Why we picked it – We may all remember Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement of 1960s America; but this documentary’s mix of contemporary film and once secret material casts a whole new light on those events.

Synopsis – Martin Luther King Jr. is now an American hero but, at the time of his activism, he was targeted as an enemy of the state. This documentary shows how much the establishment feared him and sought to destroy him and the free rein given to the FBI and its then director J. Edgar Hoover who tried to exploit King’s extra-marital affairs. The USA’s institutional racism and paranoia is plain to see.

The film – The film does not suffer from the “talking heads” of most historical documentaries. The screen shows the material from newly declassified files and restored archival footage. The interviews with King’s contemporaries are in voice-over and they do not appear until the end of the film. There is further classified material which will not be released until 2027 and which may have further revelations.

Director – Sam Pollard, Writers: Benjamin Hedin, Laura Tomaselli USA 2020 104 mins (12)

Links – imdb entry Guardian review FT review Daily Telegraph review

Trivia – The film was officially released on 15 January 2021 which would have been the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 92nd birthday