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4
Little Girls, 1997, 102 minutes, NR
By Carla Robinson
Marry
Spike’s prowess with weaving historical tales with his skill as a
documentarian, and American filmmaking just doesn’t get any better.
4 Little Girls, his 1997 documentary on the 1963 bombing of the 16th
Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, is wondrous in its
evocation of a dark time in American history, one which most would
soon forget.
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Yet the lesson of 4 Little Girls is that we must never forget. Of
course, there are the usual harsh reasons why we need to remember: so
that we can fight Black voter apathy, the dismantling of Affirmative
Action, institutionalized racism, and all the rest. But there is a
deeper reason-because we said we’d overcome, and, for the most part,
we did.
Through reliving the terrorization of these Black,
mostly middle-class, church-going folk, the monstrosity of racial hatred becomes clear.
But the triumph of the Black spirit becomes radiant. Bombing victim Denise McNair’s
parents are still together. And they look remarkably young, as do many of the Blacks who
were interviewed. I searched their faces for the weight of their experiences and
didn’t find it there. Instead, I found victory.
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It is always difficult to look back on our
journey, and, though I’d seen every other Spike Lee joint, I’d put off watching
this one. Before now, I’d felt obligated, but not motivated, to see it. I didn’t
want to deal. It’s too bad, because this stunning portrayal of a pivotal moment in
the Civil Rights Movement is Spike Lee’s most groundbreaking work.
M
March 2000
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