Ghosts of Mississippi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ghosts of Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Ghosts of Mississippi film poster |
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| Directed by | Rob Reiner |
| Produced by | Nicholas Paleologos Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman Frederick Zollo Charles Newirth Jeff Stott |
| Written by | Lewis Colick |
| Starring | Alec Baldwin Whoopi Goldberg James Woods William H. Macy Craig T. Nelson |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Cinematography | John Seale |
| Editing by | Robert Leighton |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | December 20, 1996 |
| Running time | 130 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30,000,000 (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Ghosts of Mississippi is a 1996 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and James Woods. The plot focuses on the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
James Woods was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Byron De La Beckwith.
The original music score was composed by Marc Shaiman and the cinematography is by John Seale.
Tagline: "In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was murdered in his own driveway. For 30 years, his assassin has remained free. Is it ever too late to do the right thing?"
Contents |
[edit] Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Alec Baldwin | Bobby DeLaughter |
| James Woods | Byron De La Beckwith |
| Virginia Madsen | Dixie DeLaughter |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Myrlie Evers |
| Susanna Thompson | Peggy Lloyd |
| Craig T. Nelson | Ed Peters |
| Lucas Black | Burt DeLaughter |
| Alexa Vega | Claire DeLaughter |
| William H. Macy | Charlie Crisco |
| Darrell Evers | Himself |
| Yolanda King | Reena Evers |
| Jerry Levine | Jerry Mitchell |
| James Van Evers | Himself |
| Michael O'Keefe | Merrida Coxwell |
| Bill Smitrovich | Jim Kitchens |
| Terry O'Quinn | Judge Hilburn |
| Rex Linn | Martin Scott |
| James Pickens, Jr. | Medgar Evers |
| Richard Riehle | Tommy Mayfield |
| Bonnie Bartlett | Billie DeLaughter |
| Brock Peters | Walter Williams |
| Wayne Rogers | Morris Dees |
[edit] Plot summary
Medgar Evers is a black civil rights activist in Mississippi who was murdered by an assassin in 1963. It is later suspected that Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist, is the murderer and he would be tried twice and both trials ended in hung juries. In 1989, Evers' widow Myrlie has been trying to bring De La Beckwith to justice for over 25 years, and she believes she has what it takes to bring him to trial again.
However, most of the evidence from the old trial have disappeared but Bobby DeLaughter, an assistant District Attorney, decides to do what he can to help her despite being warned that it might hurt his political aspirations and the strain it is causing his marriage. However, DeLaughter becomes more involved with bringing De La Beckwith to trial for the third time 30 years later. In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
[edit] Trivia
- Delmar Dennis (a key witness against Byron De La Beckwith) and his family can be seen as extras in the parade scene. At the film's end, a title card indicated that Bobby DeLaughter had run for a position as a judge and been defeated. That was true at the time. Subsequently, he was appointed to be a judge and later elected overwhelmingly.
- Medgar Evers' two sons Darrell and James Van Evers played themselves in this film, as did a police detective who helped with the investigation, Detective Lloyd "Benny" Bennett. Myrlie Evers was also one of this film's consultants.
- The daughter of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., Yolanda King, played the adult daughter of Medgar Evers in the film.
- Although the film begins in 1989 and ends in 1994, the same child actors portraying Bobby DeLaughter's children are used from the beginning of the movie until the end, showing no signs of aging.
- This film was shot on location in Jackson, Mississippi, where Megdar Evers was murdered.
- Bobby DeLaughter's eldest son in the movie stars as Michael Winchell in "Friday Night Lights".
[edit] Quotes
- Myrlie Evers: (quoting Medgar Evers) I don't know if I'm going to heaven or to hell, but I'm going from Jackson.
- Myrlie Evers: (quoting Medgar Evers) When you hate, the only person who suffers is you, because most of the people you hate don't know it and the others don't care.
[edit] External links
- Ghosts of Mississippi at the Internet Movie Database
- Ghosts of Mississippi at Allmovie
- Ghosts of Mississippi at Rotten Tomatoes
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