THREE GREAT MOVIE SPEECHES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE
GREAT MOVIE SPEECHES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE #3: Charlie Chaplin's final speech at the end of THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940, dir by Charlie Chaplin). Today we wanted to highlight three instances of incredibly powerful, moving movie speeches on the importance of social justice. It's very hard in movies to get this tone right. So often, though their intentions may be noble, filmmakers can make movies that come off as judgemental, one sided, preachy, didactic. And none of those things ever really help the cause of building consensus around the hard work of real social change. And yet, every now and then, there's a movie with a speech that endures. First up, there's Charlie Chaplin's incredible final speech at the end of THE GREAT DICTATOR. Released in 1940, many folks often forget how risky and bold this movie was. The United States was very isolationist at the time and many people had no interest in fighting fascism and Nazis overseas. But many folks, Chaplin and President Roosevelt among them, understood that fascism unchecked would be a toxin to democracy, free speech, and social progress. Imagine going to the movies to see a Charlie Chaplin comedy and hearing this final speech. At its essence, it warns us of the danger of leaders who represent themselves as "strong men" with no real interest or leadership motives beyond their own self gain.
GREAT SPEECHES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE #2: Tom Joad at the end of THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940, dir by John Ford). Based on the Steinbeck novel about migrant farmworkers (often kicked off their land by the banks) who come to realize the importance of unionizing to counter injustice. The movie has an incredible speech delivered by Henry Fonda as Tom Joad about the importance of realizing an injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere and we must all stand up against it.
GREAT SPEECHES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE #1: To Kill A Mockingbird (1962, dir by Robert Mulligan) The final closing argument that Atticus Finch played by Gregory Peck delivers in defense of Tom Robinson (in a trial that takes place in the 1930s) touches on many of the social ills and iniquities that have still not been properly addressed nearly 100 years later in 2020. It is simply self-evident that a justice system meant be the backbone of a strong healthy diverse society and democracy must provide equal protection to every member of that society regardless of race, creed, color to be called functional. When it fails to provide that equal protection to large portions of that same society. It still needs improvement. It can be improved if the will is there. The pain and irony of the speech here is that Atticus Finch clearly and inarguably proves Tom Robinson's innocence but the jury still finds Robinson guilty because of systemic racism.
Written by Craig Hammill, Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer