There will always be problems with those that end up nominated for Best Picture in awards such as the Oscars, especially with the extension to ten nominees that favors the diversity of tone and style of films but also marks a predominance of small productions. Those films that currently do not really have glare with the public until they get the awards, although it is not that they had the attention of the spectators before.
That is not a problem of quality on the part of the films (many of those small ones end up being the most excellent of the block of nominees), but it is true that they would not make the cut in other years due to a mere matter of competition. Before it was more common to have commercial adult films that managed to reach and have some artistic significance. Put another way, there were powerful movies that studios spent money on to make them flashy. There were things like ‘Mississippi Burns‘.
the flame of hate
This prodigious film by Alan Parker, which we can see today through platforms such as Filmin or Movistar+, is the kind of great film that is no longer made. With great actors, a director with narrative strength but who does not impose his style on the organic development of a well-written story and production value necessary for him to shine. And also, a good union between making adult entertainment and serious social denunciation.
The film introduces us to two FBI agents with different personalities and experiences, played by Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe, who in the 1960s come to investigate some violent events in a southern town. These events involve from human rights activist groups to the black communities of the region.
And it is that everything points to deeply rooted racism in the area, with links to the Ku Klux Klan and clear vindication of white supremacy. Both citizens and political representatives of the region defend the separation of races and criticize government agencies that come from elitist areas trying to impose ways of thinking that attack traditions. Yeah this takes place in the sixties though attitudes and some speeches have not been left so far behindas we unfortunately see almost daily.
‘Mississippi is burning’: hot thriller
The film doesn’t mess around with its social denunciation of racism, and it’s especially poignant for several reasons. One is his clear renunciation of classic and easy melodramatic elements, opting for a very raw realism that makes it even more intense. Another is the spectacular tone of police and criminal thriller that is so well managed both in narrative rhythm and in performances, where in addition to some superb Hackman and Dafoe we also find a brilliant Frances McDormand transcending the kind of minor role that she has been assigned.
Parker manages to make everything go hand in hand to make a powerful film and does not neglect anything. He doesn’t try to sweeten the pill for the viewer, though he does keep them entertained and tense. He doesn’t try to soften the message, as the subject is serious enough for that.
And he always allows the story to unfold naturally, without neglecting it. That’s why it’s a whole movie, of those who could have the respect of the industry and the public at the same time. The kind of movie that studios don’t spend money on anymore.
In Espinof | Essential films, documentaries and series about racial conflict in the United States