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The Great Debaters (2007)
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Overview
Tagline:
When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.Plot:
A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. full summary | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Denzel Washington to star in ‘Book of Eli’ (From screeninglog. 5 September 2008, 11:42 AM, PDT)
Washington's 'Great Debaters' Leads Image Awards Nominations (From WENN. 10 January 2008)
User Comments:
You should see this film moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Denzel Washington | ... | Melvin B. Tolson |
 | Nate Parker | ... | Henry Lowe |
 | Jurnee Smollett | ... | Samantha Booke |
 | Denzel Whitaker | ... | James Farmer Jr. |
 | Jermaine Williams | ... | Hamilton Burgess |
 | Forest Whitaker | ... | Dr. James Farmer Sr. |
 | Gina Ravera | ... | Ruth Tolson |
 | John Heard | ... | Sheriff Dozier |
 | Kimberly Elise | ... | Pearl Farmer |
 | Devyn A. Tyler | ... | Helen Farmer (as Devyn Tyler) |
 | Trenton McClain Boyd | ... | Nathaniel Farmer |
 | Ritchie Montgomery | ... | Deputy |
 | Jackson Walker | ... | Pig Owner |
 | Tim Parati | ... | Pig Farmer |
 | Robert X. Golphin | ... | Dunbar Reed |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
126 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreMOVIEmeter: 
3% since last week
why?
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The diploma hanging in Dr. James Farmer's study is an authentic copy provided to the art department by Boston University archivist Kara Jackman. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: When Prof. Tolson lectures his students about the origin of the word "lynching," he is referring to the so-called Willie Lynch Letter or Willie Lynch Speech, which is widely believed to be a contemporary hoax. There is no historical or archival record of it prior to the 1990s (when it began to appear on the Internet), so a 1930s professor could not cite it. moreQuotes:
Samantha: [after James protests his inability to debate with Samantha or Henry] James, you're the best researcher I've ever seen. We couldn't do this without you.James Farmer Jr.: [angrily] Oh, there's PLENTY you do without me!
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Soundtrack:
My Soul is a Witness moreFAQ
What is the name of the marshland town in Texas where the roadhouse was?more
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I say this because: 1) The acting is remarkable. Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, Denzel Whitaker, and Kimberly Elise are all stunningly good 2) The cinematography is very well done and the score is beautifully and uplifting. 3) The story is great. It has multiple underdog themes which when watching, you root so much for the underdog it actually hurts :). These would be: a) the black people in the south in the 1930s b) little Wiley collage (especially when they are vs Harvard) c) the 14 year old boy James P. Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker) who is seemingly incapable at first of debating. Do yourself a favor and see "The Great Debaters". You are going to love it.