Common Sense Note
This movie provides a great way to open discussion with children about racial issues, even children as young as 5. What would they do if faced with the same situation confronted by the kids in the movie? How is their school and are their friendships different today than they were in the 1960s? How are things still unfair? What examples can you think of that you see today that show race still affects how people are treated? This film is both ideal for older kids and direct enough to hold teens' attention and important enough to be good family viewing.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: S. K. List
It's 1964 in sleepy Catesville, Miss. Jenny, the daughter of the white sheriff, is good friends with Rachel, granddaughter of Miss Annie, the sheriff's black housekeeper. As a house painter, Rachel's father, William (Danny Glover), buys his supplies from the father of white twins Floyd and Lloyd, the constant companions of Jenny, Rachel, and Rachel's cousin and sister.
Despite these close ties, all of them, like the people around them, routinely observe the longstanding rules of racial segregation -- until the civil rights movement of the mid-60s begins to touch them. When a busload of civil rights workers, led by Glenn (LeVar Burton), comes to town to register voters, everyone -- including the children -- has to decide where they stand on the pressing issue of civil rights.
What makes And The Children Shall Lead so special is its careful selection of day-to-day incidents in the lives of a handful of Southerners, both black and white. Combine that with a convincing script, unaffected child actors, and a supporting ensemble of skilled stars, and the result is an excellent film. Families seeking to open a discussion of race relations will find this a great place to start.
The shocking era of "Whites Only" restrooms and drinking fountains becomes immediate as characters face real dilemmas. Rachel and her sister Paulette, in pressing need, find an "Out of Order" sign blocking their use of the gas station's "Colored" ladies room. This may rattle youngsters today, but the simple scene will register sharply with their sense of justice. This effect multiplies when the twins Lloyd and Floyd turn on their black friend, Kevin, to drive him from the public park.
Direct and sensitive, The Children lets us know the people of Catesville and helps us understand what each feels as the stable structure of their world, however inequitable, begins to change. If the mild ending is a bit of a letdown, it nevertheless rings true, as does so much of this picture, by personalizing a portrait of America's arduous struggles to break free of racism.
For another fine film on children's confrontation with race relations in the South, don't miss To Kill A Mockingbird. Another good WonderWorks production covering these issues is You Must Remember This.
Rate It!
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ViolenceOffscreen, a father gives his daughters a switching with a willow branch. Two white twins beat up a black boy their own age. |
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Social BehaviorThe "n-word" is used once, though the movie does not advocate its use. A number of scenes depict discrimination and oppression, the film's main themes. Depicting small-town race relations in 1964 Mississippi, this film effectively captures both the established bonds and barriers between blacks and whites of all ages. |
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