criticized the lm for playing it
second disc includes an audio commentary, a making
[12]
safe.
John Monaghan of the Detroit Free Press
of documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a still
stated, Serious moviegoers, especially those attracted
gallery.
by the movies aggressive Oscar campaign, will likely
nd the package gorgeously wrapped, but intellectually
empty.[12]
5.2 Soundtrack and score
The songs for the soundtrack to the lm were hand-picked
by Denzel Washington from over 1000 candidates.[17] It
contains remakes of traditional blues and Gospel songs
4.3.1 Awards
from the 1920s and 1930s by artists including Sharon
Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart, David Berger, and the
Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture
Carolina Chocolate Drops.[18] It features favorites, such
Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion as Step It Up and Go, Nobodys Fault But Mine,
Picture: Denzel Washington
and the Duke Ellington classic, Delta Serenade.[19]

4.3

Awards and nominations

3
The complete soundtrack album includes the following
songs:[20]
Track listing
1. My Soul is a Witness Alvin Youngblood Hart
& Sharon Jones

7 References
[1] The Great Debaters. Box Oce Mojo. Retrieved 201605-12.

2. Thats What My Baby Likes Sharon Jones, Alvin

Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges

[2] BlackNews.com American Legacy Magazines Story

The Great Debaters Turns from Pages to the Big Screen
Directed By and Starring Denzel Washington and Produced By Oprah Winfrey Archived June 30, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine.

3. I've Got Blood in My Eyes for You The Carolina

Chocolate Drops & Alvin Youngblood Hart

[3] The Great Debaters Ocial Site.

batersmovie.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.

4. "Step It Up and Go" Alvin Youngblood Hart &

Teenie Hodges

[4] Beil, Laura (2007-12-05). For Struggling Black College,

Hopes of a Revival. NYTimes. Retrieved 2007-12-05.

5. Its Tight Like That Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges
6. Busy Bootin'" Alvin Youngblood Hart & The
Carolina Chocolate Drops

Thegreatde-

[5] The Great Debaters. Roger Ebert. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-06-29.

[6] "For Struggling Black College, Hopes of a Revival. New
York Times, December 5, 2007.

7. City of Refuge Alvin Youngblood Hart & The

Carolina Chocolate Drops

[7] Phillip, Abby D. (2007-07-23). The Harvard Crimson ::

News :: New Denzel Flick Films In Sanders. Thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.

8. Two Wings Alvin Youngblood Hart, Sharon

Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith

[8] The Great Debaters Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-01-20.

9. Delta Serenade David Berger & The Sultans of

Swing

[9] Great Debaters, The (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-01-05.

10. Rock n' Rye David Berger & The Sultans of

Swing

[10] Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists. Metacritic.

Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved
2008-01-05.

11. Wild About That Thing Sharon Jones, Alvin

Youngblood Hart, & Teenie Hodges
12. "Nobodys Fault but Mine" Alvin Youngblood
Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
13. How Long Before I Change My Clothes Alvin
Youngblood Hart
14. "We Shall Not Be Moved" Sharon Jones w/Billy
Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith

[11] Roger Ebert (2007-12-20). The years ten Best lms and
other shenanigans. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 200801-05.
[12] The Great Debaters Movie Reviews, Pictures Rotten
Tomatoes. Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
[13] HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION
2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR
ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007. goldenglobes.org.
2007-12-13. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15.
Retrieved 2007-12-17.

15. "Up Above My Head" Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers

and the Angelic Voices of Faith

[14] Take Action

16. The Shout Art Tatum

[15] National Association for the Urban Debate Leagues.

Naudl.org. Retrieved 2012-10-12.

17. Begrssung Marian Anderson

Varse Sarabande was released a separate album of the
lms score, composed by James Newton Howard and Peter Golub.

[16] http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/20/entertainment/
et-quick20.s1
[17] Denzel Washington Hand Picks Songs for New Film
The Insider}
[18] Soundtrack Listing on IMDB

See also
Denzel Washington lmography

[19] Denzel Washington Hand Picks Songs for New Film

The Insider
[20] The Great Debaters (Soundtrack)" on Amazon.com

8
Scherman, Tony (Spring 1997). The Great Debaters (PDF). American Legacy. Original article
about Melvin Tolsons Wiley College debate team.
Bell, Gail K. (December 2007). Tolson, Farmer
intertwined by Wiley debate team. Marshall News
Messenger. Archived from the original on 6 June
2009. Another very detailed article on the team and
the lm.

External links
Ocial website
The Great Debaters at the Internet Movie Database
The Great Debaters at AllMovie
The Great Debaters at Box Oce Mojo
The Great Debaters at Metacritic
The Great Debaters at Rotten Tomatoes

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1

Text

The Great Debaters Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Debaters?oldid=740242134 Contributors: Earthsound, David

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9.2

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9.3

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