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Denzel Washington Shines in The Great Debater
A biographical drama that teaches as well as entertains
I just finished watching The Great Debaters, an American film that came out in 2007. I decided to watch it because it stars Denzel Washington, and was a rare movie starring him that I’d never seen before. The first movie I saw starring him was Mississippi Masala, where he was young and gorgeous. Yes, I crushed on him, but I also loved the history lesson it gave me. I’m a sucker for films like that, that have some historical context.
In the case of The Great Debaters, the movie is actually a biographical drama. While there is some artistic license, which is to be expected in any Hollywood production, the basic facts remain.
The film itself was based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team and its 1935 victory against the University of Southern California, the national debate champions. Some artistic license was taken.
For example, the part of Samantha Booke was based on Henrietta Bell Wells, who was actually the first member of the Wiley College team. During her tenure at the historically black Texas college, Ms. Wells’ team beat Tuskegee and Howard University, two of the most prestigious such universities. They also made history by engaging in the first college debate between white…
