The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till (2005)
THINKFilm

Description

In August 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley of Chicago sent her only child, 14 year-old Emmett Louis Till, to visit relatives in the Mississippi Delta. Little did she know that only 8 days later, Emmett would be abducted from his Great-Uncle’s home, brutally beaten and murdered by one of the oldest Southern taboos: whistling at a white woman in public.

The murderers were soon arrested but later acquitted of murder by an all-white, all-male jury.
Keith Beauchamp's groundbreaking film is the result of a 10-year journey to uncover the truth behind the nightmarish murder of an innocent African-American teenager. Emmett’s brutal murder - and his family’s brave actions in the horrifying aftermath- served as a major impetus for America's civil rights movement.

Tags

Racism, Mississippi, 1950s, Civil rights movement

Collected reviews and ratings

9.2 digitallyobsessed.com | Jon Danziger

An affecting account of one of the most horrific crimes ever perpetrated against an American, and a vital document for understanding the evolution of and necessity for the civil rights movement.
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9.1 DVD Verdict | Ryan Keefer

The film is an excellent example of powerful documentary filmmaking and should be mandatory viewing in today's schools both for the power of one person, along with keeping Emmett Till in the landscape of civil rights, even as history leaves it in the rear view mirror. The Untold Story of Emmett Till is an amazing experience.
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9.0 DVD Talk | Preston Jones

A vital, essential document, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till is an achingly poignant film that reveals the wounded truth behind one of America's most heinous crimes. Highly recommended.
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9.0 Amazon user reviews

The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till is the best documentary every produced about the Emmett Till case. What makes this documentary unique is the first person interviews Beauchamp scored for the film.
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8.3 The Onion A.V. Club | Nathan Rabin

One of the most powerful, important things a documentary can do is bear witness to man's inhumanity to man, and document for posterity crimes that cry out for justice, however tardy. The conventional but viscerally moving new doc The Untold Story Of Emmett Louis Till excels in that respect.
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8.0 New York Times | Stephen Holden

As you watch the film, which weaves televised coverage of the atrocity and interviews with surviving relatives and the victim's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, it is impossible not to be stirred by sadness and outrage.
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8.0 New York Times | Stephen Holden

As you watch the film, which weaves televised coverage of the atrocity and interviews with surviving relatives and the victim's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, it is impossible not to be stirred by sadness and outrage.
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8.0 Variety | Ronnie Scheib

Beauchamp expertly excerpts long stretches from the extensive television coverage of the 1955 events, juxtaposing them with present-day interviews with the people who lived though these traumatic happenings.
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7.5 Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

Beauchamp's film has an earnest solemnity that is appropriate to the material. He has a lot of old black and white TV and newsreel footage, including shots of the accused men before, during and after their trial.
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