The Long Walk Home (1991)

This underrated 1990 film directed by Richard Pearce (Country, Leap of Faith) features exceptionally nuanced performances by both Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter) and Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost) in a story set against the backdrop of the emerging civil rights movement of the 1950s South. Spacek plays a Southern socialite who becomes gradually enlightened by the plight of her housekeeper, played by Whoopi Goldberg, as she struggles to raise her family amid the increasing turmoil, prejudice, and violence around her. A well-done treatment of an important period of American history, The Long Walk Home is an effective and accurate period drama. It is also an opportunity to see fine, understated performances by two very popular actresses in an earnest and socially conscious setting. --Robert Lane Amazon.com essential video

A LONG WAYS FROM 'THE LONG WALK HOME'?

It's 1955 in Montgomery and the Rosa Parks incident has precipitated the bus strike by African-Americans against the City of Montgomery. The film BOYCOTT does an excellent job of telling the overall story of the strike and the people organizing it. THE LONG WALK HOME is the story of two people directly involved in the strike. No one thought it would go on for over a year. Most African-Americans relied on public transportation for getting to work and Odessa Cotter (Goldberg), who worked as a domestic in the home of Miriam Thompson (Spacek), paid her fare in the front of the bus and got off to enter and sit in the back of the bus to ride the 9 miles each way to the Thompson home. The Thompsons were upper middle class socialites whose lives centered around the Country Club, entertaining, and Norman Thompson's successful real estate development business. Miriam, without telling her very segregationist husband, initially picks up Dessa a couple times a week, more for her own benefit than Dessa's but as the strike wears on and it becomes more and more contentious, Miriam begins to understand the pain of the African-Americans and puts her marriage and physical safety on the line by getting involved in driving Dessa back and forth as well as driving for the car pool. Goldberg does a great job of restraining her usual overpowering personality in this film so that you really feel the pain of walking 9 miles each way only to come home and do all over what you've been doing at work all day. Even if you know the story of the boycott this is worth watching to better understand how it played out at the individual level for both whites and blacks. Another reminder of a very sad chapter in American history. Let us all pray that we never treat people as 'possessions' again and that we work to rid our world of racial discrimination wherever we find it. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM. February 23, 2008

Dignity and grace

Great movie about the power of standing or in this case walking for what you believe in. The dynamics between men and women, women and women, employer and employee, families, etc. etc. Buy this movie. January 19, 2007

Good history lesson

This film is first of all a good movie with fine acting. I also use it in the classroom to show 8th graders what was the situation in the South at the time of the famous Montgomery bus strike for African Americans. In addition I use the film to reflect what was the role of white women during that era. It shows the rise of both groups of women to be powerful forces. March 13, 2006

A Touching story

The Long walk home was a very touching story about the discrimination against African Americans in 1955, as well as the Bus boycott which took place. This movie is an excellent depiction of the time period. While there is some harsh language, violence, and racial slurs, these three things really help to depict what the feelings towards the African Americans really were. This movie even shows how a person could be moved when they find out the situation of another person.

Another thing that was enjoyable about the movie was there was the absence of two prominent figures of the equality movement, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. This movie really helped to show the situation of the normal person, who had to go to work and church as well as take care of their family.

"The Long Walk Home" was a very good movie and was really moving. I would suggest it to everyone, especially because it shows what some people had to go through for their freedom.
December 2, 2005

THOUGHT PROVOKING DRAMA

Earnest film chronicling the bus boycott in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama. Oscar winners Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg star as a well to do Southern socialite and her quite, but courageous maid. When Whoopi joins in the boycott against riding the buses, she finds herself walking to her job for Spacek three days a week with Sissy secretly "carrying" her the other two days. Sissy doesn't want her bigoted and politically motivated husband and his brother (Dwight Schultz and Dylan Baker, both very good) to find out. The movie is more an indictment against the racial prejudice of its times rather than a purely biographical flick, but director Richard Pearce wisely keeps the focus on his two leads who deliver outstandingly understated performances. A good movie to remind us of the ugly scar of racism that fomented our country for so long. November 29, 2005

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