As a history buff, I was excited to dive into this Academy Award-winning documentary about the brave Little Rock Nine. The film captures a pivotal moment in civil rights history, but leaves much to be desired in execution.
The good: It's an important historical record of these courageous students who faced unimaginable hatred. Seeing actual footage from that turbulent time sent chills down my spine. The 19-minute runtime makes it accessible for classroom use.
The bad: Oh boy, where to start? The production quality feels shockingly cheap for an Oscar winner. The music is so bland it might as well be from a dentist's office waiting room. Some scenes play out like a high school drama club performance rather than professional filmmaking.
Technical issues abound - multiple reviewers reported playback problems across different devices. At this price point, that's unacceptable. The film also frustratingly glosses over deeper context about Governor Faubus's political motivations.
While the subject matter deserves five stars, the execution barely merits two. Save your money and watch the free version at the Arkansas museum instead.