One Night in Miami

One Night in Miami is a screen adaption of a play by Kemp Powers. Though there is some truth to the depiction, this film is mostly an interesting mix of important historical characters and circumstances from the 60s, in a fictionalized situation, during the civil rights movement, on the 25th of February, 1964.

One of Kemp’s goals for this piece was to create something intellectual as well as emotional to effect change in his audience, and he certainly succeeded. The director, Regina King, states she was originally drawn in by the cleverness of the play, and appreciated the feeling of being a fly on the wall in their personal lives, seeing their smaller struggles as well as the big ones, rather than it just feeling like a sort of biography.

Another plus for this film in my eyes is how it relies fairly heavily on its dialogue for the brunt of its action. This is a very well written script and gives an interesting vantage point to witness these men’s lives from.

Over all, what you need to know before watching is that this film is heavily political, and yet another very interesting watch for any lover of history.

As I’ve said in prior reviews, I believe film is a priceless tool for learning about and connecting with events that you would otherwise have no way of experiencing, and I think it’s critical for us to continue this practice of cinematic recreation in order to preserve our collective knowledge, to learn from and not lose sight of these pivotal moments as the generations go on.

Once again, this is a must have on any history buff or film junkie’s list.