4 Little Girls (1997) User Reviews

Solid Documentaryof a tragic event

[icelandreliant · 8/10 · 14 January 2005]

This is a great documentary which speaks to the central battles of the civil rights movement and the still present racism in America. Wide range of interview subjects from family members, politicians and those who covered the story when it happened. Spike Lee's work elicits strong emotions at times but also leaves you to provide your own conclusions as well. Recommended along with dramatized movies such as Ghosts of Mississippi, Mississippi Burning and the little watched A Long Walk Home. Watch these to learn something of the darker side of American history and decide for yourself how far we have come in the last forty years.

A different perspective on the Civil Rights Movement

[lesyle · 9/10 · 23 June 2003]

I watched this documentary yesterday afternoon. I remember learning about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (its importance in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s) but I never saw how the effects on the people whose lives were permanently altered and not just from reaping the benefits like we do today. This documentary opened showed this viewpoint.

It brought tears to my eyes to listen and see the relatives of those four girls who were killed. Unless you have a blind eye, a deaf ear, and a hard-a** heart, it is impossible to not be moved when you see these girls' sisters and mothers describe that Sunday morning when Addie, Denise, Maxine, and Carole were killed. I could see the hurt in the mothers' eyes and hear pain in their voices when talking about their babies.

I highly recommend watching this documentary. Spike Lee did an outstanding job.

Spike Lee's best joint

[alfiefamily · 9/10 · 28 January 2005]

"4 Little Girls" is an excellent, touching documentary. Spike Lee, in his documentary debut, tells the story of one of the key events of the civil rights movement. The death of four young girls who are killed during their Sunday school class, by a bunch of racists, one Sunday morning in 1963.

Lee tells his story in a simple, easy manner. He doesn't hammer us over the head with a message, he allows the story and the participants in the story. Lee trusts that his audience will form their own opinions, and discover the truth.

It is wonderful to see that after thirty-five years, so many of the important "witnesses" to this story were still alive to give testimony to what had occurred. Whether it be the parents, friends or people who lived in the community, all of their stories were compelling needed to be heard.

One of the most memorable scenes for me was the scene with former Governor of Alabama, George Wallace. I'm amazed that Lee was able to get him to make an appearance. Even after thirty-five years, the viewer can see that Wallace still didn't get it. In one scene he introduces an African-American friend of his, saying he doesn't go anywhere without him. When his friend comes on camera however, you can see that he is very uncomfortable about being seen with Wallace.

At the end of the film there is a little discussion about the events being a part of "God's plan". As the participants are deeply religious people they give their views, but no one is really sure. Yet one of the mother's goes on to say that she had to put all of the pain and sadness behind her. She was able to look back and say that although this horrible thing was a part of her life, she still had so many other blessings to be thankful for. It's wonderfully strong, positive people like this that are the true heroes. God bless them.

9 out of 10

Heartbreaking

[bmcnaireva · 10/10 · 24 February 2006]

Spike Lee did an excellent job with this documentary. I too, was extremely shocked that it did not win the Oscar the year it was nominated. One of the victims was my cousin, my fathers favorite niece at that. Growing up and learning about this tragedy first hand was very enlightening and yet tragic all at the same time. This film definitely captures the pain and suffering of my family and of the entire black community that lived through such racially biased times in Birmingham, Alabama. I think that this film should be seen by all, and not just during Black History month. In my opinion, there is no justification for the actions of those involved and it took some time and patience but they too had to pay for their crimes.

Very moving

[rpniew · 6 April 2004]

Lee's film does an excellent job of bringing the girls to life. It is very easy to lump the four girls together into one entity, as the "Eyes on the Prize" documentary did, but Spike Lee was able to set them apart as individuals and shows the grief felt by the friends and relatives to this day. However, the documentary seems to tell only about two-thirds of the story. Some of the nitty-gritty details about the bombing and the investigation are quickly summarized in order to bring the film to a quick conclusion. If I didn't know from other sources, I would not have known, for example, the nature of the bomb -- was it set by a timer? Thrown into the church? (I know from news accounts that it was the latter, but you would not have known if you were uninitiated and just learning through this documentary.) There are also questions that come to mind that Lee leaves unanswered: What was the reaction of the white community in the area (I know, for example, that the bombing was certainly not unanimously cheered by the white south)? How was the bombing investigated? What eventually led the investigators to the guilty parties? The story of the 15 year search for the bomber and his accomplices (in fact, the search went on longer than that, even into the year 2001) is an important part of the story. A film as powerful as this should have taken the time to go into every nook and cranny of the story. Yes, it was excellent. Yes, it should have won the Documentary award for that year. Yes, it brought a tear to my eye. But there could have been so much more, and could have made the story that much more powerful.

really really good

[wellsortof · 9/10 · 21 January 2006]

I very much enjoyed Spike Lee's first foray into the documentary style. He did a great job of giving each of the participants the time to discuss the background of each of the subjects, of the politics of the time, and the overall state of affairs for everyone involved.

I think his best work within this feature, aside from securing the trust of the kin of the 4 girls murdered, which is tough in itself, was the interview with George Wallace. It took me a second to believe that that was actually him, and that he agreed to the interview. The features on the disc I watched gave the full interview, and you realized that this man was near the end of his life and quite ill, and probably trying to save some face for his earlier actions. It was both tough and fascinating to watch the former governor make excuses for his earlier actions, and doing so by talking about what he did for black students while he was governor. He frequently called over his "black friend" to be in the camera shot with him. You find out later that the same man who has "traveled all over the world" with the governor is also working for him as his nurse. Plus, the same person gave no indication, spoken or unspoken, of his friendship with the governor. He simply looked nervous, not someone who looked in full support of the governor's friendship.

I highly recommend this documentary (and accompanying "making of"). I look forward to your comments.

Powerful

[MikeyB1793 · 9/10 · 9 August 2009]

This should be mandatory viewing in all American schools. It is a very thorough and powerful documentary. It explains the background of Birmingham and how the civil rights struggle had existed there prior to the killing of these four innocent girls in 1963. One cannot help being touched by the interviews with the parents and siblings of these innocent girls.

I often wonder why more people were not brought to justice for all the crimes of hate and injustice that were done during this period of American history. It is disgusting to see the look of arrogance of one of the perpetrators of this heinous crime when he is brought to justice in the mid-seventies. It was also interesting to see how George Wallace shape-shifted to maintain political power – there is apt parable in the documentary about fire and milk horses on this ability. In some ways George Wallace reminds me of how some of the Nazis after World War II never came to acknowledge their guilt and complicity. But then again as the good people in this film bravely point out – hate never accomplishes anything good.

I was also happy that Taylor Branch was interviewed, as he wrote 3 monumental books on the civil rights movement.

A thouroughly moving, tour de force and the best thing Spike Lee has done to date

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 21 April 2001]

This is an incredible documentary! How it failed to win the Oscar puzzles me, although I must confess that I haven't seen the winner. Be that as it may, Spike Lee put together a moving ad compelling tribute to four innocents. The incident covered here, ironically, probably gave much needed impetus to the civil-rights movement, particularly with people in the North, a bittersweet point not lost on many of the interviewees. See this documentary! Most highly recommended!

Solid documentary, but do we need Jesse Jackson?

[JDOldSchool · 7/10 · 21 December 2002]

To begin, I enjoyed 4 Little Girls. The events of September 15, 1963 should be remembered forever - the four girls are martyrs for the fight against racism. Spike Lee did an excellent job telling the story. The video and photographs of past and present Birmingham set a great scene for those not from Alabama. The Joan Baez song is heart-breaking to say the least. My only problem with the film, and for me it was a severe problem, was the inclusion of modern-day African-American "activists" in a lame attempt to connect with the modern day.

Jesse Jackson was not needed. Reggie White was not needed. Speaking for myself only, but hoping I'm not in the minority, Jesse Jackson has no credibility. He's anywhere that has a TV camera. He's all about Jesse, positively, absolutely, and positively. I don't need "The Reverend" flapping his gums about the ramifications of the Birmingham bombing. I don't need an ex-football player telling me about the bombing either. They have nothing to do with the event, and really have no place in the film.

Generally I'm not a big Spike fan, after all, I hate the Knicks. In all fairness though, the movie was excellent. 7/10.

Should have won Oscar that year...

[PurpleReign1961 · 9/10 · 25 December 2003]

...Everytime you see the oscars, the movies about the holocaust win the awards. Spike's movie lost out to a holocaust documentary that year. And I finally saw it with my own eyes. Hollywood sucks. This movie should have won the oscar for best documentary that year.

4 Little Girls (1997)

[MartinTeller · 8/10 · 10 January 2012]

Spike Lee's documentary about the horrible 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church that claimed the lives of four young girls. As a documentary, it achieves everything it should: it informs us, it moves us, and it reminds us of the evil that we Americans have in our past, and still have today. "Never forget", indeed. It goes without saying that this was an awful act of hatred and bigotry, its impact still sharply felt by friends and family of the victims. There is one amusing moment: a clip of George Wallace, years after the fact, trotting out his black "best friend" for the world to see, and the man clearly has contempt for Wallace. Speaking of trotting out, however, I question the need for Bill Cosby to chime in, or Jesse Jackson for that matter. There are plenty of articulate and interesting interviewees already involved without pulling in a couple of celebrity pals. It pulled me out of the film for a moment. Other than that, however, a strong and memorable film.

Minutes of Boredom

[JackRJosie · 5/10 · 28 September 2023]

Objectively i think this is a bad documentary. Nothing wrong with the source material for heavens sake. Im no racist. The problem is with the documentary. It is horribly paced. So slow moving, like mollasses. It isnt chronologically organized, so its pretty confusing, especially in the beggining. Spike Lee chooses to interview some pretty interesting characters, including a mere aquintance of one of the girls. An acquaintance! Not even friend! His one memory of her was her sitting next to him in class! Does this guy really belong in the documentary? I asked that question many times. The answer was always no. Such a strange little documentary. I was bored, confused and frustrated. Seems like Spike Lee was scraping the barrell with this one.

Great story though.

a great documentary

[dtucker86 · 3 July 2002]

The bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963 was sort of the 9/11 of its day. Its interesting this bombing was on September 15 only four days later. It was a crime that shook the nation and the world. Its still in the news! There was a man who only recently was convicted for his role in it. Spike Lee does an amazing job in bringing this tragedy back to us. In interviews with the families of these girls and various others. The one that got me is the one with George Wallace. I thought it was really pathetic the way he kept bringing his butler into the picture and saying that he had a black friend. If anyone symbolized the bigotry and violence in the South during this period, its Wallace and I think to show him in this was wrong. By the way, the song at the opening when they show these poor little girl's graves will haunt you for a long time.

Wow

[jackieowens · 10/10 · 24 January 2003]

Wow Spike Lee at his best!!! Picked this movie up at the library and it has amazing impact on the viewer. Being a mom and having children mixed Black and White in the year 2003 I can still feel racial tension when in certain places. This movie needs to be viewed and remembered as American History. Thank you Spike Lee!!!!

An Honest and Poignant Work

[jzappa · 9/10 · 4 August 2008]

I came across Spike Lee's arresting documentary 4 Little Girls early in the morning on cable without any intention of watching it. I had wanted to see it for a long time, because I am an admirer of Spike Lee's films, but I wasn't planning on watching it at that time, but I couldn't turn it off. This is a healthy testament to the film. It does not tell the tale of four innocent young victims of racism and guilt you into hailing it as great by the mere fact that it's fact. Lee is very natural and without airs in his command of the subject, which is four young girls who were victims of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama by the Ku Klux Klan.

Spike has always pursued the noble purpose of using his status as a name director to address issues in the black community, but sometimes despite his many great achievements he does not succeed without brandishing the racial chip on his shoulder. At times he can be a hypocrite and at times he indulges in the less favorable aspects of what is considered black culture in America. 4 Little Girls is an honest, balanced triumph in poignancy and subjectivity plays no part.

Sometimes This Is the Only Way!!!!

[RaiderJack · 10/10 · 21 May 2007]

I vividly remember reading about this as a youngster of 11 in Jet which, strangely enough, was the only magazine I read from back to front. I also remember the dread sometimes of reading Jet Magazine for you could count on pictures of dead African-Americans who were victims of racism. But this was the way of the world then. I am a grown man and I rarely cry at movies but it is quite impossible to hold back the tears looking at this. It is just as vivid to the parents, relatives, and friends of the four little girls involved in this horrific crime today as if it happened yesterday. Say what you will about Spike...HE WILL MAKE YOU CONFRONT IT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! Sometimes this is the only way to get the point across that we have simply got to do better. The movie is quite intense because the memories of the people most intimately involved have not faded in 38 years. One mother even admitted that she doesn't even harbor any hate anymore and has resigned herself to the fact that that would simply not do any good at this point; at the same time this is something that she STILL has to work on daily through the grace of her religious convictions.

A particularly uncomfortable scene featured George Wallace, (yeah, THAT one), racist extraordinaire, who in his later years claimed to have modified his racial views. His speech, slurred and barely understandable, Mr. Wallace was insisting that during the whole time he rallied against ANYTHING black, he and this black man who was standing behind him during this, were, in fact, the best of friends and HAD been all along!!! It is also patently obvious that for the black man in question, this was NOT the case....in the LEAST!. Please forgive my lack of objectivity here, but this scene really, really got on my nerves

A beautiful documentary and a must see but be prepared to at least have to take a breather because it is intense but WELL worth the discomfort. Hats off, Spike! You've done it again!!!!!

moving, informative, and two stories interwoven exceedingly well

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 17 July 2008]

Spike Lee's skills as a documentarian are astonishing considering his mixed efforts in dramatic features, which ranges from greatness to failures. With 4 Little Girls and especially When the Levees Broke, Lee takes focus of the subject matter, and expands upon the narrative to make the central story intertwined without losing anything close to worthwhile to know. It goes without saying it honors the memory of those four girls slain in the church in Birmingham, but it also honors the memory for the others who died and fought in the Civl Rights battle of the early 60s (it was a battle by way of perpetration by the likes of "Bull" O'Connell, and the rabid racists like the only man who was convicted in the late 70s of the church bombing).

Lee starts off profiling the girls and their childhoods, their parents and childhood friends recounting their innocence, their energy, being simply kids growing up happy but in the midst of racism all around them. From there Lee branches off- using the "white/colored" segregation of something as minor as a water fountain, to branch off to Birmingham itself, its history, being the focal-point of much of the strife for black people in the south, Dr. King's eventual and crucial involvement, and the white racists. It's staggering information one learns, even if one already thinks they know all there is to know about the civil rights struggle. Just the information on Governor George Wallace (and, surprisingly, seeing Wallace interviewed with his near-gone voice and mind) is enough to raise repeated eyebrows in astonishment.

And then Lee brings it back to the girls again, and that fateful, cursed day that one family member said she saw in a nightmare the night before. The interviews are presented with unabashed compassion for the family members, but not with misplaced sentimentality. The case itself, and how it becomes one of the pivotal pieces that, tragedy besides, leads the civil rights movement even further, has so much power that it's impossible to dramatize it. Lee simply uses music, photographs, and the faces of those who knew these girls, as well as public figures (i.e. Kronkite, Cosby, Jesse Jackson), to accentuate the material. It's skillful storytelling, and told with a story that needs to be told, and revealed to those who may forget the horrors of the American south merely forty-something years ago and more. Simply, one of the director's finest 'joints'.

A Spike Lee Joint

[wshelley · 10/10 · 23 October 2004]

On September 15th, 1963 Robert Chambliss murdered four innocent children at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The tragic event resulted in earth shaking ramifications witnessed throughout the country. Millions of people previously unaware of or indifferent to the racial crisis existing within the South were suddenly forced to take issue with a righteous cause that refused to vanish conveniently. The murderer commonly known as 'Dynamite Bob' had hoped to reinforce previously existing segregation laws by committing a desperate act of terrorism against a most sacred and beloved institution. Much to his surprise, these violent tendencies only strengthened the Birmingham community in their quest for equitable treatment for all Black citizens. However, it should not be forgotten that such a cowardly act caused indescribable grief and unbearable pain for the families of the victims. While the death of these four little girls was undoubtedly a crucial turning point in the civil rights movement, it was also a crushing blow dealt to four harmless, unsuspecting families.

Spike Lee's debut documentary is a film that is engulfed with anger, pain, and disappointment. At the same time, however, it is a film that is presented as a message of hope. As Alpha Robertson passionately exclaims, 'God has a greater plan in mind, we all serve His purpose in some manner'. This quote is something that Lee presents as a rather speculative inquiry in his film. Was God acting within some enigmatic mode in an attempt to assist people in the realization of the need for equality and fairness in society? Could Queen Nunn's vision of the bloody Sixteenth Street Baptist Church have been a divine premonition? Lee leaves this possibility open to intense scrutiny and supposition. However, this approach raises another interesting question within the secular realm that relates to ideas on morality. Is the death of four innocent girls an acceptable loss if it means a greater purpose shall be served? To the family and friends of the victims, this is obviously not the case. However, to the greater public at large, does such a monstrous act become beneficial and perhaps even admissible? Not admissible in the sense of forgivable or understandable, but perhaps valuable or advantageous? Did Dr. King and other civil rights leaders exploit the deaths of the children for their own greater cause? These are all very difficult questions that Lee presents within his documentary. It is up to the viewer to come to his or her own distinct conclusion.

4 Little Girls raises many interesting possibilities with regards to faith, destiny, and pre-determination. Could these four girls have been chosen by God to serve as martyrs for a righteous cause? Could God have been expressing his dissatisfaction or perhaps only attempting to expand the recognition of one of societies greatest ills? Or could this event have been entirely secular in nature, could the death of these four girls have been entirely coincidental and ultimately unnecessary? Was the increased awareness of discrimination a justifiable end to the horrific means? While the documentary does not dive into these serious inquiries very heavily, it does present them to the audience, whether consciously knowledgeable of it or not. As with all of Lee's films, Four Little Girls is encompassed by an atmosphere of uncertainty. While Lee never attempts to justify 'Dynamite Bob's' actions (and understandably so), he also doesn't attempt to explain why a man would commit such horrendous acts. This is not a fault of the film, rather it is indicative of the nature of Lee's films. There are some questions that cannot be easily answered as if one were merely responding to a true/false examination. However, it is these difficult questions that often spark the most intense and valuable discussions. Perhaps that is the true legacy of these four little girls. Perhaps their death, while tragic, ultimately saved many lives by bringing compassion and empathy to a society blinded by hatred.

What Spike Does Best

[LJAllen · 10/10 · 22 September 2000]

"Four Little Girls" is representative of what Spike Lee does best, namely raise the level of consciousness of movie-going audiences who are constantly fed fake mind-numbing violence. The violence that snuffed the lives of four young black girls in Sunday school was, however, all too real. Using the testimony and commentary of family members, friends, and other individuals who remember this incident, Lee manages to take us back to that awful day when American racism and hatred revealed itself in all of its unbridled virulence. "Four Little Girls" is a masterpiece not simply because of its subject, but because of Lee's brilliant use of oral history--proving again that real life is stranger and often more brutal and ugly than fiction.

An incredible film about an incredible tragedy

[ShannonsBright · 9/10 · 15 October 2002]

4 Little Girls broke my heart, completely. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't have a clue about this incident in history until I sat down and watched Spike Lee's film on it and to say I was horrified would be an understatement. It is both appalling and amazing to me that only 30 some odd years ago, a racial battle full of ignorance, pure meanness and death was playing itself out through many parts of the United States.

Spike Lee is at his best here. Never does he make the fatal mistake of showing any bias. Instead, he is factual, passionately involved and sincere in his undertaking and personalizes the town, the people, the victims, the feel of the time so well that one cannot walk away unchanged from this viewing experience. He let's the story gnaw away at your heart and your conscience and your sense of humanity and he does so flawlessly.

An incredible film - how incredibly sad that it is so because of such a tragedy.

Powerful documentary

[EllenBE · 17 March 2001]

I was not born when the Birmingham church bombing occurred. I first read about it when I was 10 or 11 in a Reader's Digest story and for some reason the names of the girls stuck in my mind all these years. I saw this on HBO and it is one of the only films that continued to leave an emotional impression on me long after it was over. Especially the haunting last image of Denise McNair happily holding her beloved (white) doll, and the overwhelming sense that someone who should be in the world today, is not with us. The interviews with family and friends of the girls are what makes this documentary special. Also it does a great job of educating people about Birmingham's civil rights history up to the bombing and just how it took an appalling act of violence to wake up white America. Let's hope it never takes this sort of crime again to make us wake up to other simmering injustices.

You must understand that a Bull Connor can not exist without the nods of the status quo people.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 15 February 2008]

This Oscar-nominated documentary is one that will make you shudder to think that there are people in this country with so much hate that they could do this heinous act.

In a sense, the murder of these girls was a blessing as it awoke the American people to the fact that such people existed. America saw the burned and battered bodies of four girls, not yet teens, and realized that action had to be taken to remove the stain of segregation.

Spike Lee did a terrific job of showing the attitude and actions of the hate-mongers in the South in the late 50s and early 60s; and also showed the impact these crimes had on the people who lived in Birmingham, Alabama.

A magnificent film.

never forget

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 6 July 2015]

The recent shooting - we might call it a terrorist attack - in the church in Charleston, South Carolina, calls to mind the Ku Klux Klan's bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963 that killed four African-American girls. Spike Lee's documentary "4 Little Girls" looks at that heartless act and the events surrounding it. One of the most eye-opening scenes is the interview with George Wallace, who was Alabama's white supremacist governor at the time of the bombing (he later changed his views). It was from the documentary that I learned about Bull Connor, one of the most vile segregationists of all (a character in the Coen Brothers' remake of "The Ladykillers" referenced him).

It's important to remember that this brutal deed - another that we might call an act of domestic terrorism - is one of the most important events in our country's history. Racism persists even today. Indeed, Dylann Roof and people like him think that Barack Obama's presidency means that "those other people" are taking over our country.

All in all, it's a heartbreaking story. "4 Little Girls" and "When the Levees Broke" (about Hurricane Katrina) are probably the Spike Lee works that are most important to see. We must never forget what happened.

Top-notch

[jeanie_821 · 10/10 · 8 July 2004]

I wasn't born yet when the events occurred, but seeing this film had almost the same impact. It just amazes me that people would be racist enough to kill innocent children - children who never really had a chance to live. Those who were alive and remember the events of that day will certainly feel the outrage anew, especially when the parents and relatives of the children who died speak of that day.

PLEASE NOTE: This film contains footage of the bombing site, newsreels of the marches on Birmingham, and autopsy photos. Many of these images are very disturbing. Those who are bothered by such images should not view this film.

Lee's finest hour

[LordBlacklist · 9/10 · 31 May 2006]

It has been well documented by a select few directors that reality is infinitely more compelling than fiction. Not to say that there's anything wrong with fiction, but knowing that the story that is about to be told is indeed fact almost unanimously eliminates the problem of "getting into" the movie because the viewer can already relate to it on a human level. Spike Lee is a bloody genius both in telling a story and telling it in such a way as to be provocative without being pretentious. 4 Little Girls cuts through all the sugar coated drivel and stilted piano music commonly associated with remembering those who have perished needlessly and gets to the heart of the matter: they perished needlessly. The style of this documentary is very intimate, using extreme close-ups at all times with those being interviewed whereas to magnify their emotions. I found this style engrossing because you can see the gears turn in these people's heads as they try to remember these girls fondly and also the tragic events that took their lives. Some of the more sympathetic (read: racist) southern lawmen try ever so subtly to paint the results of the church bombing as mere collateral damage, but a point was being made and the people who made it didn't care who suffered as a result. It is a great to see that the families of these four little girls are still strong and undeterred by the tragedy though to some the deaths are still like an open wound. Spike Lee makes the considerably wise decision of first introducing us to the girls from the recollections of their parents and loved ones and making them human first, victims later. He also lets George Wallace make an invalid-ish idiot of himself simply by letting him speak without any directorial intervention. The intimate, personal nature of this film is what makes it work on every level. Spike Lee obviously has a passion for telling stories that perhaps would have been shoved into obscurity had he not the courage to fearlessly tackle them with such passion and intensity.