Crisis (Robert Drew)
Crisis begins with a view of the White House and the strains of "Dixie" playing in the background. The film covers June 10, 1963, and JFK’s decisions, with his brother RFK (then attorney general) regarding the two students (Vivian Malone and James Hood) entering the University of Alabama, against the will of Governor George Wallace.
Filmmaker Robert Drew uses very little narrative, letting the major characters speak for themselves. There are no fast-paced cutaways, but the action unfolds slowly, with long, silent shots of the participants walking down hallways, driving in cars, and so on.
Should the president speak out in a television address, potentially losing Southern votes? Should he order federal troops into Alabama? Or should he keep quiet and let the legislature play itself out? JFK is unsure of what he should do, fearful of increasing already high tensions.
The problem has to do with the length of time it would take to nationalize the guard if Wallace refuses to step aside–too long, and the federal government has an embarrassing delay. Both sides are aware of the rhetorical importance of the confrontation. Wallace is emphasizing his state’s sovereignty, hoping to make the federal government look like bullies. The federal government cannot afford to let Alabama ignore the court ruling, but too much show of force, and they will lose the Southern vote.
The plan is that the students will be in the car while the confrontation occurs. If they are turned away, then the troops will be federalized. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach is the first to confront Wallace, who then makes a speech about the intrusion of the federal government, refusing to move from the schoolhouse door. The students are escorted to a dormitory on the campus while the president nationalizes the guard with an executive order.
At this point, I have a quasi-personal connection to the story. General Graham, commander of the Alabama National Guard is my partner’s grandfather. It’s a point of pride in their family history that he asked the governor to step aside that day.
Below are a few quotes from this short film, which should be interpreted, I think, against the backdrop of Reconstruction and the arguments against federal involvement in the aftermath of the Civil War. I thought, too, that it was interesting how the black students were minor figures in the film, important symbolically, as part of a grander political strategy, but not really developed. And for whatever reason (because black men are more threatening?), Vivian Malone has a larger role than the other student, James Hood.
Governor Wallace:
"I’d rather live a short life of principle than a long life of compromise"
"I believe that separation is good for the Negro citizen and the White citizen…if I do something that I believe in my heart is good for both groups, there’s nothing that runs counter to any religion or any law of morality. It’s not sinful"
"Activists and provocateurs will come from others, outside this state, who themselves will want to stir up some violence, in order to hurt our cause. And to further their cause. Because they thrive and raise money on disorder."
"No Negro is ever embarrassed. He knows the cafe he goes to, he knows the cafes the whites go to."
"So fantastic in this day in time, to be trying to handle the governor of a sovereign state, just like a common law-breaker."
"The unwelcomed, unwanted, unwarranted and force induced intrusion upon the campus of the university today of the might of the central government today provides frightful example of the oppression of the rights, privileges and sovereignty of this state by the officers of the federal government."
"Whoever the South votes for will be the president, because you can’t win without the South. And the South is gonna git some folks."
Wallace’s reaction to JFK’s speech:
"We had peace but we got troops. No telling what we’d get if we had a little disorder. Might get the United Nations to drop in on us."
Robert Kennedy:
"To do it [give the speech] for fifteen minutes would alleviate a lot of problems"
"I don’t want…we to nationalize this, and then that rouses everybody and then they start turning on the soldiers…"
"It’s unfortunate that these pictures go abroad…but this is only a secondary reason…we’re going to do this because it’s the right thing to do."
John F. Kennedy:
Throughout the film, JFK is quiet, making only strategic points, not grand speeches about equality and human rights. He is reticent about a speech before the nation, concerned about political strategy. Eventually, though, he decides to go before the TV cameras:
"This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds…and that the rights of many men are diminished when one man is threatened…all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot enjoy the full and free life that all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content among the counsels of delay and patience?"
Vivian Malone
The students are instructed to dress "as if they were going to church, modestly, neatly", and briefed on where they will walk the first day.
Rehearsing answers at the NAACP that she may be asked: "[The movement] has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go."
Why do you want to go to the University of Alabama? "The school that I was attending became unaccredited"
James Hood
"What do you want to do most in life? Become the governor of the state of Alabama [chuckles]" Vivian asks if he thinks he’ll change things. Hood replies, "No, no, I just want to become the governor."