The Great Debaters

"When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope."

2007 2h 6m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 756●65Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 66,150

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.

“When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.”

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Cast

Denzel Whitaker
James Farmer Jr.
Denzel Washington
Melvin B. Tolson
Nate Parker
Henry Lowe
Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Samantha Booke
Forest Whitaker
Dr. James Farmer Sr.
Kimberly Elise
Pearl Farmer
Jermaine Williams
Hamilton Burgess
Gina Ravera
Ruth Tolson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Denzel Washington
Writers: Jeffrey Porro, Gary Damian Thomas, Robert Eisele
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CAST

Did you know

209+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Denzel Washington, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hughes Winborne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Denzel Whitaker and Denzel Washington and Nate Parker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0427309 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Denzel Washington directs. Philippe Rousselot behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Hughes Winborne cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 19 years ago.
2209+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
3Directed by Denzel Washington, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hughes Winborne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Denzel Whitaker and Denzel Washington and Nate Parker carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.".
8IMDB entry: tt0427309 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "biography", "racial segregation", "based on true story", "racism".