Articles

Arthur, Paul.

"Hollywood: the dustbin of history." ("Mississippi Burning," and the portrayal of history in movies) (column) USA Today (Magazine) v117, n2528 (May, 1989):35 (1 page).

Bland, Elizabeth L.; White, Jack E.; Corliss, Richard.

"Fire This Time": with incendiary drama and and lightning pace, Mississippi Burning illuminates an ugly chapter in American history - and stokes a bitter debate. (includes related articles on Gene Hackman and the controversy surrounding the movie). Time v133, n2 (Jan 9, 1989):56 (6 pages).

Brinson, Susan L.

"The Myth of White Superiority in 'Mississippi Burning.'" Southern Communication Journal v60, n3 (Spring, 1995):211 (11 pages).

Canby, Vincent.

"America Seen Through Alien Eyes."(foreign directors Alan Parker and Costa-Gavras differ in their approach to American racism in the films "Mississippi Burning" and "Betrayed") New York Times v138, sec2 (Sun, Dec 18, 1988):H13(N), H13(L), col 1, 28 col in.

Canby, Vincent.

"Taking Risks to Illuminate a Painful Time in America. ("Mississippi Burning") New York Times v138, sec2 (Sun, Jan 8, 1989):H1(N), H1(L), col 1, 39 col in.

Carter, Hodding III.

"Film Hides Real Heroes of Freedom Summer, 1964." ("Mississippi Burning") (column) Wall Street Journal (Thu, Dec 15, 1988):A15(W), A19(E), col 4, 16 col in.

Chajua, S. K.

"'Mississippi Burning'" Radical History Review, 1989 Fall, N45:125-136.

"Civil Rights, Burned". (critique of motion-picture 'Mississippi Burning') (editorial) New York Times v138 (Fri, Dec 30, 1988):A10(N), A30(L), col 1, 5 col in.

Davis, Thulani.

"Civil Rights and Wrongs." (Mississippi Burning, a film that recreates the murder of 3 civil rights activists in 1964) (includes related article on producer Fred Zollo) American Film v14, n3 (Dec, 1988):32 (10 pages).

Dessommes, Nancy Bishop.

"Hollywood in hoods: the portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan in popular film." Journal of Popular Culture v32, n4 (Spring, 1999):13 (1 page).

Most people in the US have obtained their knowledge of the Ku Klux Klan through motion pictures, with Klan members portrayed as gangs of ignorant, incompetent Southern white men who attack innocent blacks. The film portrayals are historically inaccurate, with the Klan a highly organized movement. The motion picture adaptation of 'Gone with the Wind' made no reference to the Klan, despite their prominence in the novel. The Klan is portrayed as a violent vigilante organisation in later films, such as 'Mississippi Burning.' Some of the Klan scenes in 'Fried Green Tomatoes,' such as public floggings, are inaccurate.

Doherty, T.

"'Mississippi Burning'" Cineaste, 1989, V17 N2:48-50.

"Gottwald's Cap." (Mississippi Burning) (editorial) Commonweal v116, n3 (Feb 10, 1989):67 (2 pages).

Kifner, John.

"Mississippi in '64: Fact vs. Fantasy." (movie 'Freedom on My Mind' accurately conveys events of the struggle for civil rights in the South during the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964, whereas the... New York Times v143 (Wed, July 6, 1994):A13(N), B3(L), col 6, 17 col in.

King, Coretta Scott.

"Hollywood's Latest Perversion: the Civil-Rights Era as a White Experience." (film 'Mississippi Burning'; the tribulations of white people during black freedom struggle) (column) Los Angeles Times v108, secII (Tue, Dec 13, 1988):7, col 1, 12 col in.

King, Wayne.

"Fact vs. Fiction in Mississippi. (movie, 'Mississippi Burning' deals with killing of civil rights workers; includes related article) New York Times v138, sec2 (Sun, Dec 4, 1988):H15(N), H15(L), col 1, 46 col in.

Lerner, Michael.

"Mississippi Burning." (motion picture) (editorial) Tikkun v4, n2 (March-April, 1989):8 (2 pages).

Madison, Kelly J.

"Legitimation Crisis and Containment: The "Anti-Racist-White-Hero" Film." (Critical Essay) Critical Studies in Mass Communication v16, n4 (Dec, 1999):399 (18 pages).

Author Abstract: "This essay examines the way in which collective memories of struggles for African peoples' equality are constructed in mainstream film. From the late eighties to the late nineties, the film industry produced a series of thematically similar films dealing with struggles against white supremacy in the U.S. and in South Africa. In this essay I argue that movements for equality created a legitimation crisis for white supremacist patriarchal capitalism in general and white identity in particular. A textual analysis is presented in which it is argued that mainstream film helped "contain" this legitimation crisis by circulating paternalistic white supremacist discourses through which to remember key historical moments in the struggles against white supremacy. These "anti racist-white-hero films" are placed in the larger cultural context of backlash through which white supremacist patriarchal capitalism has sought to regain legitimacy in the U.S. over the past three decades." COPYRIGHT 1999 Speech Communication Association.

Marquand, Robert.

"Feelings Smolder Over 'Burning' Issue." (Blacks upset over portrayal of civil rights movement in 'Mississippi Burning') Christian Science Monitor v81, n62 (Fri, Feb 24, 1989):11, col 3, 9 col in.

McPherson, James Alan.

"Burning Memories, Mississippi 1964." (reflections on seeing "Mississippi Burning") (column) New York Times v138 (Sat, Jan 14, 1989):15(N), 25(L), col 5, 26 col in.

Minor, Bill.

"Mississippi truth: though it's pure Hollywood, the movie got the spirit right." (Mississippi Maze: 25 Years of Sullivan) Quill v77, n3 (March, 1989):24 (3 pages).

Moore, Mike.

"Mucking Up History." (journalistic importance of 'Mississippi Burning') (Mississippi Maze: 25 Years of Sullivan) (editorial) Quill v77, n3 (March, 1989):2.

Nielsen, Aldon L.

"Nostalgia and the racial epiphany." CLA Journal v39, n2 (Dec, 1995):195 (13 pages).

White Americans' cultural works that show Blacks in a negative light are criticized. In the movie 'Driving Miss Daisy,' Whites are shown to be the object of Blacks' manipulation, while in 'Mississippi Burning,' Black people are portrayed as helpless beings who are unable to chart their own fate. Poems that appear to condemn racism like that of Dave Smith, Ellen Bryant Voigt and Brooks Haxton still fail to dislodge racial status.

Ressner, Jeffrey.

"The Burning Truth; Director Alan Parker's Latest Movie Tries To Tell It Like it Was in Mississippi in 1964." Rolling Stone, n539 (Nov 17, 1988):45 (2 pages).

Smith, Gavin.

"'Mississippi' Gambler; Alan Parker Rides Again."(director of "Mississippi Burning") Film Comment v24, n6 (Nov-Dec, 1988):26 (5 pages).

Salvaggio, David William.

"Mississippi travelin' a teacher's portrait of the South with continued racism." Education v111, n4 (Summer, 1991):568 (5 pages).

Author Abstract: "The summer of 1989 witnessed the 25th anniversary of the infamous murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi. This manuscript includes interviews with parents and teachers concerning the controversial movie, "Mississippi Burning," the dramatic and somewhat fictional story of those senseless killings. The controversy of these unsolved murders continues, as recently shown by NBC's television production of "Murder in Mississippi." This manuscript carefully separates the facts from fiction, s the public should be made aware of what really happened. When a California student asked his teacher about racism in today's deep South, the teacher traveled to Mississippi in search of answers. In territory unknown to him, he studied Faulkner and interviewed both blacks and whites. Most of the whites he interviewed were blatantly racist and also reluctant to discuss the still unsolved murders. He interviewed a former cell mate of the murder suspects. He was also shown another suspect, a former sheriff. He found that racism is still taught by many parents and teachers. The following is an abridged account of his travels. Readers are advised to view "Mississippi Burning;" available at most video stores." COPYRIGHT Project Innovation 1991.

Staples, Brent.

'Mississippi Burning': generating heat or light; cinematic segregation in a story about civil rights. (includes related article on "A Soldiers Story") New York Times v138, sec2 (Sun, Jan 8, 1989):H1(N), H1(L), col 3, 38 col in.

Swislow, William.

"Mississippi morass: when Hollywood messes with history, everyone stands to lose." (Mississippi Maze: 25 Years of Sullivan) Quill v77, n3 (March, 1989):20 (6 pages).

Will, George F.

'Mississippi Burning': A Flawed Account." (overdramatization and inaccurate presentation of facts) Washington Post v112 (Thu, Jan 12, 1989):A19, col 1, 16 col in.

Yarrow, M.

"Burning Mississippi, Letters Home, Hollywood History (Reflections Of A Freedom-Rider In The Civil-Rights Movement)" Appalachian Journal, 1989 Fall, V17 N1:50-58.

Reviews

Links to full-text reviews (via Movie Review Query Engine at Telerama)

Ansen, David.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Newsweek v112, n24 (Dec 12, 1988):72 (2 pages).

Canby, Vincent.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) New York Times v138 (Fri, Dec 9, 1988):B1(N), C12(L), col 1, 15 col in.

Denby, David.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) New York v21, n48 (Dec 5, 1988):180.

French, Sean.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Sight and Sound v58, n2 (Spring, 1989):132.

Johnson, Brian D.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Maclean's v101, n53 (Dec 26, 1988):61.

Kael, Pauline.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) New Yorker v64, n45 (Dec 26, 1988):73 (3 pages).

Kauffmann, Stanley.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) New Republic v200, n2-3 (Jan 9, 1989):24.

Klawans, Stuart.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Nation v248, n1 (Jan 2, 1989):26.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Economist v310, n7584 (Jan 7, 1989):79.

O'Brien, Tom.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Commonweal v116, n1 (Jan 13, 1989):20.

Peerman, Dean.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Christian Century v105, n39 (Dec 21, 1988):1188.

Salamon, Julie.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Wall Street Journal (Thu, Dec 8, 1988):A12(W), A20(E), col 1, 18 col in.

Schickel, Richard.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Time v132, n23 (Dec 5, 1988):90.

Shipman, David.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Contemporary Review v259, n1507 (August, 1991):103.

Simon, John.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) National Review v41, n4 (March 10, 1989):55 (2 pages).

Sitkoff, Harvard.

"Mississippi Burning." (movie reviews) Journal of American History v76, n3 (Dec, 1989):1019 (2 pages).