March 19, 1998 -- One of the five nominees for an Oscar in Documentary Feature, Spike Lee's powerful film, "4 Little Girls," is currently being distributed on HBO. This historical documentary looks back at the fateful 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The bombing that killed Denise, Cynthia, Addie, and Carol became a turning point for the civil rights movement in the South. Lee fills the screen with the faces and the personalities of the girls through childhood pictures and the very personal memories of the surviving families and friends. When the candid pictures are presented, they are often off center; the camera is shaky, almost purposefully lacking focus. Lee's camera seems to be telling us immediately that even making the film was unsettling. But what keeps this film from being overly sentimental is his exploration of Birmingham's racism. He frames the little girl's deaths around a sixties city living a reality of racism of the worst kind, overt and frequent acts of hatred violence. The images of hate are related through archival footage of Police Commissioner Bull Conner, who represents "the dark side of Birmingham," fire hoses shooting stinging streams of water, guard dogs leaping and biting at black demonstrators, and convicted bomber, "Dynamite" Bob Chambliss smirking during his trial. There are interview comments made by Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, Walter Cronkite, Ossie Davis, and many others who give this horrible and terrifying act of terrorism a perspective. Cronkite states that "at that moment (the bombing), Americans understood the real hate that was preventing integration." Noting the determination of civil rights leaders, Davis says, "you can burn'em down, but not as fast as we can rebuild them."

Despite the ugliness of the racist sounds and images, the film has a soft and sensitive feel. From Joan Baez's opening melody to the concluding song, "4 Little Girls," the music soundtrack keeps the viewer connected to the human tragedy of four innocent but violent deaths. The mothers, fathers, sisters, aunts, and friends remember. They remember so vividly. Their testimonies pull us into the community, into daily activities that reveal an atmosphere of racial tension. Yet, we imagine the sweetness and childhood charm of these little girls, who might have "become doctors or teachers." These four poignant stories are intertwined with the background of Birmingham's racial strife, slowly building to the day of the bombing. Lee uses a standard production approach in his historical documentary, but his sensitivity to the surviving family members makes them more heroes than victims because of their courage and perspective.

Spike Lee is a popular and highly respected black feature filmmaker. Although this may be just another civil rights documentary, the need to recognize more black film directors and actors may influence this documentary as an Oscar winner.

This documentary will air on HBO west on March 26 at 4:15 p.m. and on the following midnight, mountain time. It will also air at 12:30 p.m. on April 4, on TCI in Laramie, according to the HBO monthly schedule found at the HBO home page. When you get there, select "schedule," then enter your area code and select the appropriate cable or other provider. Then select "month" under view options. Use control "f" and enter "4 Little Girls" in the search field to find the days and times the documentary will be shown in your area.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Mike McElreath can be reached via e-mail as MikeM@uwyo.edu