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Product Summary | Professional Reviews | Reviews | More Images | |
| | | Inspired by a True Story.
Features: DVD, Widescreen
Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington (American Gangster) directs and stars with Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) in this "important and deeply inspiring page from the not-so-distant past" (Richard Roeper, At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper). Inspired by a true story, Washington shines as a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African American college students into an historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite. Featuring a superb cast of rising young actors, "The Great Debaters is marvelous entertainment that you should not miss" (Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer).
"A triumph. Unapologetically old-school...[a] stand-and-deliver saga..." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"The three young actors are good, but the movie is held together from beginning to end by another riveting performance from Washington." Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"Mr. Washington is splendid, as always. So is Forest Whitaker as James Farmer, Sr." Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"Good story, well told. Interesting concept." Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
"One of the best pictures of the year! Powerful and inspiring." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"An edifying and forthright drama that aims to create a lump in the throat, and succeeds." Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
"For a film about the power of speech, it's the quiet moments of rapture that say everything." Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Editor's Note
IN THEATRES DECEMBER 25, 2007Denzel Washington directs and stars in this uplifting drama based on a true story about a small East Texas all-black college in 1935 that rises to the top of the nation's debate teams in a duel against Harvard. A poet and debating coach at Wiley College, Professor Melvin Tolson (Washington) sees debating as "a blood sport" and recruits the meanest and brightest, including troubled Henry (Nate Parker), driven Samantha (Jurnee Smollet), and the 14-year-old prodigy James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (no relation) plays Farmer's father, the initially unsupportive president of the school. There's tough training, romantic heat over the attentions of fiery Samantha (the first girl on the team), and some no holds-barred racism (including a witnessed lynching) before the big match-up against the Ivy League school, adding to the overall emotional force. Though feel-good historical competition movies like this have been done before, Washington serves up his effort as a lean, mean family dinner, with minimum fuss and maximum nutritional-educational value. Historical accuracy may be thrown to the wind more than once--Farmer is the only real student among the team, and the final debate was against USC, not Harvard--but the acting is uniformly superb. It's great to watch these kids slowly incorporate Tolson's incredible poise and intellectual rigor into their lives, and the message is as important as ever. Oprah Winfrey served as producer.
| Features | Audio Commentary | | Audio: English Dolby Digital | | Deleted Scenes | | Featurettes | | Interactive Menus | | Music Videos | | Photo Galleries | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
Release Information
| | Studio: GENIUS ENTERTAINMENT |
| Release Date: 5/10/2008 |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 81070 | | UPC: 00796019810708 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Nominee (2008) | | | Golden Globe, The Great Debaters, Best Motion Picture - Drama | |
Winner (2008) | | | Image Award, Denzel Washington, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Jurnee Smollett, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, The Great Debaters, Outstanding Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Denzel Whitaker, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | |
Nominee (2008) | | | Image Award, Denzel Washington, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) | | | Image Award, Nate Parker, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Forest Whitaker, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Robert Eisele, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) | | |
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New York Times
"[With] strong, emotionally grounded performances....It radiates nobility of spirit." 12/25/2007Los Angeles Times
"Working hard on both sides of the camera, Washington has grafted his intensity onto this production....The essential story of the film is both remarkable and true." 12/25/2007 Entertainment Weekly
"THE GREAT DEBATERS soars with words and feeling..." -- Grade: B 01/11/2008 p.58 ReelViews 9 of 10
Unfortunately, too many films made about racism during the first two-thirds of the 20th Century in America lose power on two grounds: a tendency to sermonize and an unwillingness to show the true ugliness of what went on. Neither of those faults plagues The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington's chronicle of the rise of a debating team from a small black Texas college during the 1930s. By highlighting themes of individual achievement against a daunting backdrop, Washington provides heroes who can be admired irrespective of their race, even though skin color is a huge part of the story. More significantly, he does not shy from showing the darkest aspects of human nature...Washington makes it evident that racism can be more ghastly than calling someone degrading names...The Great Debaters is ultimately an uplifting movie because it is about triumph. But there are harrowing moments along the way. The journey is affecting and honest without feeling manipulative and the screenplay and direction are handled with care and sensitivity for the subject matter. This is one of the better movies in recent years to address issues of racial inequality and the way in which individuals overcome them. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 7 of 10
Washington, who also directs, plays Melvin Tolson, a hard-nosed instructor who, in 1935, coaches his co-ed team through racially motivated obstacles while simultaneously protecting a secret that threatens to derail his team's historic run. A self-righteous leader, Tolson fills his vessels with the knowledge that a proper education is their sole ticket to a balanced life...Washington's direction is pedestrian, but his fiery performance injects energy into the conventional teacher-student formula. Eisele makes sure Tolson always has a speech at the ready, and some of them are even good. Washington's passion infects his young co-stars, who are uniformly impressive. Young Denzel Whitaker--who, believe it nor not, is related to neither Denzel Washington nor Forest Whitaker--stands out from Tolson's trio. He plays James Farmer Jr., the sympathetic son of the school's president and the third leg in a love triangle that includes fellow debaters Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett) and Henry Lowe (Nate Parker). During the film's finest moments, the oft broken-hearted teenager discovers the strength to persevere, learning the true power behind the right words spoken at the right time. His inspiring delivery swells from within, and that's a fact that can't be debated. - Sean O'Connell
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