King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
| King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Produced by | Ely Landau |
| Narrated by |
Harry Belafonte Ruby Dee Ben Gazzara Charlton Heston James Earl Jones Burt Lancaster Paul Newman Anthony Quinn Clarence Williams III Joanne Woodward |
| Editing by |
Lora Hayes John N. Carter |
| Distributed by | Kino Lorber |
| Release dates | March 24, 1970 |
| Running time | 185 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery To Memphis is a 1970 American documentary film biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his non-violent campaign for civil rights and social justice. It uses only original newsreel and other primary material, unvarnished and unretouched, and covers the period from the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 through his assassination in 1968. The original newsreel segments are framed by celebrity narrators Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III, and Joanne Woodward. The movie was produced by Ely Landau. Richard Kaplan was the associate producer in charge of production.
When first released, it was shown in theaters as a "one-time-only" event on March 24, 1970 for one night only. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, Features.[1] In 1999, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry.
After its "one-time-only" showing it was occasionally seen on commercial television (unedited and with limited interruption) and for a short period released for home video on the Pacific Arts label and distributed to the educational market by Richard Kaplan Productions. Then for many years it was no longer available and rarely seen. Finally, in 2010 Richard Kaplan who had long felt that KING should be seen by a new generation who knew of it only by reputation, set up a not for profit company A Filmed Record Inc. and produced a DVD using master elements he had stored over the years. A Filmed Record, Inc. released the DVD for home video use on a limited basis and KING was once again available after 40 years of being a "lost" film. In 2012 A Filmed Record, Inc. (with the cooperation of the estate of Ely Landau producer of the original film) entered into an agreement with Kino Lorber giving them world wide exclusive rights to distribute King and to make possible its being seen by the largest possible audience. Kino Lorber, Inc. in partnership with The Library of Congress and with the cooperation of the Museum of Modern Art, has restored and remastered the original enabling 35 mm prints and the film is available once again both on DVD and Blu-ray. Kino Lorber and Kaplan are currently preparing a nation-wide commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and King's "I Have A Dream" speech. It will kick-off with a New York screening of the film at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's BAMcinématek on August 13, 2013, followed by a screening at Film Forum on August 28, 2013 and will play in 20 other cities as well. Kino Lorber is also launching an educational outreach campaign to provide the 24 minute abridged film, Legacy of a Dream, for free to every high school in America.
Reception
- "...deserves to be known as one of the greatest documentaries of all time" - CriterionCast
- "A piece of history of immense power" - Los Angeles Times
References
- ↑ "NY Times: King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
External links
- Alive Mind Cinema
- A Filmed Record, Inc. webpage
- Greenspun, Roger (March 24, 1970). "Movie Review: King A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis (1970) Screen: The Pilgrimage of Martin Luther King Jr.". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- Legacy of a Dream
- King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis at the Internet Movie Database
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