Product Description

Eyes on the Prize, the most comprehensive television documentary on the American civil rights movement ever produced, includes rare film footage and incisive present-day interviews to bring the events of this period to life. Two events of the mid-'50s propel the movement into the headlines: the Mississippi lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till, and the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, inspired by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white man. Walk with hundreds of thousands of protesters to the triumphant 1963 March on Washington. By the mid-'60s, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. confronts the powerful political machinery of Chicago's Mayer Richard Daley. As America enters the turbulent '70s, African Americans begin celebrating their own culture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10281 in VHS
• Released on: 1999-01-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 7
• Running time: 360 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the essential documentary series from 20th-century television, Eyes on the Prize is an extraordinary, grassroots history of the civil rights movement in 1950s and '60s America. Leaving punditry and debate to others, this six-hour program concerns itself with the individuals who were there, who participated on the front lines, who witnessed and survived to tell about the crusade's tragedies and victories. Starting with a pair of mid-'50s heroic actions in the South that helped galvanize black and white activism against institutional racism (actions that included Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama), the series winds its way through the exponential growth of the movement to the passage of the Voting Rights Act and beyond. The epochal battle between states-rights advocates and federal authorities is well-covered, as are the many sacrifices made and enormous risks taken by Mississippi Freedom Riders and advocates of black voter registration. Also in this boxed set is the series' sequel, Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads 1965-mid 1980s. An equally stirring, eight-hour history of the post-civil-rights years, in which hard-won political power manifested itself both inside and outside elected government offices, this follow-up traces the fracturing of a unified civil rights community into numerous missions and agendas. Driven by interviews and archival footage, the series takes a clear look at such historical chapters as the rise of black separatism, the election of Carl Stokes to Cleveland's Office of the Mayor, and the turmoil of school desegregation. Both the original series and sequel are an absolute must for a contemporary understanding of racism in America. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Hold on my Lord, hold on....
"I know the one thing we did right, was the day we started to fight...keep your eyes on the prize, hold on my lord, hold on! " These are the lyrics to the music in the opening of each tape, in the Eyes on the Prize set. I consider this collection one of the most influential forms of film ever made. The power of the visuals, the singing, the interviews of the civil rights movement is so overwhelming throughout these videos. When I become a classroom teacher, I fully intend to use these videos to educate students about the experiences and injustice of the civil rights movement.

This documentary is one of my most prized possessions, which I value tremendously because it is an important tool in educating people about the civil rights movement in ways they cannot be educated through reading of books or articles.

It should be made mandatory in all schools to have the social studies teachers show this video. The students will definately walk away with a much different perspective on America and race relations - the perspective that offers the truth.

Who can dispute the horrible murders of Emmitt Till, Cheney Goodman & Schwerner, among countless of others? Eyes on the Prize does not cover up the graphic details of these situations, but rather shows them - close up. It'll leave images in your mind you will vividly remember for a long, long time. Then there's the era of MLKing, Jr. and the March on Washington. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, and the list goes on and on.

Unquestionably a video worth purchasing and watching over and over and over. You'll learn something new each time.

A Film For All People!
"EYES ON THE PRIZE" is a film for all races of people to experience. Because of its frankness the film lends itself to subject matter that can be inflammatory to some, however it is presented in a manner that can lend itself to be an agent of healing for many more. Although it is hailed as a masterpiece for people of color, it is truly a film for all people, especially white America.

This is a must see for students studying current US History.
I have used this video series to students of all ages and ethnic/racial backgrounds and it has shocked them that these events took place here in the United States. This is a great tool for anyone who teaches about the civil rights movement. It is a must see! It has opened the lives of many of Youth that I have worked with.