"sir, blacks are not unaware of the hardships they endure or of what the government is doing to them. we want them to stop living in these conditions, to confront them. people must not just give in to these hardships of life.
they must find some way, even in this evironment, to try develop hope. a better hope for themselves and for this country as well. now i think that is what the black consciousness stands for."
@laryea2011 No, I know that, but when they attempt english, it sounds so arrogant and negative. Basically because everything apartheid is associated with
@cre8tah504 Actually, he did get nominated for his portrayal of the slain black civil rights leader... He just lost to a better performance (Al Pacino, in 'Scent of a Woman')... This was 1992, long before actors were shoe ins for an Oscar for playing historical figures (see Phillip Seymore Hoffman, in 'Capote,' and Jamie Foxx in 'Ray').. He did win the British Academy Award for that performance, though, which is still pretty prestigious..
"the Govt. does so little my lord that is not worth commenting on" absolutely true. When the govt. does very little to improve the economy or improve the welfare of it's people then we must speak against it.
I understand the many good points you have listed here as do I understand what you are trying to say about the judge. Because if you look at the scene again & they show the wide angle of the prosecutor with the 4 men sitting to his left, pay close attention to the one to the far left of the prosecutor with the blond hair & check out his response whenever Biko makes a comment. The points you are trying to make about the judge I can clearly see in his reactions to what Biko was trying to say.
3:10 Denzel totally broke character for a minute and became Denzel who was gonna kick some ass. Besides that one moment this was one of the best pieces I have ever seen from him, an intimidating actor and a beautiful piece of writing.
ANTI-WHITISM? WTF? Just like the White Supremacists here in the United States throughout the history of our country, perpetrators of mass murder & such senseless & unnecessary violence against people of color for no ethical or logical reason & then trying to claim themselves somehow as being the VICTIMS of their own ignorance & hatred towards others! How they continue to this day to come to that conclusion time & time again? God only knows.
@jazzsax1965 I dont think the judge himself was a racist character, I think he was asking whether or not promoting race itself would inevitably divide people further which in some sense it can ( ie black panther movement). But Denzel's response was perfect, its not about confronting a group but what social elements and misery have separated these potential friends. I agree with your assessment of cowardly bigots but I think this film also showed people ready to accept and learn
@tiemedown: The judge asked why in the documents that Biko wrote did he not mention anything good about the South African Government. If there was anything good or positive portrayed in that movie that was done by the South African Government please point it out to me because I certainly didn't see it & I've seen that movie numerous times. And the Black Panther party was formed as a way for Blacks to protect themselves against white racist aggression they received from not only from..
@tiemedown:.the racist white public at large but also against the so called authority figures (specifically white Police & Law Enforcement members) who were not only allowing the racist white citizens to get away with the crimes against humanity they were committing against Blacks by turning a blind eye to their crimes or not prosecuting them but also were committing many of those crimes themselves. NOT an effort to promote the Black race & NOT an equal to the KKK as they are so often depicted!
I have no idea what your going on about at this point with all these capitalizations but my argument is that the judge represents passive racism, the kind of person who has been indoctrinated but is willing to accept a peaceful approach at change. While the prosecutor's entire identity is based in this dogma. The Black Panther movement relayed the same dichotomy as say che guevara, militantism that was strongly set apart from the more gentle movements aka MLK and is opposite from Biko's doctrine
@tiemedown: By using these capitalizations I am simply trying to prove a point from the perspective of being a black person in this world. Who like many other blacks throughout history in this country & abroad have been the victims on many occasions of white racists & their aggression towards us. Not on an extreme level as experienced by South Africans during apartheid or my ancestors in this country from the time they were forced here through at least the 1970's, but a victim just the same.
@tiemedown: And it dosen't matter which approach we are talking about, the Black Panthers, MLK's or any other black person. The bottom line is that many of the racist whites around this world are TAUGHT to be the way they are. Hate on that level is not something that is inherited but is DRILLED into their minds by the hate mongers of each previous generation. Compassion & understanding & uniting with people of color is not in their vocabulary. Believe me I clearly understand the point....
@tiemedown:..you are trying to make but for you to think that is going to happen on some large or grand scale simply by watching this movie is just not realistic thinking but hopeful thinking, like the words John Lennon expressed in his great song "Imagine." And it's not just this movie. There are several movies out there that depict the violence imposed on Blacks by white racists (Rosewood, Mississippi Burning, Ghosts of Mississippi, Amistad, etc. & the only interest ANY white racist or...
@tiemedown:..white supremacist has in viewing those movies would be to cheer on the murder & violence. To think that these kinds of people, who have been the way they are for most of their lives, would just change their ways by bringing their attention to the violence imposed in these movies is a DREAM at best. Having these people watch movies like this only makes them long for a time when they were allowed to get away such violence unimpeded while having a laugh about it at the dinner table.
@jazzsax1965 There we go now I totally understand where youre coming from and I think we agree but got alittle misstepped. I wasnt implying that the judge has any credence to what he was saying, in fact I was saying that his view was one of passive racism, the idea that he had done enough without realiziing he had succumbed to prejudice. But being confronted directly with an intelligent and capable black man actually asks pretty non inflammatory questions, he asks 'arent we doing enough"...
The typical response of a man in government and then addresses the concept of confrontation leading to a race based rebuttal of added segregation. I feel ( and as I havent seen the rest of the film I might be mistaken) that from these concepts, his concern is the state and he has little stake in attacking Biko, while the prosecutor represents what you have pointed out. Other than thinking that the judge is a symbolic representative of slowly changing white society I agree with you entirely
by propaganda I meant the idea that alot of passive observers to racial violence assume that either extreme is fiction. The prosecutor represents this idea; yet the judge looks intently at Biko who is trying to unite everyone in the room with common humanity. I feel like the judge has never seen the atrocities Biko spoke of. My point when mentioning division was that Biko's success was founded in exposing the sameness in people maybe I'm naive in thinking the judge's silence was agreement tho...
@jazzsax1965 Also I hope I didn't offend you when mentioning capitals, I understand your fervor I just got lost when black panthers and obama started flying around. I think you thought I was trying to mitigate the racism in this film and I was just assuming that the screenplay wrote the judge to be aloof but overall sympathetic, perhaps I should watch the entire film before saying so but this scene was just so gorgeous, I got on an equality tangent
@tiemedown: Listen CLOSELY to the ENTIRE response given by Biko after the judge makes the comment about not mentioning anything good that the South African Gov. is doing is inflaming racial hatred & anti-whitism & tell me WHERE in that response is there ANYTHING that would have divided people further. The only thing that caused any further divisiveness was Blacks displaying any measure of intelligence. Just like here in the U.S.! Which is the REAL reason why racist whites hate Obama so much!
@tiemedown: My aunt once told me as a child, it's not the black man with a gun that white racists fear, it's the black man with a BRAIN! A demand for equal treatment & equal rights is something else that would have INDIRECTLY caused further divisiveness because now, just like back then, all around the world many whites maintain the same racial stereotypes about Blacks that have gone on for centuries! That we are all stupid & criminally challenged & we don't deserve the same benefits as whites!
@jazzsax1965 Dude, all I was saying is that Denzel's character represents nonviolent social change which will eventually benefit everyone. I agree with your assessment that the minute the oppressed are educated, it is inevitable that they will be free. I just maintain that the judge was a person, not against racial equality but concerned about social unrest. Which is why Denzel maintains that racial profiling from either side works against the cause if equality for all is the goal
@tiemedown: And I don't understand how one could come to the conclusion that the judge wasn't racist based on the brief comments he made. I mean come on, do you really think that a white male in that country during that time could attain the position of judge if he DIDN'T share the same beliefs as those of the majority of his white countrymen? I don't think so. Also, white racist views are so EXTREME that they have NO interest in ANYTHING that benefits EVERYONE, only in what benefits THEM!
@jazzsax1965 I think its dangerous to assume that all people in a group are racist, it could easily be that he is a good judge, a believer in equality who simply turned his back on these issues and is now coming to a new understanding. I am not going off his comments, I'm going off his receptive body language compared to the prosecutor. It's equally against the views of Steve Biko to merge any entire people under one negative banner, this film is great because it explores all facets of humanity
@jazzsax1965 It is through good people aligned on systems beyond race, on the above mentioned hope and humanity that facilitate change. I think the prosecutor is rigid emotionally in hie views but the judge represents all the people who were passive, who had been led to believe that the violence and inequality was subject to propaganda from both sides, I think the power in this film is watching the moment a person comes to a new compassion and understanding under the tutilege of a great man
@tiemedown: I agree with your initial comment here but you have to understand that many people in positions of power are not interested in facilitating change aligned on systems beyond race, especially in this country. And if there were anyone in this movie who represented people who were passive they were the whites who attended Biko's funeral & the whites who helped Woods & his family to escape & share the truth of what was going on in South Africa with the rest of the world. Not the judge.
@tiemedown: And I'm obviously missing something here so can you please explain what propaganda was being perpetrated by the blacks who were being suppressed throughout this movie against their white aggressors? Your comment about the power of this film is correct also but how many racist white people who would view this movie would come to that conclusion of new compassion & understanding? Not very many if any at all! Compassion & understanding on this subject is what they seek to AVOID!
Oh, wow, he acts it so brilliantly ... and so does Kelvin Klein. It's such a moving, amazing movie - but it's so awful knowing it all happened in reality. We HAVE to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Comment removed
DJShawnito1989 2 weeks ago
And after the whites were drive out SA is the crime captial of the world. It's not rocket science.
LeCutter 2 months ago
"sir, blacks are not unaware of the hardships they endure or of what the government is doing to them. we want them to stop living in these conditions, to confront them. people must not just give in to these hardships of life.
they must find some way, even in this evironment, to try develop hope. a better hope for themselves and for this country as well. now i think that is what the black consciousness stands for."
hamburgareable 3 months ago
my favourite movie.
remakim2 4 months ago
I must say that afrikaaner is the the most horrible dialekt of the english language I have ever heard.
No wonder no one really likes south african whites.
Marcusx1980 5 months ago
Comment removed
laryea2011 4 months ago
@Marcusx1980 But Afrikaan is Dutch not English!
laryea2011 4 months ago
@laryea2011 No, I know that, but when they attempt english, it sounds so arrogant and negative. Basically because everything apartheid is associated with
Marcusx1980 4 months ago
@Marcusx1980 Isn't accent a more appropriate word?
ShalKekNemRon 1 month ago
RIP
jimfox123sse 5 months ago
Everytime I hear an Afrikaaner accent, I immediately think Apartheid in South Africa....
jusitke07 6 months ago
Being a actor in a scene with Denzel Washington is like being in a debate with Christopher Hitchens. Just give up cause you have already lost.
RightWingHunter666 6 months ago 3
Flip oaks if you wanna write essays go back to school! Great acting about a great story. He tried the accent. Great
somelezo 6 months ago
Can you believe this yahoo won an Oscar for Training Day, but didn't win for this performance?.. What in the ***k?..
roo7227 7 months ago 3
@roo7227 he didnt even get nominated for his role of malcom x ,which is the same kind of movement in america for black rights
cre8tah504 3 months ago
@cre8tah504 Actually, he did get nominated for his portrayal of the slain black civil rights leader... He just lost to a better performance (Al Pacino, in 'Scent of a Woman')... This was 1992, long before actors were shoe ins for an Oscar for playing historical figures (see Phillip Seymore Hoffman, in 'Capote,' and Jamie Foxx in 'Ray').. He did win the British Academy Award for that performance, though, which is still pretty prestigious..
roo7227 3 months ago
"the Govt. does so little my lord that is not worth commenting on" absolutely true. When the govt. does very little to improve the economy or improve the welfare of it's people then we must speak against it.
chicomustreign 8 months ago
I understand the many good points you have listed here as do I understand what you are trying to say about the judge. Because if you look at the scene again & they show the wide angle of the prosecutor with the 4 men sitting to his left, pay close attention to the one to the far left of the prosecutor with the blond hair & check out his response whenever Biko makes a comment. The points you are trying to make about the judge I can clearly see in his reactions to what Biko was trying to say.
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
3:10 Denzel totally broke character for a minute and became Denzel who was gonna kick some ass. Besides that one moment this was one of the best pieces I have ever seen from him, an intimidating actor and a beautiful piece of writing.
tiemedown 10 months ago
I didn't know Denzel could make his voice like this!!
TonyGonzo1988 10 months ago
god bless, this man was born! and i saw that no one disliked this vid^^
Gus19497 11 months ago
Prosecutor gets owned.
AdamAviation 11 months ago
ANTI-WHITISM? WTF? Just like the White Supremacists here in the United States throughout the history of our country, perpetrators of mass murder & such senseless & unnecessary violence against people of color for no ethical or logical reason & then trying to claim themselves somehow as being the VICTIMS of their own ignorance & hatred towards others! How they continue to this day to come to that conclusion time & time again? God only knows.
jazzsax1965 1 year ago
@jazzsax1965 I dont think the judge himself was a racist character, I think he was asking whether or not promoting race itself would inevitably divide people further which in some sense it can ( ie black panther movement). But Denzel's response was perfect, its not about confronting a group but what social elements and misery have separated these potential friends. I agree with your assessment of cowardly bigots but I think this film also showed people ready to accept and learn
tiemedown 10 months ago
@tiemedown: The judge asked why in the documents that Biko wrote did he not mention anything good about the South African Government. If there was anything good or positive portrayed in that movie that was done by the South African Government please point it out to me because I certainly didn't see it & I've seen that movie numerous times. And the Black Panther party was formed as a way for Blacks to protect themselves against white racist aggression they received from not only from..
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown:.the racist white public at large but also against the so called authority figures (specifically white Police & Law Enforcement members) who were not only allowing the racist white citizens to get away with the crimes against humanity they were committing against Blacks by turning a blind eye to their crimes or not prosecuting them but also were committing many of those crimes themselves. NOT an effort to promote the Black race & NOT an equal to the KKK as they are so often depicted!
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
I have no idea what your going on about at this point with all these capitalizations but my argument is that the judge represents passive racism, the kind of person who has been indoctrinated but is willing to accept a peaceful approach at change. While the prosecutor's entire identity is based in this dogma. The Black Panther movement relayed the same dichotomy as say che guevara, militantism that was strongly set apart from the more gentle movements aka MLK and is opposite from Biko's doctrine
tiemedown 10 months ago
@tiemedown: By using these capitalizations I am simply trying to prove a point from the perspective of being a black person in this world. Who like many other blacks throughout history in this country & abroad have been the victims on many occasions of white racists & their aggression towards us. Not on an extreme level as experienced by South Africans during apartheid or my ancestors in this country from the time they were forced here through at least the 1970's, but a victim just the same.
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown: And it dosen't matter which approach we are talking about, the Black Panthers, MLK's or any other black person. The bottom line is that many of the racist whites around this world are TAUGHT to be the way they are. Hate on that level is not something that is inherited but is DRILLED into their minds by the hate mongers of each previous generation. Compassion & understanding & uniting with people of color is not in their vocabulary. Believe me I clearly understand the point....
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown:..you are trying to make but for you to think that is going to happen on some large or grand scale simply by watching this movie is just not realistic thinking but hopeful thinking, like the words John Lennon expressed in his great song "Imagine." And it's not just this movie. There are several movies out there that depict the violence imposed on Blacks by white racists (Rosewood, Mississippi Burning, Ghosts of Mississippi, Amistad, etc. & the only interest ANY white racist or...
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown:..white supremacist has in viewing those movies would be to cheer on the murder & violence. To think that these kinds of people, who have been the way they are for most of their lives, would just change their ways by bringing their attention to the violence imposed in these movies is a DREAM at best. Having these people watch movies like this only makes them long for a time when they were allowed to get away such violence unimpeded while having a laugh about it at the dinner table.
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@jazzsax1965 There we go now I totally understand where youre coming from and I think we agree but got alittle misstepped. I wasnt implying that the judge has any credence to what he was saying, in fact I was saying that his view was one of passive racism, the idea that he had done enough without realiziing he had succumbed to prejudice. But being confronted directly with an intelligent and capable black man actually asks pretty non inflammatory questions, he asks 'arent we doing enough"...
tiemedown 10 months ago
The typical response of a man in government and then addresses the concept of confrontation leading to a race based rebuttal of added segregation. I feel ( and as I havent seen the rest of the film I might be mistaken) that from these concepts, his concern is the state and he has little stake in attacking Biko, while the prosecutor represents what you have pointed out. Other than thinking that the judge is a symbolic representative of slowly changing white society I agree with you entirely
tiemedown 10 months ago
by propaganda I meant the idea that alot of passive observers to racial violence assume that either extreme is fiction. The prosecutor represents this idea; yet the judge looks intently at Biko who is trying to unite everyone in the room with common humanity. I feel like the judge has never seen the atrocities Biko spoke of. My point when mentioning division was that Biko's success was founded in exposing the sameness in people maybe I'm naive in thinking the judge's silence was agreement tho...
tiemedown 10 months ago
@jazzsax1965 Also I hope I didn't offend you when mentioning capitals, I understand your fervor I just got lost when black panthers and obama started flying around. I think you thought I was trying to mitigate the racism in this film and I was just assuming that the screenplay wrote the judge to be aloof but overall sympathetic, perhaps I should watch the entire film before saying so but this scene was just so gorgeous, I got on an equality tangent
tiemedown 10 months ago
@tiemedown: Listen CLOSELY to the ENTIRE response given by Biko after the judge makes the comment about not mentioning anything good that the South African Gov. is doing is inflaming racial hatred & anti-whitism & tell me WHERE in that response is there ANYTHING that would have divided people further. The only thing that caused any further divisiveness was Blacks displaying any measure of intelligence. Just like here in the U.S.! Which is the REAL reason why racist whites hate Obama so much!
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown: My aunt once told me as a child, it's not the black man with a gun that white racists fear, it's the black man with a BRAIN! A demand for equal treatment & equal rights is something else that would have INDIRECTLY caused further divisiveness because now, just like back then, all around the world many whites maintain the same racial stereotypes about Blacks that have gone on for centuries! That we are all stupid & criminally challenged & we don't deserve the same benefits as whites!
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@jazzsax1965 Dude, all I was saying is that Denzel's character represents nonviolent social change which will eventually benefit everyone. I agree with your assessment that the minute the oppressed are educated, it is inevitable that they will be free. I just maintain that the judge was a person, not against racial equality but concerned about social unrest. Which is why Denzel maintains that racial profiling from either side works against the cause if equality for all is the goal
tiemedown 10 months ago
@tiemedown: And I don't understand how one could come to the conclusion that the judge wasn't racist based on the brief comments he made. I mean come on, do you really think that a white male in that country during that time could attain the position of judge if he DIDN'T share the same beliefs as those of the majority of his white countrymen? I don't think so. Also, white racist views are so EXTREME that they have NO interest in ANYTHING that benefits EVERYONE, only in what benefits THEM!
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@jazzsax1965 I think its dangerous to assume that all people in a group are racist, it could easily be that he is a good judge, a believer in equality who simply turned his back on these issues and is now coming to a new understanding. I am not going off his comments, I'm going off his receptive body language compared to the prosecutor. It's equally against the views of Steve Biko to merge any entire people under one negative banner, this film is great because it explores all facets of humanity
tiemedown 10 months ago
@jazzsax1965 It is through good people aligned on systems beyond race, on the above mentioned hope and humanity that facilitate change. I think the prosecutor is rigid emotionally in hie views but the judge represents all the people who were passive, who had been led to believe that the violence and inequality was subject to propaganda from both sides, I think the power in this film is watching the moment a person comes to a new compassion and understanding under the tutilege of a great man
tiemedown 10 months ago
@tiemedown: I agree with your initial comment here but you have to understand that many people in positions of power are not interested in facilitating change aligned on systems beyond race, especially in this country. And if there were anyone in this movie who represented people who were passive they were the whites who attended Biko's funeral & the whites who helped Woods & his family to escape & share the truth of what was going on in South Africa with the rest of the world. Not the judge.
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
@tiemedown: And I'm obviously missing something here so can you please explain what propaganda was being perpetrated by the blacks who were being suppressed throughout this movie against their white aggressors? Your comment about the power of this film is correct also but how many racist white people who would view this movie would come to that conclusion of new compassion & understanding? Not very many if any at all! Compassion & understanding on this subject is what they seek to AVOID!
jazzsax1965 10 months ago
Sadness, bestest movie i have ever scene! with all my emotions mixed together! amazing
xmegaChloex 1 year ago 2
Washington's best movie. Period.
live4rock05 1 year ago
he made all the white ppl in that room look sooo retarded
redfield916 1 year ago 2
"You and I are now in confrontation but I see no violence" Well said
brendanmaz 1 year ago 27
Oh, wow, he acts it so brilliantly ... and so does Kelvin Klein. It's such a moving, amazing movie - but it's so awful knowing it all happened in reality. We HAVE to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Goodyfan17 1 year ago 14
Denzel should have got best supporting actor for this role hands down.
bigman9099 1 year ago
yeh man awesome movie... cried during it. praise the black people.
aristocrat156 1 year ago
Appreciate the mans vision but its not the reality of South Africa.
DIJV79 1 year ago
excellent movie!!
wolfstev76 1 year ago
we watched this for my religion class, an my teacher was crying though ot the whole movie. i thought it was a good movie
thefalstini 1 year ago
EQUALITY ACT 2010 imao
tomaluta 1 year ago
Anti-Whitism? Is this judge serious?
askido351 1 year ago
I like this speech
mphodoyoyo 1 year ago
PwNaGe
Mankind5490 1 year ago
HOLY SHIT. I take back all my thoughts of Denzel Washington not being characteristically versatile. Wow.
ToksPianoTube 1 year ago
Thank you for posting. This was Denzel's FIRST academy award worthy performance.
gixrider72 1 year ago 3