Oliver Stone & Michael Arceneaux Miss the Mark on MLK Movie
Posted on March 20, 2014
It was announced this week that Oliver Stone‘s Martin Luther King Jr. movie was scrapped because the King family didn’t approve. Apparently, they didn’t like the idea of including anything alluding to his alleged infidelity in the first big screen adaptation of his life. And they’re right.
Stone, not one to hold his tongue, shared his opinion on the decision on hisTwitter page, stating:
“The script dealt w/ issues of adultery, conflicts within the movement, and King’s spiritual transformation into a higher, more radical being”
“Martin, I grieve for you. You are still a great inspiration for your fellow Americans—but, thank God, not a saint.”
And he is right … in a sense. Nobody is perfect. We all have our flaws and make mistakes. But should we see the “underbelly” of the civil rights movement, with deceit, backroom deals, and politicking just because it’s riveting? Should we cherry-pick storylines so that audiences can feel the highs and lows of a soap-opera-like protagonist? Should someone as iconic as Martin Luther King Jr. have his rumored transgressions be sensationalized on the big screen?
No. Hell to the no.
Got something to say?