Analysis of 'The Great Debaters' by Makanjuola Damilola

INTRODUCTION
The movie, ‘the great debaters’ is produced by Oprah Winfrey and Joe Roth. The movie is set to depict the segregation and racism the Negroes faced, this was a period whereby racism was at its peak, the Negroes did not have to offend before they were arrested, some of them had parts of their bodies lynched without cause, worse still, some were roasted alive. The students of Wiley college which represented the Negroes fought for their freedom through debates.
The movie has its setting in Marshall,Texas. It is based on Biblical doctrines and the doctrines of people like Myston Hughes (1925), James Choice,D.H Lawrence as their quotes were aspired in the movie. The Great debaters was directed by Denzel Washington.
The major characters of this movie are:Melvin Tolson,Samantha Booke,Henry Lowe,James Farmer (Junior), Dr James Farmer (senior).

The themes in this movie are as follows:
· The theme of Racism:
Racism was a major theme in this movie,the negroes suffered a great deal as a result of their skin colour.A lot of things were done against them ranging from unlawful arrests to discrimination at all levels. We saw racism clearly displayed where the radio presenter is to introduce the debate teams from Wiley college and Harvard University; he introduces the later as ‘little Wiley college from Marshall,Texas ,while he introduces the former as ‘Harvard University’.he also emphasizes the fact that it is the first time a negro college is competing with Harvard college.
· The theme of injustice:
Even though this is closely related to racism, it has to be discussed separately. For example,Mr Tolson was arrested without cause, he was picked up from a classroom and detained, this caused the negroes to raise a protest in front of the Police station.but for the timely intervention of Dr.Farmer who confronted the Police officer telling him that ‘an unjust law is no law’;Mr Tolson would have been in jail suffering for no cause at all.
We also see injustice clearly displayed when a negro is burned alive,this happens while the debate team along side Mr Tolson where on their way to Harvard University.Eventhough we are not told what the man’s offence was, according to Henry it really did not matter because they could not have done the same to a white man. When Mr Tolson’s car is noticed,the mob goes ahead to throw stones on the car but they managed to escape.
· The theme of determination:
In this movie,we see determination displayed not only in the character of Mr Tolson but also in the debate team. At a point,Mr Tolson was facing a lot of opposition, his team had nowhere to go because they had just been turned down;his Academic career was in jeopardy-the dean, sheriff and Texas ranger told him to quit after his letters of request had been turned down but with the spirit of determination, he decided to aim for the ‘almighty’ Harvard University which seemed almost impossible to conquer.
We also see determination to succeed in the Wiley debate team.despite all the obstacles they faced while they were preparing to meet with Harvard,they were still determined to succeed.their first disappointment was when Mr Tolson shocked them with the news of staying back in Texas when they were at the Train station. They were also disappointed when they had their topic changed a few days to the debate; but as a result of their determination, they were able to win.
· The theme of intelligence:
Intelligence is greatly displayed in this movie.Mr Tolson for one is a highly intelligent character and he is able to pass same to his students as he teaches them very intelligently.Dr Farmer is also a very intelligent character, according to Farmer (junior),his father speaks seven languages, graduated from with a magna cum laude (a first class degree).Farmer (junior) is not left out, even though he is the youngest in his class, he not only makes the debate team but he also holds a significant position as the researcher for the team. In the long run ,Farmer (junior) is able to speak for Wiley college in the debate against Harvard University and they won the debate. All the members of all the debate teams who spoke at one time or the other displayed high level of intelligence.
· The theme of hurt:
We see hurt in Samantha when she sees Henry making love to another girl,she was so badly hurt that by morning before either James or Henry could stop her, she had Mr Tolson take her to the park where she had gone to board a train back to school. We also see hurt in Mr. Tolson,James and Henry but particularly In Henry after they saw a Negro being burned. Henry was so hurt that he went off to drink in order to ease off the anger, it was when he was drunk that he had an affair with another girl.
· The theme of team spirit:
The debate team of Wiley college display a team spirit from the moment they were chosen as a team until the end when they finally win the team from Harvard University. For example,when Hamilton needs to quit because Mr Tolson’s political stand was different from that of his father, the team understands, despite the fact that he backs out,he still has the interest of the team at heart that is why he tells them he knows they have won Oklahoma already.Also,Mr Tolson never attributes the failure or success of the team to himself,he always says ‘we’. we see this when he is briefing the debate team about the response he gets from Harvard, he says ‘we’ have been writing to Harvard University, and we have finally got a response, we have been invited to compete with the Harvard University.Eventhough,he personally sent the letters, he did not attribute it to his efforts alone but that of the team.
When Lowe is made the team leader for the competition against Harvard University,he gave up his place for James in order to give him a chance to be heard,which was his greatest wish until this moment.their team spirit paid off for them in the end because it earns them victory over the Harvard University team.

NARRATIVES IN THE MOVIE
This movie starts with showing the audience the life style of Negroes in Texas, their religious beliefs (which is based on Christian values),their social life and their educational values which they believe is the only way out of ignorance,darkness into the glorious light. We are introduced to the character of Mr Tolson,a professor in the Wiley college who believes so much in the black race.
The movie however anchors majorly on the use of education to cause a revolution in the black race and this is what leads to the selection of the debate team which eventually brings about the evolution after they won the ‘almighty’ Harvard University;their white opponents.

SUSPENSE
We see a lot of suspense used in this movie.the first time when James is to speak,we expect that because this is what he has always wanted,he will perfom very well but then he remains quiet when it is his turn and then the scene is cut,we were in suspense until we are shown Mr Tolson telling his wife that the team lost.
Suspense is also shown at the final debate when James Farmer is silent for a while as we thought he was going to get stuck again like he did at his first attempt but then after a few minutes,he begins to speak and he does this so well that he gets a standing ovation after his rendition.
When the winner is also to be announced,the presenter of the award holds on a little while before he finally announces,suspense is also created here not just on the part of the audience now but also on the part of everyone else in the movie who were either present life or were listening through their radio sets.

EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS
We see Pain,torture,injustice,hurt,the joy of accomplishment,perseverance in the characters of this movie.

CAUSE AND EFFECT:
The major cause and effect here is the way the injustice faced by the Negroes became a driving force for the debate team from Wiley college,all they had seen and experienced as Negroes brought about their desired victory against their co-debaters from Harvard University.

SIMILARITY AND REPITITION:
This is displayed whenever the debate team from Wiley college is preparing for a debate,all the time they had to prepare for any debate,they did so with so much passion and were usually thorough with their research.also the male Negroes had a particular way of dressing,they were corporately dressed throughout the movi with either a tie or a bow tie.

DIFFERENCES AND VARIANCES:
The lives of the Negroes and Whites were very different;while the Negroes suffered injustice,the whites were the ones who always inflicted pain on the Negroes.and except in Debate competitions where the whites are seen putting on ties and bow ties,they were not entirely corporately dressed in the remaining scenes as they were mostly putting on just shirt and trouser;on the other hand as stated earlier,the negroes were always corporately dressed.

EXPECTATIONS
There are a number of cheated expectations in this movie. For example, I would have expected that after the disagreement, James had with his father over his coming home late; he would have still told him what happened that night towards the end of the movie.
I also expected Mr Tolson to have gone to rejoice with the team after the winner had been announced because I believe his initial aim for not going there had been achieved, and by the way since he was at the scene he would have gone to meet the debate team after the program,this would have made the team more happy.

FUNCTIONS OF ELEMENT
The injustices,racism and segregation the Negroes faced in this movie is symbolic of what happened in America in the 1930’s,then the Black race faced a lot of segregation as a result of their skin colour.they were made slaves,they lived in a segregated Area,they were not permitted to mix up with the whites at all as the children of the Negroes attended different schools from the white children.it was believed that nothing good could come out of a black person,so there was no use even trying to compete.the turning point for the blacks came after the debate with the Harvard University.All these were depicted in ‘the great debaters’.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Establishment shot:
At the beginning of the movie,an establishment shot was used to familiarize the audience with Marshall,the city in which the film has its setting.
Zoom in:
This was also used in the movie.one of the times it was used is at the beginning of the movie also,as we see the establishment shot,the camera also gradually zooms from the outskirts into the main city where we are able to catch a glimpse of the social life of the Negroes.
Close –up:
A lot of close –up shots were used especially in the debate scenes,the debaters are usually shown close-up so the audience can feel their tension,their heart beat,etc.the use of this shot is to make the audience have a feel of what the debaters were experiencing.
Close up shots were also used when Mr Tolson was screening students for the debate team,for each student that was in the ‘hot spot’,a close up shot was used while they were answering their questions.

In conclusion,I think the Movie,the ‘Great debaters’is a nice movie with a good storyline,setting,picture quality to match.this movie was produced a few years ago and so the producers could have made the picture quality to depict what we have in this jet age,but the pictures are in black and white just to depict that the events they are trying to portray took place many years ago.the setting,their dressing,their family lives also depicted this and I think the movie deserves a kudos for this.
Also ,the story line depicts that the history was properly researched into by the producer,this is also a merit of this film,it is a highly intellectual piece.However,it is important to point out a few thingSs that should be corrected in this movie.as stated under the expectations above,for example,James should have still told his father why he came home late that night towards the end of the movie.
Also,I think the fight between Samantha and Henry should have been fully spelt out,the slap that Samantha gave Henry was not enough,Henry should have been more sorry for his actions and we should have been shown how he tried to make it up to her.Asides these few points,I really think the movie is a good one as it sparks up the need to be in touch with your cultural, social and religious backgrounds.

Analysis of 'The Great Debaters' byAdegoke Adedasola

BRIEF SUMMARY
The Great Debaters is a true representation of the hatred and discrimination white people had for black people in the 1900’s. The film depicted how the black people suffered from segregation and brutal treatments from the white people. The film focused on a black American college, Wiley College and in that school was a teacher and a great motivator, Melvin Tolson, who never gave up on the racial discrimination and also fought justice, and fair treatment of the black people by the white folks through his students, ‘the great debaters.’

The film was all about 4 young students who were coached by Melvin Tolson to debate in order to serve as a voice for the black generation, to be a voice to the world at large and a means to reach the white people to stop the discrimination. The 4 young students were all different in character and in skills but they worked as a team and believed in themselves and their teacher. Although along the line, one out of the 4 students quit the team but it did not stop the rest three from moving on and claiming their rights.

THEME
Discrimination: this is like the general theme of the movie. The film was all about the white man discriminating the black man. The incident of Pastor James Farmer Sr. with the white men with the pig is a good example of the hatred and discrimination they had then. The scenario of the debate Wiley College had with Oklahoma City University also depicted the hatred when one of the opponents said the situation where a black and white persons will be in the same school on walking on the same block was not yet to come.
Hope: the theme of hope was seen in the teacher, Melvin Tolson, he had hope in his students, his debaters at the last debate they were going to have with Harvard University and he has always had this hope that the discrimination will one day stop and that is why he goes for this Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union. The debaters themselves also had hope; the black community at large had hope that one day the discrimination was going to end.
Persistence: this was depicted in Tolson and his debaters. Because Tolson had hope of victory, he never gave up on them and he never allowed them to think for once they were incapable, he made them belief they could do everything because God is on their side. In the scenario where one of his debaters left, he did not give and did not allow the others to be afraid. He also did not tell them that he was not going to follow them to Harvard University because he knew they were all going to chicken out, so he never gave up on the fight and on his debaters. He also showed this in bringing Henry Lowe into the debaters club because he probably saw his qualities.
Incitement: this theme was depicted by Tolson and Pastor James Farmer Sr. Tolson was a great motivator, he had the qualities of making people follow what he says and making people do what he says. He brought everybody together and he incites people to do things and become better. Pastor James Farmer Sr. was also someone through his preaching motivated people to do some things and because he was a man of God, he served as an urge to things.
Hatred: this is another great theme that depicts what the whole film is about. The white people hating the black people because of their colour and treating them harshly just because they are not like them. This theme was really represented in the scenario where Tolson and his three debaters were on a night journey and on their way; they met this white mob and a roasted black body hung by the tree. This was just simply hatred for a fellow man.
Strength: this was shown in Tolson, Henry Lowe and James Farmer Sr. Tolson and Lowe were almost alike, very strong and they looked unbeatable. From the beginning of the film, I think it was the strength Tolson saw in Lowe and the confidence look he has that made him invite Lowe to the debaters’ club. Tolson was so strong that after the white
victory: the long wished victory was later gotten as the debaters from Wiley College won Harvard University and they all became what they wanted to be and the discrimination although did not totally stop but there was a reasonable change.

NARRATIVE
The narrative used here was just one single narrative from the beginning of the struggle for thye racial discrimination to come to an end and the victory that was gained at last. The only thing that was different was at the beginning of the narration where there were different scenes showing different happenings but at the same time. The technique was used to introduce to us the teacher, Tolson and his three debaters that made it to the end of the struggle. The beginning was just to show us the different lives of the main characters and in a way tries to bring a connection and tries to show us what goes on in their everyday lives. After this multiple scenes, the narration flowed in a smooth sequence.

REALIZED EXPECTATIONS
The fact that Wiley College won Harvard University
I expected that Henry Lowe and Samantha Booke were going to end up being lovers
I expected that Tolson and his three debaters will drive off from the white mob that night they were travelling

CHEATED EXPECTATIONS
I expected the big guy, at the very beginning of the film to beat Henry Lowe but it was otherwise
I did not expect Wiley College to lose the debate when it was James Farmer Jnr’s first time
I expected that Henry Lowe was going to speak at the last debate with Harvard University.
I did not expect Tolson to come to Harvard to see the debate I thought he was going to be at the school hall listening to the radio too.
Then after he was in Harvard, I expected him to go down to celebrate with his students and make them know he was there.
I thought James Farmer Jnr was going to tell his father the truth about where he went at that moment or even later on
I thought it was a child James Farmer Sr. hit but found out it was just a pig.
I did not think that Hamilton was going to quit the team



EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS
1. Sympathy: when one of the sheer croppers that denied going for the meeting to sheriff was beaten with a swollen face
2. Pain: also the sheer cropper man must have been feeling a lot of pain with his swollen and bleeding face. Also the black people had pains in their hearts, Tolson for example over the brutal treatment they receive from the white people. Samantha also depicted pain of heartbreak when unhesitatingly slapped Lowe.
3. Fear: there was fear in those students’ eyes, they were afraid of the white people, Samantha showed the fear when they went to their first white school to debate, Oklahoma City University. Then there was fear in the students, James Jr. and Samantha especially, the night they saw the mob with the burnt black man hung by the tree.
4. Sadness: Samantha was sad when she saw Henry kissing a girl
5. Anger: James Farmer Sr. was really angry at his son for coming late and not telling him the truth about where he went. Samantha was also angry at Lowe for cheating. James Jnr. was also angry when he found out he could not be with Samantha and she had already slept with Henry. The mob outside the police station was also angry and wanted them to release Tolson.

CAUSE AND EFFECT
The incident that the Tolson’s team witnessed the night they were travelling and they saw the white mob and the hung black man was used by James to win the debate with Harvard University. The incident at the beginning of the film where Tolson stopped Lowe from stabbing the big guy was an attraction of Lowe to Tolson and that is why he told him to join the debaters and he also saw the boldness, strength and confidence in him through that scenario. The fact that Lowe, Samantha and James fought when they were trying to get ideas for their new topic and Lowe got angry and went out to the lake and then to the club that was what brought him back to his senses and made him choose James to debate in place of him. Lastly, the fact that the teacher Tolson use to write the argument for them for all their debates made Harvard University cancel their first topic and gave them a new topic on civil disobedience and could not even get through to Tolson.

SIMILARITIES AND REPETITION
The statement Tolson taught them; Who is the Judge?
The judge is God?
And why is it God?
Because he decides who wins or loses not my opponent
And who is your opponent?
He doesn’t exist
And why doesn’t he exist?
Because he is the mute dissenting voice to the truth that I speak
‘Speak the truth’
This statement was made again by Henry Lowe when they were at Harvard University preparing for their debate.
The statement ‘an unjust is no law at all’ was made by James Farmer Sr. when he was telling the Sheriff to release Tolson and it was made again by James Jnr. when he was debating at Harvard University.
The statement ‘we do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do’ was also repeated. Samantha Booke with an ‘e’ and Henry Lowe with an ‘e’ was repeated several times and there is also a similarity in the names. The word ‘resolve’ was always used at the beginning of every argument during a debate and also used by Tolson when Samantha slapped Henry.
Henry Lowe had this harsh cap he wore repeatedly in the film. He wore the cap when they taught at the lake side by Tolson, he wore the cap again in the car when the scenes of their victory was shown consecutively in black and white, he wore the cap again when he walked out of the car after they got away from the white mob, he also wore the cap when he was angry with his team mates in the hotel when they went for debate with Harvard University.
There was a similarity between the character of Tolson and the character of Lowe. They were bold, courageous, fearless and stubborn.

DIFFERENCES AND VARIATION
The character of Lowe and James were totally different. Lowe was this very stubborn, fearless and confident boy meanwhile James was the quite type, God fearing and not the really bold type.

DEPTH OF THE STORY TREATMENT
This is seen in the homecoming dance where James was thinking of him dancing with Samantha while the crowd was hailing them and how he finally planted a kiss on her lips.

FUNCTIONS OF ELEMENT
· James Farmer Jnr. never told his father where he went to after the homecoming dance.
· The scene where James Sr. knocked down the pig was just to show the level of the discrimination going on then
· Why did Henry Lowe walk out that night after they got away from the mob and got himself drunk
· What really changed Henry Lowe’s mind when he went to bar the night he fought with his team mate and saw the lady on red
· Henry Lowe never apologized to Samantha

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Close up: close up shots was a lot in this film, it was used when they were debating, and it was also used when James Sr. was preaching at the beginning of the film.it was also used on Henry and Samantha when they were in the boat by the lake.
Crane shot: it was used when Tolson was in the boat and the students were at the other side of the lake. It was used in the hall in Harvard University where they had the debate.
High Angle Shot: this was used when Tolson was shown coming in to the hall in Harvard that they debated.
Long Shot: this was used in the classroom when Tolson walked in the first time and it was used when Samantha just got to Texas.


SUSPENSE
There was suspense at the beginning of the film when we were shown someone running in the woods but the person was not shown and we did not know where he was coming from and where he was going to until he stopped Henry and it was Tolson. There was also suspense when the students tried to reach Tolson and they said he was nowhere to be found and Wiley College students were shown listening to the radio for the debate but Tolson was no there and after everybody was shown, Tolson was still not shown.

EVALUATION
Generally, the film was a very good one but I think there were some parts that were unnecessary like the part Henry Lowe went to the bar and saw the girl on red. The film would have been very nice too if Tolson had followed them to Harvard University.