The Murder of Emmett Till (2003, 2004)

The Murder of Emmett Till is a documentary film that was first aired on PBS in 2003 and released on DVD in 2004; it is an episode in the series American Experience. Here are some basic facts about it:

** Produced and directed by Stanley Nelson

** Written by Marcia A. Smith

** Narrated by Andre Braugher

** Run time: 54 minutes

Emmett Louis Till was born in Chicago in July 1941. In August 1955, shortly after his 14th birthday, he took the train to Mississippi to stay with one of his relatives. What was supposed to be an adventure turned into a horrible nightmare: Emmett was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by two white men, who dumped his body in a river. Why? What had he done? It seems he had whistled at a woman in a grocery store, and since he was black and the woman was white, he had committed a sin which could not be ignored; a crime which called for revenge.

When his body was discovered and the perpetrators were arrested, they confessed to kidnapping him, but denied everything else. When they were charged with murder, they were acquitted by an all-white jury. In January 1956, a national magazine published an article in which the killers confessed to the murder. The legal rule that is known as “double jeopardy” says you cannot be accused of the same crime two times.

In the white community in Mississippi, the verdict was greeted as a triumph, but in the black community, it was seen in a totally different light. The murder of Emmett Till and the acquittal of his killers was one of the sparks, which ignited the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This film covers the life and death of Emmett Till and explains the importance of his case.

PART ONE
Several witnesses were interviewed for the film. Here are the names in the order of appearance:

** William Winter, former Mississippi governor

** Clara Davis, resident of Mississippi

** Betty Pearson, resident of Mississippi

** Ernest Withers, photographer

** Mamie Till, mother of Emmett Till
** Richard Heard, classmate
** Wheeler Parker, cousin

** Magnolia Cooksey, classmate

** Moses Newson, journalist
** Warren Hampton, resident of Mississippi
** Willie Reed, witness in the trial
** Oudie Brown, resident of Mississippi

** Clarence Strider, Jr., son of Sheriff Strider
** Harry Caise, mortician
** Rose Jourdain, journalist
** John Herbers, journalist

The following clips, recorded in black-and-white in 1955, are also used in the film:

** Moses Wright, uncle

** Clarence Strider, sheriff

Three persons are listed as consultants:

** Cleonora Hudson-Weems

** Robert E. Luckett, Jr.

** William Bicket

PART TWO
Emmett Till’s mother was Mamie Carthan (1921-2003). His father was Louis Till (1922-1945). When they were married in 1940, she took his family name and became Mamie Till. When she re-married later in life, she became Mamie Till-Mobley.

The woman, whose honour was insulted by a whistle, was Carolyn Bryant (born 1934). The killers were her husband Roy Bryant (1931-1994) and Roy’s half-brother J. W. Milam (1919-1981).

No one ever did time for the murder or the kidnapping of Emmett Till.

An on-screen message at the end of the film explains what happened to Emmett Till’s mother after 1955:

“Mamie Till returned to Chicago, remarried, taught public school for twenty-four years, and continued to speak publicly about her son’s murder. She died on January 6, 2003, at the age of 81.”

CONCLUSION
This film covers the murder of Emmett Till and the subsequent trial in great detail. Since it is a horrible story, I cannot say you will enjoy it, but I do think you can appreciate it. The story deserves to be told and this film does it very well.

The case of Emmett Till is a dark chapter in the history of the United States. The producers of the film deserve praise for making sure the case is not forgotten. There is more information about Emmett Till and the importance of his case on the PBS website about the film.

If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the civil rights movement in the US - this film is something for you.

PS # 1. For more information, see the following books:

** A Death in the Delta: The Story of Emmett Till by Stephen J. Whitfield (1988, 1991)

** The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative edited by Christopher Metress (2002)

** Emmett Till: The Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement by Cleonora Hudson-Weems (1994, 2006) (the author is a consultant on the film)

** Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate crime that Changed America by Christopher Benson & Mamie Till-Mobley (2003, 2004)

** Who Killed Emmett Till? by Susan Klopfer (2010)

** Emmett Till: The Murder that Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson (2015)

PS # 2. The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till is the title of a documentary film that was released on DVD in 2005. Produced and directed by American filmmaker Keith Beauchamp, it runs for 68 minutes.

PS # 3. American Experience is a television program that is produced by PBS. The first episode was aired in 1988. The number of episodes differs from one season to the next, but the program is still running today. The story under review here (the murder of Emmett Till) is season 15 episode 13 from 2003.

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The Murder of Emmett Till,

Aired on PBS 2003; released on DVD 2004,

Run time: 54 minutes

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