Follows Martin Luther King's life and decades-long civil rights activism.Follows Martin Luther King's life and decades-long civil rights activism.Follows Martin Luther King's life and decades-long civil rights activism.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Ralph Abernathy
- Self
- (archive footage)
James Baldwin
- Self
- (archive footage)
Tony Bennett
- Self
- (archive footage)
Leonard Bernstein
- Self
- (archive footage)
Marlon Brando
- Self
- (archive footage)
H. Rap Brown
- Self
- (archive footage)
Stokely Carmichael
- Self
- (archive footage)
Diahann Carroll
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Directors
- Sidney Lumet(uncredited)
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film originally was shown at theaters as a "one-time-only" event on 24 March 1970 and ran 3 hours and 5 minutes. The proceeds from the $5 admission price were donated to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Special Fund. It was later shown on US television, unedited and with limited interruption.
- Alternate versionsA second version, edited down to 103 minutes, was released onto videotape. It is missing the celebrety narratives and an opening montage of clips of militant black leaders with violent rhetoric contrasting to clips of Dr. King's non-violent messages, but includes the original introduction by Harry Belefonte, and consists entirely of newsreel footage.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022)
Featured review
To be bathed in M. L. King's oratory
It's a documentary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life from 1955 to his death in 1968. Except for his first speech at the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, it is primarily news footage and coverage of his best-known activities during those years and the local circumstances that brought about those activities. The Montgomery speech is audio only. That is both its strength and limitation.
This film is one of the few places you can still see and hear the entirety of King's "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963. There are numerous other memorable speeches; seeing him deliver them visually dramatically increases the impact. It is so focused on King, however, that you don't get an overview of the Civil Rights movement, especially those parts in which he had a limited profile, such as the Freedom Rides in 1961.
There is nothing about King's personal life or the work of his associates. To get better context, you need the background of a good biography like Jonathan Eig's "King: a Life." But to be bathed in M. L. King's oratory, this three-hour film is the place to go.
Some celebrities narrate brief segments intermittently. They are a distraction and add nothing.
This film is one of the few places you can still see and hear the entirety of King's "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963. There are numerous other memorable speeches; seeing him deliver them visually dramatically increases the impact. It is so focused on King, however, that you don't get an overview of the Civil Rights movement, especially those parts in which he had a limited profile, such as the Freedom Rides in 1961.
There is nothing about King's personal life or the work of his associates. To get better context, you need the background of a good biography like Jonathan Eig's "King: a Life." But to be bathed in M. L. King's oratory, this three-hour film is the place to go.
Some celebrities narrate brief segments intermittently. They are a distraction and add nothing.
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- steiner-sam
- Feb 23, 2024
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Dann war mein Leben nicht umsonst - Martin Luther King
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime3 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1969) officially released in India in English?
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