Mississippi Burning [Blu-ray]

Overview

Mississippi Burning is an all-names-changed dramatization of the Ku Klux Klan's murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. Investigating the mysterious disappearances of the three activists are FBI agents Gene Hackman (older, wiser) and Willem Dafoe (younger, idealistic). A Southerner himself, Hackman charms and cajoles his way through the tight-lipped residents of a dusty Mississippi town while Dafoe acts upon the evidence gleaned by his partner. Hackman solves the case by exerting his influence upon beauty-parlor worker Frances McDormand, who wishes to exact revenge for the beatings inflicted upon her by her Klan-connected husband Brad Dourif. Many critics took the film to task for its implication that the Civil Rights movement might never have gained momentum without its white participants; nor were the critics happy that the FBI was shown to utilize tactics as brutal as the Klan's. The title Mississippi Burning is certainly appropriate: nearly half the film is taken up with scenes of smoke and flame.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/18/2019
UPC:	0738329237738
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	R
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	2:07:00

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Director Alan Parker; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gene Hackman	Anderson
Willem Dafoe	Ward
Frances McDormand	Mrs. Pell
Brad Dourif	Deputy Pell
R. Lee Ermey	Mayor Tilman
Gailard Sartain	Sheriff Stuckey
Stephen Tobolowsky	Townley
Michael Rooker	Frank Bailey
Pruitt Taylor Vince	Lester Cowens
Kevin Dunn	Agent Bird
Badja Djola	Agent Monk
Tom Mason	Judge,Farmer
Geoffrey Nauffts	Goatee
Rick Zieff	Passenger
Gladys Greer	Hattie
Jake Gipson	Mose
Dianne Lancaster	Waitress
Stanley W. Collins	Hollis
Daniel Winford	Fennis
Marc Clement	Floyd Swilley
Larry Shuler	Earl Cooke
Bob Penny	Curtis Foy
James F. Moore	Barber
Park Overall	Connie
Darius McCrary	Aaron Williams
Lou Walker	Vertis Williams
Billie Jean Young	Mrs. Williams
Pat Funderburk	Pell Maid
Charles Franzen	Interviewer & Reporter
Harry S. Franklin	SNCC Inteviewer
Jesse Merle Speaks	Pecan Vendor
Simeon Teague	Obie Walker
Tonea Stewart	Mrs. Walker
Harry Quick	Doctor
Robert F. Colesberry	Cameraman
Frederick Zollo	Reporter
Judy Sasser	Neighbor Woman
Ralnardo Davis	Willie
Paul Saveles	Trooper
Tobin Bell	Agent Stokes
Daniel Chapman	Agent Macmillan
Rick Washburn	Agent Brodsky
Robert Glaudini	Agent Nash
Ken Magee	Agent Reilly
E.A. Thrall	Agent Tubbs
Bernice Poindexter	Grieving Mother
Brenda Dunlap	Mrs. Cowens
Lannie Spann McBride	Gospel Singer
Georgia F. Wise	Beauty Parlor Woman
Barry Davis Jim Sr.	Choctaw Man
John Fertitta	TV Commentator,TV Commentator
Dan Desmond	TV Commentator
Alisa R. Patrick	Church Soloist
Barbara Gibson	Church Soloist
Linda Fuller	Interviewee
George Isbell	Interviewee
Ethel L. Mayes	Interviewee,Interviewee
Virginia Bennett	SNCC Interviewee
James Lloyd	SNCC Interviewee
Cullen Gilliland	Lawyer
Zeke Davidson	Lawyer
Mark Jeffrey Miller	Fire Bomber
Ed Geldart	Fire Bomber
Mert Hatfield	Fire Bomber
James Eric	Fire Bomber
Ron De Roxtra	Reporter
Doug Jackson	Reporter
Gary Moody	Reporter
Robert Erickson	Reporter
John Brook	Reporter
Thomas B. Mason	Judge
Christopher White	Black Passenger
Stephen Bridgewater	Wesley Cooke
Lois Allen	Beauty Parlor Woman 2
Frankie R. Faison	Eulogist
Howard Feuer	Actor
Juliet Taylor	Actor
Dwight Boyd	Interviewee
Rick Washburne	Agent Brodsky
Trevor Jones	Composer

Technical Credits

Alan Parker

Chris Gerolmo

Chris Geroimo

Alan Parker	Director,Screenwriter
Chris Gerolmo	Screenwriter
Robert F. Colesberry	Producer
Stan Parks	Special Effects
John Robotham	Stunts
Frederick Zollo	Producer
Chris Geroimo	Screenwriter
Howard Feuer	Casting
Juliet Taylor	Casting
Rick Kline	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

This gripping drama about two FBI agents investigating the 1963 Mississippi murder of three Northern civil rights workers is great filmmaking. Rich with authentic period detail and incredibly tense, Mississippi Burning fairly smolders with rage and incipient violence. Featuring some terrific performances from Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, and Frances McDormand, its scenes of dialogue are often more exciting than its bloody, fiery showdowns. The film raised some controversy for its seeming conviction that the civil rights movement was entirely a function of helpful white people, but remains an undeniably powerful experience in spite of its often offensive paternalism.

All Movie Guide - Robert Firsching