Product Description

As a civil rights lawyer in the '40s and '50s, he turned the floor of the Supreme Court into his personal battleground. As a member of the court, he presided over some of the most influential decisions in American history. Thurgood Marshall grew up with a strong sense of justice and the courage to fight for his convictions. While a mid-century black lawyer, he traveled the South as a lonely warrior in the battle to end discrimination, the embodiment of hope for black Americans. Through archival footage, period accounts, and candid interviews with colleagues and family, THURGOOD MARSHALL: JUSTICE FOR ALL chronicles the monumental life of the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. BIOGRAPHY® proudly presents the comprehensive story of the legendary jurist and civil rights activist who stood up for his beliefs and watched them triumph. DVD Features: Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27474 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2005-12-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 50 minutes

Amazon.com
The A&E Biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American United States Supreme Court Justice, paints an inspiring portrait of a true American hero, a man known as "Mr. Civil Rights." Marshall had absolute faith in the power of the U.S. Constitution and worked inside the system (although often at considerable personal risk from racist zealots), systematically changing the law to protect the rights of all citizens. His efforts, culminating in the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v. The Board of Education, went a long way toward fulfilling his goal of eliminating the "separate but equal" statutes which were still the law of the land in mid-20th-century America.

The program features interviews with family, scholars, and NAACP figures who unanimously portray Marshall as a tireless crusader, charismatic leader, and ebullient, fun-loving friend. President Lyndon Johnson, who nominated him to the Supreme Court, admired Marshall mightily and considered him a "great pal." Throughout a lifetime that spanned nearly a century, Marshall achieved social change, decade by decade, until his retirement from the Supreme Court in 1993 at the age of 85. Perhaps the most moving and amusing footage in the film is of Marshall's famous 1966 speech, epitomizing both his philosophy and his personality: "There is very little truth to the old refrain that one cannot legislate equality. Laws not only provide concrete benefits, they can even change the hearts of men--some men anyhow--for good or evil." --Laura Mirsky

Customer Reviews

Positive Role Model
If you are a fan of African-American history and know the importance of Justice Marshall, then not much is new here. However, this documentary would be great for those unfamiliar with him, especially African-American young students. Not only did he help to end legalized segregation, but he had many wonderful qualities. He was a great speaker, an awesome writer, a hard worker, and devoted family man, and much more. He was the valedictorian of his law class and had judicial experience, so conservatives cannot maintain that yap-yap that he "wasn't qualified." This documentary reiterates what a hero he should be to many.
According to Rachel Moran, most interracial couples are made of one person of color and one white person. Interracial couples composed of two people of color do not get enough coverage in the United States. Many people have forgotten that P. Diddy was with J. Lo. Many people do not know that Carlos Santana's wife is African American. So this documentary shows Justice Marshall's Asian-American wife, but never lists her ethnicity. (Was she Thai-American?) It never mentions if they had difficulties living as a Black-Asian couple. The couple's sons are interviewed and they have visible Asian features. I wonder if the documentary makers assumed that Asianness speaks for itself here. Still, this is an avenue that they should have explored, especially in light of the celebration of multiculturalism and mixed-race families, yet they did not.
This documentary includes interviews from Blacks and whites, women and men. It turns out that Juan Williams wrote Marshall's biography. I had only known of him as a journalist. I am impressed that he could complete such a difficult task, unrelated to his typical work.
This documentary only says, "Justice Marshall wished he could have seen another Democratic President" and then it mentions that he died a few days after President Clinton's inauguration. However, what really happened is that Marshall wished he could have retired under a Democratic presidency, so that another progressive or person of color could be named as his replacement. I had always heard that Marshall was emphatically irked that Clarence Thomas got his seat. So this idea that he died with everything to his satisfaction is false. Again, the Biography series waters down progressive politics, probably to appease Middle Americans and their embrace of the Right. I found this spin in the documentary very cowardice.
Do see this work if you get the chance.