King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis is a 1970 documentary film of Martin Luther King Jr. and his creation and leadership of the nonviolent campaign for civil rights and social and economic justice in the Civil Rights Movement.
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Theatrical release poster
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King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis uses only original newsreel and other primary material, in covering the period from the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 through his assassination in 1968.
The newsreel segments are framed by celebrity narrators Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III, and Joanne Woodward.
The movie was produced by Ely Landau and directed by Sidney Lumet (the only documentary he directed) and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
When first released, it was shown in over 500 theaters as “one-time-only” event on March 24, 1970, for one night only.
After the screening, prints of the film were to be given to the Martin Luther King Jr. Special Fund for distribution in schools and for civic groups.
Tickets were priced at $5 and the event was estimated to have generated $2 million which went to the Fund.
Oscar Context
It was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar
Critical Status:
In 1999, this film was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry.
Rerelease:
After its “one-time-only” showing it was occasionally seen on commercial television (unedited and with limited interruption) and
For a short period, it was released for home video on the Pacific Arts label and distributed to the educational market by Richard Kaplan Productions. Then for years it was no longer available and rarely seen. In 2010 Richard Kaplan, who felt that King should be seen by a new generation, set up not-for-profit company, A Filmed Record Inc., and produced a DVD using master elements.
A Filmed Record, Inc. released the DVD and King was once again available after 40 years of being a “lost” film.
In 2012 A Filmed Record, Inc. (with the cooperation of the estate of Ely Landau producer of original film) gave Kino Lorber worldwide exclusive rights to distribute King.
Kino Lorber, Inc., in partnership with Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art, restored and remastered the original enabling 35 mm prints and made the film available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Kino Lorber and Kaplan prepared nationwide commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, screened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinématek on August 13, 2013, followed by a screening at Film Forum on August 28, 2013.
Kino Lorber is also launching an educational outreach campaign to provide a 24-minute abridged version (titled “Legacy of a Dream”) to every high school in America.
Cast:
Narrated by Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III, Joanne Woodward
Credits:
Directed by Sidney Lumet, Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Produced by Ely Landau
Edited by Lora Hayes, John N. Carter
Music by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Production: Commonwealth United Entertainment
Distributed by Martin Luther King Film Project
Release date: March 24, 1970
Running time: 185 minutes
