Mississippi Burning (DVD)

Mississippi Burning 'On Trial' Cast Anderson Gene Hackman Ward Willem Dafoe Mrs. Pell Frances McDormand Dep. Pell Brad Dourif Mayor Tilman R. Lee Ermey Sheriff Stuckey Gailard Sartain Clayton Townley Stephen Tobolowsky It seems almost appropriate that this film is re-released now, with many modern racial issues firmly embedded on people's minds. The death of Rosa Parks, who in December 1955, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. This event triggered the blacks to speak out in their non-violent protests against the oppressive rule of the whites. Another more recent event is the ... more

Introduction I first saw this film many years ago and it has always stood out in my mind as one of the best films of all time, mainly because of the anger that such racism did (and undoubtedly still does) exist as recent as the 1960s. Based on true happenings, this film captures the power with which such a way of thought can have an influence on the feelings of a community. This is not a film to watch if you want something light-hearted, but it is deeply thought provoking and well worth watching. The story Three civil rights activists, two white and one black, working in Mississippi become ... more

On 21st June 1964, three Civil Rights activists (two Anglo American and one Black American) went missing on their return from investigating the destruction of a black congregation church used as a "freedom" school (used to teach black children, among other things, black history and the philosophy of the civil rights movement). The FBI were called in to investigate the disappearance, and subsequently the deaths of these 3 men (their bodies were found 6weeks later). It was soon found that members of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, had instigated and been involved in the killings ... more

In 1988 Alan Parker directed a very emotive film called Mississippi Burning. It is loosely based on a true story, about the murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. Mississippi Burning follows the investigation of two FBI agents, Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman). They are trying to find out what happened to missing civil rights workers, but ended up facing a conspiracy within the Southern town where there is segregation of white and blacks. Ward wants to take a direct approach, but Anderson feels that a subtle approach is required. The Ku Klux ... more