Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie Review

Poor A/V and no supplements but still worthwhile for educational purposes.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 28, 2015

Emancipation Road chronicles the story of the African-American experience from the slave trade of centuries past to the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, the first African-American to hold the office. The seven-part documentary is essentially a history text come to life, filled with not simply facts and figures but a tangible lifeblood that recreates history rather than merely regurgitates history. The film features a gripping narrative as told by Narrator Coby Batty, whose soothing yet authoritative delivery eases viewers into history, both its most triumphant moments and its most despicable transgressions. The film sometimes feels like little more than readings of select biographical snippets, particularly in the final few episodes, but there's nevertheless a tangible sense of life to the entire experience, a terrific, oftentimes enthralling cadence that should satisfy all but the most sleepy-eyed student. The series, then, is excellent for classroom duty; each of the seven episodes clock in around 50 minutes in length, making them perfect for lesson reinforcement and fit for history classes from middle school to college overview courses, though there are a few utterances of the "N" word and one image of the "F" word (written on a soldier's helmet), all presented in a purely historical context only with no malice intended.

Below is a breakdown of what's discussed in each episode.

Disc One:

The Shadows of Slavery (48:16 runtime)

The film's first segment offers a thorough yet quickly moving examination of the beginnings of slavery through the end of the American Civil War. The early European slave trade and slavery in the Americas comes into focus, examining the slavery in the Caribbean sugar plantations and the Virginia tobacco farms. It examines the realities of indentured servitude and the writing of slavery -- and slave punishment -- into law in American colonies. It moves on to look at Thomas Jefferson's decrying of slavery, believing that it was contrary to American ideals, including the notion that "all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." The piece examines the growing divide between the abolitionist North and the Slave-holding South and the emergence of the Northwest Ordinance and the Missouri Compromise. Also featured is Turner's Rebellion, the case of Dred Scott, the Harper's Ferry raid, and the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The piece closes with a quick run-through of the Civil War, including President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, black units fighting in the Civi War (including the unit depicted in the film Glory), the South's surrender, and the assassination of President Lincoln days following the formal cessation of hostilities.

The Emancipation Proclamation (47:56 runtime)

The second part of the seven-part series focuses much of its attention on the life and times of two prominent African-American pioneers of the day: Frederick Douglass, whose work with the abolitionist movement, and later with the women's rights movement, made him an icon of his time; and Joseph Rainey, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The piece also examines three Constitutional Amendments passed during the Reconstruction Period, including the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States; the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to all persons naturalized or born in the United States, including former and recently freed slaves, while also forbidding the states from denying any man life, liberty, or property without the due process of law; and the 15th Amendment, which granted African-American men the right to vote. Lastly, this segment examines the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the "Black Codes," and the beginnings of the Jim Crow era which would last for almost a century until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

Separate But Equal (55:22 runtime)

"Separate But Equal" begins with a study of the Memphis and New Orleans Riots of 1866, events which embodied the racial tensions that remained in the post-Civil War era. The segment moves on to examine the Second, Third, and Fourth Reconstruction Acts and the parallel Southern Jim Crow laws. The Plessy v. Ferguson case and "Minstrelsy" entertainment, in which white people painted black poked fun of the black way of life, are also highlighted. This program spends the majority of its runtime on several prominent African-Americans of the time, including Educator Booker T. Washington, Botanist George Washington Carver, Musician Scott Joplin, Boxer Jack Johnson, and Henry Ossian Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point.

Regardless of the Color of One's Skin (50:08 runtime)

This episode focuses on African-American life and important individuals who made an impact across several areas of concern in the first half of the 20th century in post-slavery United States and in the shadow of new hate and segregation. It further focuses on the formation of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), highlighting its first President, Moorfield Storey, and W.E.B. Du Bois, the only black member of the board. The piece examines Du Bois' life in some detail, including his involvement in the publication The Crisis. The piece also examines the life of Marcus Garvey and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Fair Employment Practices Commission. Dominating this segment, however, is a study of the role of African Americans in both World War I and World War II and the importance of three black athletes to rise to fame in the first half of the 20th century: Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson.

Disc Two:

The Double Victory (51:47 runtime)

The Double Victory focuses on the equal rights movement in the years following World War II, with special emphasis on key people and movements that sparked the push for equality in the wake of the brutal murder of young Emmett Till. The segment examines the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education court case while also studying the trying life of young Ruby Bridges, a black girl in an otherwise all-white school who, for her first year, was segregated from her fellow white students. The piece looks at the rise of "sit-ins" and the "Freedom Riders." The episode additionally examines several key individuals from the time, including Marian Anderson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Medgar Evers.

The Civil Rights Era (49:41 runtime)

The story pushes through the tumultuous 1960s and the story of the struggle for expanded civil rights. The piece examines a number of events and people that defined the times, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968. It focuses on the bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama; the infamous "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march; and Alabama Governor George Wallace's insistence that state schools remain segregated, his personal blockage of the doors of the University of Alabama, and President Kennedy's order that troops facilitate the entry of African American students Vivian Malone and James Hood into the school. The piece also examines the role of African Americans in the Vietnam Conflict, the first in which they served in a fully integrated army. This segment also examines civil rights figureheads such as Thurgood Marshall and Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopalian who took a bullet meant for Ruby Sales. Also included is a brief look at the rise of Motown. Finally, the segment covers the life, work, and assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Heroes of Hope (50:40 runtime)

This final episode primarily examines the rise of African American politicians and key leaders in the years following the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. The piece focuses on individuals such as Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm; Douglas Wilder, the nation's first African-American state governor; and Barack Obama, the country's first black president. The piece also highlights individuals such as Jesse Jackson and Colin Powell. Also included is a look at the origins of February's "Black History Month" and the television program "Roots." The Rodney King riots and the O.J. Simpson trial are also covered. The piece ends with a 10-minute recap of the entire seven-part program.

Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Emancipation Road's 1080p transfer is simple and unassuming while plagued with little bits or visual irritation. In its rare, newly captured digital images of buildings and the like, skies are frequently washed out, banding is frequent, and aliasing is evident, though basic details and colors are satisfying. Elsewhere, in older footage and photographs, colors appear drained, black levels are pale, interlacing artifacts appear throughout, and clumps of compression artifacts are often evident. Recreated historical footage, of which there is a fair bit, plays with terribly flat and glossy video, but general details such as clothes and skin textures satisfy on a very basic HD level. A few scenes show some deliberate marring to make them appear old, when in fact it's simply HD video with specks and pops and vertical lines added on top. Historical photographs and document imagery are understandably rough around the edges. This isn't a presentation that videophiles will cherish, but it gets the job done and shouldn't be an issue in the classroom or other, similar environments where technical prowess isn't critical.

Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Emancipation Road arrives on Blu-ray with an unsurprisingly lackluster Dolby Digital 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The audio is meant to convey information, not dazzle the senses. It's simple and straightforward, presenting music that spreads to the sides and narration and voiceovers that hover in the middle. Musical fidelity is lacking but adequate, with absolutely no body or sense of lifelike transparency. Dialogue is suitably clear but occasionally feels clunky, muddy, and crackly. A light underlying hiss is sometimes audible, particularly in voiceovers that are distinct from the general narration.

Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Emancipation Road contains no supplemental content on either included Blu-ray disc. Menu options are limited to choosing any of the included episodes on each disc.

Emancipation Road Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Emancipation Road is a well-done Documentary that lacks the flash and polish of those afforded a bigger budget. Its primary purpose is sharing information in a simple but thorough manner, built on its narrative with its visuals, which are sometimes clumsy, serving only as supportive pieces. Considering the low entry cost, this release will find service both for the purposes of classroom instruction as well as for anyone with an interest in United States history. Beware, however, the poor video, bland audio, and absence of any sort of supplemental content. However, this release comes recommended based on the low price point and high quality of its narrative content.