The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Emmett Louis Till

2008-06-13
The writer, Keith A. Beau was able to capture the story of this historical icon: Emmett Louis Till,and present it in DVD form in a very creative way. This DVD offered my first introduction to who Emmett Louis Till was. Priorly, I did not realize that he was named among the other african americans who died tragically. Thank you.

Heartbreaking and uplifting

2008-04-26
This documentary is heart-breaking and yet uplifting at the same time. The strength and bravery of the witnesses, including Emmett Till's uncle, who had to leave Mississippi after testifying at the murderers' trial, shows the heroic nature of the family of this child. The horrific pictures of the corpse and the heartrending photographs of his mother when she was preparing to view the body are an integral part of this documentary as are the witnesses stories of what happened that night.

This is a truly excellent documentary of one of the catalysts of the Civil Rights Movement that began in the 50's.The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

This is a really good depiction of an almost forgotten story.

2008-04-12
One day when the kids were home I forced them to watch this story on PBS. Fast forward a few years. My youngest daughter needed a history fair project and she chose this story. Her history teacher did not know this story nor did her classmates. She won the history fair at her school with a dramatic reacreation in which two of her friends also played some of the characters. My daughter plays the guitar and played amazing grace for the scene where the mom sees her boy in a coffin and allows the world to see her 14 year old and what racism had done to him. He was almost unrecognizable. I can't imagine the strength of that mom to show the true color of racism. My daughter and her friends went and competed in the regional history fair and THEY WON! They are now scheduled to perform in the State fair. It is the first time the middle school has ever won the history fair in over 30 years. We purchased this so she could share the original inspiration she had when she saw the story. For those who have not heard of Emmitt Till, he was a 14 year old black boy who whistled at a white woman. He was taken that night and murdered by the white bubba's that ran the town. They were tried by an all white jury and were NOT convicted even though they admitted to the crime. Double jeopardy assured they were never tried again. In 2002 the Till Bill was enacted that allows a re-trial when all white juries exonerated defendants based on their color. They can now be re-tried. It is too late as all the players are long gone but it rights an injustice that started on that day when a 14 year old was ripped from his moms arms for whistling. My daughter and her team mates now have an interview with Emmitt Tills cousin who is still living and they also get to have a conference with either the president or vice president of the NAACP. They compete in May and if they win there they go on to Washington to compete at the national level. This story had a great impact on my children and it really is a good way to get teens to look at racism and relate it back to them being a teen. As a parent I highly suggest this be one of the stories that your teens see.

Gripping

2008-04-03
Strong political views but this is a very well made documentary that provides factual insight into the mindset that prevailed during the time the incident took place. Well researched and passionately put together, it's a must see for anyone with any interest in recent american history of race relations and civil rights.

Excellent...Very Informative

2008-03-07
I learned quite a bit from watching this DVD regarding the death of Emmett Till. It was very well put together with first account interviews from family and friends. I recommend all family members to watch and learn a piece of history.

The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

2008-02-25
In August 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley of Chicago sent her only child, 14 year-old Emmett Louis Till, to visit relatives in the Mississippi Delta. Little did she know that only 8 days later, Emmett would be abducted from his Great-Uncle’s home, brutally beaten and murdered by one of the oldest Southern taboos: whistling at a white woman in public. The murderers were soon arrested but later acquitted of murder by an all-white, all-male jury.

Keith Beauchamp's groundbreaking film is the result of a 10-year journey to uncover the truth behind the nightmarish murder of an innocent African-American teenager. Emmett’s brutal murder - and his family’s brave actions in the horrifying aftermath- served as a major impetus for America's civil rights movement and led to Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to make decisions that changed the course of history.

Discover for yourself why the Chicago Tribune wrote, "If you don’t believe film can change the world, you haven’t seen The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till."

Great Documentary - A Must See For All People 2007-08-09
Anybody that is interested in learning how the Civil Rights Movement started should watch this film. This is the true and untold story of Emmett Till's murder, told by his mother and other family members. When you watch it you will never forget it. This film should be shown to all teenagers and adults to remind them of the hatred and injustice that once was in this country. Keith Beauchamp reminds us that, "If we forget our past, history will repeat itself".

An important piece of history 2007-02-27
I recently had the opportunity to see Nikki Giovanni speak. She discussed her children's book about Rosa Parks giving up her seat, and briefly mentioned that she deliberately put Emmett Till's name in one of the newspapers a passenger was reading. I knew the name Emmett Till, but I never really knew the entire story. I'd heard about this documentary before, and I thought it would be worth a closer look.

Emmett was fourteen years old in 1955 when he visited his cousins in Mississippi, whistled at a white woman, and was killed three days later in what has to be one of the most brutal beatings in history. His death was arguably the biggest catalyst in the civil rights movement.

This film, made by Keith Beauchamp, is the result of eight years of research. He got the opportunity to interview several eyewitnesses, including Till's mother, who has since passed. He weaves this footage together with old news coverage, which paints a very clear picture of the events.

The most chilling part of the film is when Till's mother describes opening her son's coffin and looking at his body. As she describes his injuries, the screen cuts to a picture of Till's mangled face and doesn't change for almost fifteen seconds. As Al Sharpton comments, "It's hard to view a corpse and turn your head."

The only reason I gave the film four stars instead of five is that I found it to be a little self-congratulatory. It concludes with CNN footage announcing the reopening of the case fifty years after Till's death. Beauchamp made sure to select a clip in which the news anchor mentions the film and cites it as the reason the case was reopened. I'm not disputing that, but was it really necessary to include that, particularly as a way to conclude the film?

Other than that, though, I seriously suggest everyone watch this. It's an ugly but important part of our history. You also might want to pick up 4 Little Girls, the Spike Lee documentary about a 1963 church bombing in Birmingham.

Life And Death In The Delta 2007-02-23
This Documentary was well done, based on the 1955 brutal lynching of 14 year old Emmett Louis Till, an African American teenager just trying to have a good time with his family and friends. Until he whistled at a white woman, Carolyn, wife of Roy Bryant, Sister-n-Law of J. W. Milam. These 2 men were accused and aquitted of the heinous crimes that took Emmett Till's young life. This is true crime and is well worth the money, watching this film has made me cry for the family of Emmett, it was devastating to watch how the Mississippi court system back in 1955 let 2 animals go after admitting they kidnapped and murdered someone. How gruesome. Emmett Louis Till deserved what any other person deserved, to live and love, instead his life was cut short. This is very painful to watch. Emmett's Mother, Mrs. Mobley, was such an inspiration, her words touched me, she was a wonderful woman.
This is a must-see film, it is always a good idea to see history so we do not forget what "civilized" man is capable of. This unfortunate young man's death sparked the Civil Rights Movement. It hurts me to know what others can do to each other. See this film for yourself. Thank you.

Gret, but see this before the "American Experience" DVD 2006-10-08
This is a great documentary about the Till case, as director Keith Beauchamp clearly cares a lot about this subject and it shows. It does feature a few people who were not interviewed in previous Till books or documetnaries (some who appear only in shadows and under assumed names on camera) and one lady witness even reveals one of the biggest mysteries of the Till case-the name of the Black traitor who told Milam and Bryant about the alleged "wolf whistle." (This appears in the director's commentary). We also see some post-production footage of the Till case being reopened because of some of these interviews.

However, I would have to give the edge to the "American Experience" documentary DVD on this subject, as that one does a better job of getting the viewer to know who Emmett Till was as a person before the murder and as he grew up in Chicago.

Both are good, so I would recommend to those who want to know about the Till case to watch both of these DVDs.