King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

1970 3h 5m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 12

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A presentation of key events in the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Beginning with the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, MLK is followed through major steps in his struggle to promote racial equality. Including footage of King's stirring speeches, it is a fitting tribute to his legacy, and features clips narrated by a wide range of celebrities, including Harry Belafonte, Paul Newman Charlton Heston, Ruby Dee, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn, Walter Matthau, Ben Gazzara, Clarence Williams III, Joanne Woodward, and James Earl Jones.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Martin Luther King Jr.
Self (archive footage)
Coretta Scott King
Self (archive footage)
A.D. King
Self (archive footage)
Dexter King
Self (archive footage)
Yolanda King
Self (archive footage)
Martin Luther King III
Self (archive footage)
Bernice King
Self (archive footage)
Ralph Abernathy
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney Lumet
Languages: German, 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 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 185 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King and A.D. King carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065944 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney Lumet directs. John Carter cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 185 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
4Editor John Carter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King and A.D. King carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0065944 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Editing: John Carter
Runtime: 185 min · 3h 5m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)

Also by

Sidney Lumet

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-27
I’m not sure this is an actual documentary. It has no editorial or narrative structure per se, what it presents us with is as comprehensive a chronology of Dr. Martin Luther King as it is possible to get. From his humble beginnings in an Alabama ridden with bigotry and strife, through to his assassination in 1968, this uses a phenomenal amount of archive research to illustrate the power of his oratory. His speeches are powerful and emotional, but they never come across as angry or provocative of violence. His strength of character and purpose in the face of a long-established racial belligerence is really quite well captured as the film includes the large scale “I Have a Dream” set-pieces to far more intimate and poignant comments to smaller groups, churches or even just to his aides and friends as he travels the length and breadth of the country extolling the virtues of freedom for all. That all isn’t just for folks of colour, but those being persecuted for their religious beliefs too, or being disadvantaged because of their sex or social status. It’s hard to imagine who might actually watch all of this now, it is a long haul, but it goes quite some way to testifying just how effective oratory can be when delivered confidently and proudly to an audience eager to engage. There is enough annotation to help advise on the locations and timelines, and there are a few - slightly unnecessary, I felt - staged readings from the likes of Charlton Heston and James Earl Jones to help, as does the latter archive footage, demonstrate that his optimism wasn’t just inspiring those African Americans, but plenty from the descendants of it’s European immigrant population too. It doesn’t attempt to analyse the man, his motives or his personal life but I don’t think that was anyone’s plan. It’s a vehicle for his passion, and it works powerfully.

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