The Great Debater - Denzel Washington

The movie is all about the story of a debate team headed by Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), a professor of Wiley College and his four students; Hamilton Burgess, Henry Lowe, Samantha Booke and James Parker. They struggle to put their team on equal footing with White Americans by defeating Colleges and Universities in debates. Wiley College eventually succeeds to the point where they are able to face and defeat the famous Harvard University.

The Great Debater shows how the Black Americans were experiencing discrimination and humiliation from the White Americans during those years and how they value education and their continuous yearning for equality. It educates the viewer on some historical background of the Negros and their social as well as their civil standing in the society.

Denzel Washington in the character of Mr. Tolson played his character very well. I was amazed by James Farmer, who at a very young age became part of Wiley's debate team. He plays a role of an obedient son who admires the beauty of Samantha Booke. I like the scene of Samantha who debated a white college together with Henry on the issue of whether Blacks should be allowed to attend state universities. She defended the Blacks to be given the rights to be in a campus with the Whites and share civil and educational rights. They are both Americans, the only difference is their skin color. For me, we should be respected regardless of our race, color and nationality. It is only God who can judge us and as His creation, we should equally enjoy ever rights we humans have.

Even though the movie is a bit boring, I enjoyed watching it because of its uniqueness. As a viewer, it has given me a slice of history about the Black Americans. It's not the usual Hollywood movies that entertains us about romance, action and other kinds. Its being educational makes it interesting.