For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 12, 2015

Medgar Evers (Howard E. Rollins Jr.) is a black insurance salesman living in 1950s Mississippi. He's offered a position to head the new NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) regional office in Jackson, a position he enthusiastically accepts. His wife Myrlie (Irene Cara), however, disapproves and fears for her husband's safety. Evers works hard to secure equal rights and finds much success, but he also faces the deeply rooted obstacles of prejudice that hold him back and, as his wife feared, put his life in danger.

The film states up front that it strives to offer only a portrait of Evers' "essence," which it admirably accomplishes. Originally aired on PBS on March 22, 1983, the film often feels like a product of its era in terms of technical craftsmanship, but its ideas, and its character, transcend generations and carry on as a symbol of freedom and equal rights. The film enjoys several excellent performances, chiefly from Rollins Jr. and Cara. Look for support performances from a couple of recognizable faces in Paul Winfield and Laurence Fishburne.

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story features a passably meager 1080p transfer. IMDB lists the movie as having a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but it's presented here at 1.85:1. The movie does not appear at all stretched or unnaturally shaped. Certainly, with an original 1983 air date, the film did indeed screen at 1.33:1 -- standard in the day -- but appears to have been photographed at 1.85:1 and reformatted for television. As for the transfer itself, it's nothing to write home about. Grain is thick, and so is noise, occasionally, and so too is wear and tear. Mild blocking is a problem, too. The image presents adequate detailing, with faces, clothes, old wood, and natural exterior elements showing a decent bit of general sharpness and noticeable texturing, but hardly enough to excite. Colors are likewise uninteresting, falling in a bland middle ground where they're neither pleasantly vibrant nor disappointingly dull. Black levels push to crush and flesh tones favor a mild warmth, at times.

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story arrives on Blu-ray with a nuts-and-bolts DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue wavers a bit throughout, favoring a shallowness in spots and a hollow and tinny delivery elsewhere but a decent middle ground of acceptable clarity and definition for the duration. Music lacks precision and the 2.0 track pushes it towards the middle for a "phantom center" effect. Crowd cheers, crashes, gunshots, and other elements lack even a modicum of precision, favoring a range from dull to piercing. The track is good enough to get the listener through the movie but accomplishes nothing more.

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story contains only the film's trailer (1080p, 0:32).

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story is a fine biopic of one of the most storied, but sometimes overlooked, figures of the Civil Rights era. The film boasts several fine performances and, even as it shows a bit of age in terms of style, offers a timeless story of perseverance for one's beliefs against overwhelming odds. Olive Films' Blu-ray release features bland video and audio. A thirty-second trailer comprises the entirety of the supplements. The film is worth seeing, but the Blu-ray is best enjoyed as a rental or a purchase at a very steep discount.