Eyes on the Prize Documentary

From LoveToKnow Movies

If you want to learn more about the civil rights movement in the United States, the Eyes on the Prize documentary is a must-see series.

Eyes on the Prize

About the Eyes on the Prize Documentary

Henry Hampton, owner of the Blackside, Inc. production company, made this film during the 1980s, drawing from his own personal experiences, as well as from historical events and contemporary interviews, to tell the story. The filmmaker participated in the march from Selma, Alabama to the state's capital in Montgomery in 1965, as well as in a number of other significant events of the civil rights movement. The series was first shown on PBS in 1987, and has aired several times since its original broadcast.

Series Content

The fourteen-hour documentary series focuses on the years 1954 to 1985, spanning the time between the day that Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in Montgomery through the passing of the Voting Rights Act. The film includes many other developments related to the civil rights movement, up to and including contemporary events of the time in which the film was made. It includes a combination of footage from actual occurrences and interviews that were conducted specifically for the film.

Well known individuals highlighted or interviewed in the documentary include:

  • Alabama Governor George C. Wallace
  • Carl Stokes
  • Dr. Martin Luther King
  • Coretta Scott King
  • Emmett Till
  • James Meredith
  • Kwame Ture, aka Stokely Carmichael
  • Malcolm X
  • Reverend Ralph Abernathy
  • Rosa Parks
  • Many others

Events and organizations detailed in the Eyes on the Prize series include:

  • Lunch counter sit-ins
  • Desegregation at the University of Mississippi
  • Integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • The Freedom Riders
  • The March on Washington
  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Proposition of the Civil Rights Act
  • Development of the Black Power movement

Program Narration

Julian Bond, also a civil rights activist during the 1960s, served as the narrator for Eyes on the Prize. During the civil rights movement, Bond founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in many civil rights protests and African American voter registration efforts. He went on to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives and became Chairman of the Board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1998. In addition to Eyes on the Prize, Bond also narrated A Time for Justice, Southern Justice: The Murder of Medgar Evers, and many other documentary programs.

Significance and Recognition

Eyes on the Prize was recognized as a significant documentary film and a landmark for African American filmmaking. When the film was made, it was referred to as the most ambitious documentary project and the largest TV series completed by a black-owned production company.

The production received six Emmys and a two Peabody awards. It was also nominated for an Oscar award. Additional awards and recognition for Eyes on the Prize include:

  • Chicago International Film Festival (gold and silver awards)
  • Columbus International Film and Video Festival (bronze awards)
  • Dupont-Columbia Award for Broadcast Journalism
  • Houston International Film Festival (grand, gold, and sliver awards)
  • National Association of Black Journalists (best TV documentary)
  • National Black Programming Consortium (documentary achievement)
  • Ohio State University Award for Excellence
  • Organization of America Historians (Erik Barnouw Award)
  • Outstanding News & Information Award (Television Critics Association)

Eyes on the Prize for Educators

The Eyes on the Prize documentary series is often shown in high school and middle school history classes. Educators can obtain the complete Eyes on the Prize program on DVD or VHS from Shop PBS for Teachers. There are complementary teaching tools available on the PBS website, including relevant news clippings, video, images, music, and more.

Retrieved from "http://movies.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Eyes_on_the_Prize_Documentary"

 


Comment on Eyes on the Prize Documentary



(Displayed with your comment)                        (Will not be displayed)
Verification Code:   
    

Movies Categories
LoveToKnow Tools
More Articles