The Assassination (1996)

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Movie
German title The assassination
Original title Ghosts of Mississippi
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1996
length 130 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Rob Reiner
script Lewis Colick
production Nicholas Paleologos ,
Rob Reiner,
Andrew Scheinman ,
Frederick Zollo
music Marc Shaiman
camera John Seale
cut Robert Leighton
occupation

The assassination (original title: Ghosts of Mississippi ) is an American drama film directed by Rob Reiner from 1996 . The film starring Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg is based on a true story. Only after more than thirty years is it possible to legally atone for the murder of a black civil rights activist.

action

Civil rights activist Medgar Evers , an African American , was murdered from behind in front of his home in Mississippi in 1963 . The white racist Byron De La Beckwith is accused of murder and acquitted by a white jury in two subsequent criminal trials . a. during one of the negotiations, the then-governor of Mississippi interrupts the testimony of the widow, Myrlie Evers, and extends his hand to the defendant in the courtroom.

In 1989, however, the segregation was largely lifted and Myrlie Evers then tried to reopen the case because of the bias of the jury from then and because of this influence. Young prosecutor Bobby DeLaughter has doubts at first, as few of the trial files and no evidence remain. His wife also advises him that dealing with the case could jeopardize his appeal as a judge; she herself would also become a mockery of fellow citizens.

However, DeLaughter decides to reopen the case because of the horror of the crime. Bobby DeLaughter brings him back to court after he manages to retrieve the evidence and the trial files and find additional witnesses willing to testify that De La Beckwith confessed to you about the murder after the previous trials. De La Beckwith was found guilty in this third trial in 1994 by a mixed jury and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Reviews

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the casting of the roles was partly "unconventional", but "solid". Alec Baldwin plays the lead role "fine", although far from a performance that could be rewarded with an Oscar . The representation of Whoopi Goldberg is "uneven"; at the beginning of the film "not convincing", later "strong". Unlike some other court films, the film “intelligently” dispenses with surprising twists and turns such as suddenly appearing witnesses. He was "drawn in", but only partially successful as a plea against racism.

The lexicon of international films said: “Political drama that relies more on emotions than on the reflection of social processes and also depicts the characters of its protagonist with little differentiation. The image design, which is reminiscent of television games, and the actors acting below value never convey the feeling of big cinemas. "

Awards

James Woods for Best Supporting Actor and Matthew W. Mungle and Deborah La Mia Denaver for Best Make-up were nominated for an Academy Award in 1997. James Woods was nominated for the 1997 Golden Globe Award . Whoopi Goldberg was nominated for the Image Award in 1997. The film received the 1997 Political Film Society Award for Human Rights .

The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.

background

Production costs were estimated at 36 million US dollars . The film grossed approximately $ 13.05 million in US cinemas.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  2. ↑ The assassination attempt. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ^ Box office / business for Ghosts of Mississippi