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King: A Filmed Record... From Montgomery to Memphis

Paul Newman (Actor), Joanne Woodward (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 268 ratings
IMDb8.2/10.0
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January 15, 2013 		—
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From the manufacturer

Kino Lorber Classics

The classic arm of Kino Lorber offers many of the greatest films from the past, both silent and sound, for the discriminating viewer, from historical silents through the French new wave.

Product Description

KING: A FILMED RECORD... FROM MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS is the landmark documentary that chronicles the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.., from the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, and culminating with his assassination in Memphis in 1968. Originally screened in theaters for only a single night in 1970, KING: A FILMED RECORD combines dramatic readings by Harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones and Paul Newman, among others, with newsreel and archival footage to create a powerful and comprehensive record of Dr. King's legacy and the American Civil Rights movement. KING: A FILMED RECORD is an indispensable primary resource of a pivotal moment in American and world history.

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 26163446
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen, Black & White
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours and 5 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ January 15, 2013
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ruby Dee, James Earl Jones, Clarence Williams III
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Ely Landau, Richard Kaplan
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Kino Lorber films
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009NI2XN2
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 268 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
268 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Wanda Clifton
5.0 out of 5 stars More than I knew about the man.
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I lived through the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and was aware of most of what is documented in this film; however, there is much more to this man’s journey than I realized.
The documentary is 3 hours long; however, half of the documentary includes vignettes with various celebrities speaking beyond the topic and yet, relative to the film.
I recommend watching the documentary to see the violence perpetrated on children and adults alike.
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keviny01
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of 2013 Kino Lorber DVD edition
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2013
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The uncut, 3-hour version of the classic 1970 documentary "King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis" is finally on home video. Though the images of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. and his many famous appearances are familiar to many, this particular film has rarely been shown on TV, and it had only existed previously in a shortened, 103-minute VHS edition. The film combines newsreel footage, footage of the many famous speeches by King, and several on-screen introductions by celebrities such as Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ruby Dee, James Earl Jones, etc., and the result is compelling and enlightening. King was not only a great speaker, but he excelled in what we nowadays call "working the camera". In the early days of television, that was quite an accomplishment. His body language and gestures were often just as great as the words he spoke. Whether he spoke conciliatorily or challengingly towards us, he always did so effectively, both to our ears and our eyes, in order to achieve the greatest impact. The film contains many such great moments of his: the speech he made in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 just before the famed bus boycott, the great "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", his historic "I Have a Dream" speech, his final speech "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" (which unfortunately is not shown in color on the DVD), and many others.

I had only previously seen the 103-minute version on TV, so the restored 3-hour version revealed quite a lot of footage new to me. For instance, the great opening montage of King's non-violent messages contrasting against the more militant messages by other speakers was totally cut in the shortened version. King's Montgomery speech in 1955 runs only 2 minutes in the shortened version, but 7 minutes in the restored film. Also significant is the omission of most of the on-screen commentaries by celebrities in the shortened film, but the DVD restores them all.

The new 2-disc, single-layer, all-region NTSC DVD set by Kino Lorber offers an improved, remastered video transfer in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, but it has no subtitles, closed captioning, nor any bonus features. I have a VHS copy of a TV recording of the shortened version, and in comparison to the DVD, I see noticeable improvement, though not as dramatic as I would like. There are still plenty of print damages, especially those from the news footage that the film inherited from, which Kino Lorber had no way to correct without tracking down every news cameraman and obtaining their original film negatives. But we do benefit from the higher resolution of the DVD format, and that makes the DVD very much watchable. The audio quality is on par with the video, and is what you would expect from 1950-60s newsreels.

See my video clip at the top of this review for comparisons of this DVD and my old VHS copy of the shortened version recorded from TV many years ago. For those who can't see my video clip, especially iOS users who can't see flash video, I posted an external link to my video in the comment section. Please go to Amazon's FULL site in order to see the comment section.
44 people found this helpful
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Andre M.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Mother of King Documentaries
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2014
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In 1976 when I was 12 years old, my Dad took me to see this at Olive Branch AME church in Mt. Pleasant, SC. I was mesmerized by the fact that the older audience, who were all in living memory of the onscreen events, cheered Dr. King's words and booed Bull Conner and the other bigots over a decade after most of these things took place. I was moved by Dr. King as a speaker. Hearing his sermons which were then regularly broadcast on Charleston's black radio station (WPAL-AM) was one thing, but seeing this power was another, and I've been a King scholar and collector ever since.

Basically, this is a compilation of news footage without narration of the major events in Dr. King's career, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Freedom Rides, Birmingham, March on Washington, Selma, Chicago, and Vietnam. Powerful stuff. It begins with contrasting some Black Power pontificators (Stokely, Rap Brown, and a few forgotten voices) cut between Dr. King speaking in Mississippi in 1966 about nonviolence and interracial cooperation. Then we have an extremely rare recording of Dr. King preaching at Montgomery's Holt St. Baptist Church on Dec. 5, 1955 ("There comes a time when people are tired of being trampled by the feet of oppression," this spoke to me as a kid when I was a bully target in Middle school) which is followed by the showing of the above events in chronological order.

The other reviewers have spoken of the content and power of these segments. One thing I'd like to mention is during the rare uncut footage of the Dream Speech, Gordon Gundrum, the state trooper protecting Dr. King, provides some interesting moments. At first, he stares indifferently, just doing his job at the Lincoln Memorial. Then he starts to pay attention to the good Dr. and adjusts his microphone. Soon, he takes off his hat and is in awe of Dr. King as he continues about the Dream and looks as if he is very reflective and almost in tears. Mr. Gundrum has confirmed these reactions in recent interviews.

On the whole, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about Dr. King than just nonviolence and the Dream Speech. A welcome addition in the households of people of good will.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 20, 2017
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Interesting - should be required viewing for all white people.
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GERRY MCMENEMY
5.0 out of 5 stars Martin Luther King.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2013
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Martin Luther King was an iconic figure of the 60's and one of the greatest individuals of the 20th century. Most importantly he changed the lives of black Americans forever. He impacted on the life of a schoolboy in Scotland at the same time. I am a public speaking teacher and a good one. Luther King was a masterly public speaker. " I have a dream" is a seminal speech of the 20th century and for the first time I heard the full speech. This wonderful DVD is packed with original vivid film and brings everything back to life.
G. Mc Menemy.
One person found this helpful
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