Film: "Remember the Titans"

Film Review # 103456

African-American Studies > Racism
Film > Analysis, Criticism, Etc.

This paper is a review of the film "Remember the Titans", which demonstrates the problems of establishing racial equality in a high school and a community.

1,805 words () | 0 sources | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in the film "Remember the Titans", high school football players on a formerly all white team must deal with the de-segregation of a school in Virginia high school and the presence of an African-American coach. The author relates that the film does not center on the difficulty of the changes in the classroom but rather on the football field, where the sport rules the town. The paper points out that, despite the changes of the individuals on the team, the persistent racism in the town shows how difficult it is to change ideas so deeply rooted in the society. The author states that, although football is certainly not as hard as war, the movie draws an interesting analogy between the two. The paper concludes that the film seems a bit too Hollywood in how smoothly the players make the transition from blatant racists to friends.

From the Paper:

"The communities were sharply divided over the decision to name Herman Boone the head football coach. He had previously coached at North Carolina but was passed over jobs he had deserved because he was black. The African-American community celebrated his arrival; marking the first time a member of their race had obtained such a prestigious position. Despite a heroes welcome, Coach Boone continues to insist he was just a football coach. In a town like Alexandria where football is more than just a game, his position represents a victory in the fight for equality."