Scene Analysis In Selma, Alabama

The scene begins with the drawing of straws to determine which man will lead the front of the pack as the group walks over the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. While the interaction is casual, the scene provides a form of warning to viewers unfamiliar with the historical context of the film. The warning translate to: there is danger ahead and every single person knows this to be so. The next image shown in the scene is the large number of people lined up in pairs, ready to cross the bridge. The colors in the scene are vibrant,despite their bland shades. The sky appears overcast, providing a natural darkness to the scene. In the background there is narration from a white reporter who is relaying the happenings on the bridge after the fact.

This can be deemed the climax for two reasons: it is the most jarring display of violence within the scene and the scene begins to move forward immediately after. The implications of seeing a white man on horseback whip a black man running for his life are more than powerful. There is not a word to attach to the feeling the viewer recivices when the observe that scene. Anger, disgust, sadness, and disappointment are the most basic feelings one can associate with that scene. Hearing the whip crack in the air and against the man’s back transport the viewer into the scene and also brings to mind all other films or show in which they have observed a similar scene with a similar sound. I say this because I think of a few films and shows where I have heard this sound in situations like the one on the bridge: Amistad, 12 Years A Slave, Roots. What is remarkable about this observation is the films I listed detail the experiences of enslaved people or formerly captured people while Selma details a segment of the Civil Rights Movement. The disparity in time strikes