4 Little Girls
Encyclopedia
4 Little Girls is a 1997 American
historical documentary film about the 1963 murder of four African-American girls during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
in Birmingham, Alabama
, United States. It was directed by Spike Lee
and nominated for an Academy Award
for "Best Documentary
".
The incident is the subject of the 1964 song "Birmingham Sunday" by Richard
and Mimi Fariña
. The song was used in the opening sequence of the film, performed by Mimi's sister, Joan Baez
.
4 Little Girls premiered Wednesday, June 25, 1997 at the Guild 50th Street Theatre in New York City. It was produced by 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
, Lee's production company, and Home Box Office (HBO).
According to McNair, one reason he changed his mind about supporting Lee's film idea ten years later was the depth and precision of Lee's research, saying on the eve of the film's release that "[i]t's very important that this be done accurately and correctly. In all his research he showed that he was objective and seeking a broad section of opinion. I'm a stickler for the facts."
Lee also said his original plan was for the film to be a dramatic reproduction of the incident, but he later decided that that format would not be the best way to tell this important story.
Once funding was secured, Lee went down to Birmingham with a very small skeleton film crew. His goal was to make the families feel as comfortable as possible. Two major contributors who made up that crew were Ellen Kuras
, as the Director of Photography, and Sam Pollard, as the producer/editor. Lee developed a relationship with Ellen Kuras on an HBO project called Subway Stories
, an anthology of short films compiled by Jonathan Demme
. Lee's film never made the final cut due in part to conflict between Lee and Demme, however, the working partnership between Lee and Kuras was born.
Kuras said of her desire to shoot 4 Little Girls, "I was really interested because my background is in political documentaries ... I always felt that one of the reasons that I had got into filmmaking was that I wanted to use my craft to be able to say something about the human condition, however I could, in my own humble way. For me this was an opportunity to make a small contribution."
Lee's partnership with Sam Pollard began on Mo' Better Blues
. Pollard was recommended to Spike as a replacement for his long time collaborator Barry Brown, who was busy directing his own film. Pollard initially turned down the initial opportunity because he was busy working on his segments of Eyes on the Prize, but eventually he came around, and has since become one of Lee's most prolific collaborators. Despite the fact that their first few films working together were fiction, Pollard's background was in documentary. Pollard was a key factor in guiding the structure of the film. "Basically it was to help with the conception of the structure, to edit it ... We spent a lot of time screening dailies together. We could come to 40 Acres at 7a.m., and we would spend three hours a day screening dailies for two weeks straight ... We talked, selected all the material that we liked, and I started working on the structure in the editing room. Spike was asking if he needed narration and what the structure should be. I basically said the structure should be that there are parallels-the family, the history of the community—and then they come together on the explosion."
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
historical documentary film about the 1963 murder of four African-American girls during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, United States. It was directed by Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
and nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for "Best Documentary
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
".
The incident is the subject of the 1964 song "Birmingham Sunday" by Richard
Richard Fariña
Richard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
and Mimi Fariña
Mimi Fariña
Mimi Baez Fariña was a singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez .- Early years:Fariña's father, a physicist affiliated with Stanford University and MIT, moved his family...
. The song was used in the opening sequence of the film, performed by Mimi's sister, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
.
4 Little Girls premiered Wednesday, June 25, 1997 at the Guild 50th Street Theatre in New York City. It was produced by 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks is the production company of noted American filmmaker Spike Lee .The company is named after a famous episode of early Reconstruction. In 1865, General Sherman issued "Special Field Order 15", which ordered the distribution of lots of to some freed black families on the...
, Lee's production company, and Home Box Office (HBO).
Production
Lee first became interested in making a film about the Birmingham bombing as a student at New York University in 1983. He read a New York Times Magazine article about the incident and was so moved, he wrote to Chris McNair, the father of victim Denise, asking for permission to tell her story on film. McNair politely turned down the young, aspiring filmmaker's offer. "I was entering my first semester at N.Y.U. So my skills as a filmmaker were nonexistent, and at that time, Chris McNair was still hesitant to talk about it," Lee said in a 1997 interview with Industry Central's The Director's Chair. "I believe timing is everything. So it took ten years of Chris thinking about this and ten years of myself making movies for this to come together."According to McNair, one reason he changed his mind about supporting Lee's film idea ten years later was the depth and precision of Lee's research, saying on the eve of the film's release that "[i]t's very important that this be done accurately and correctly. In all his research he showed that he was objective and seeking a broad section of opinion. I'm a stickler for the facts."
Lee also said his original plan was for the film to be a dramatic reproduction of the incident, but he later decided that that format would not be the best way to tell this important story.
Once funding was secured, Lee went down to Birmingham with a very small skeleton film crew. His goal was to make the families feel as comfortable as possible. Two major contributors who made up that crew were Ellen Kuras
Ellen Kuras
Ellen Kuras ASC is an American cinematographer and director. She has collaborated several times with directors Michel Gondry and Spike Lee.-Filmography:*"Public Speaking" *Away We Go...
, as the Director of Photography, and Sam Pollard, as the producer/editor. Lee developed a relationship with Ellen Kuras on an HBO project called Subway Stories
Subway Stories
Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground was a film made in 1997 and produced by Home Box Office for television. It began as a contest among New Yorkers who submitted stories about their experiences within the New York City Subway. HBO picked ten of the stories and cast mostly well-known or...
, an anthology of short films compiled by Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
. Lee's film never made the final cut due in part to conflict between Lee and Demme, however, the working partnership between Lee and Kuras was born.
Kuras said of her desire to shoot 4 Little Girls, "I was really interested because my background is in political documentaries ... I always felt that one of the reasons that I had got into filmmaking was that I wanted to use my craft to be able to say something about the human condition, however I could, in my own humble way. For me this was an opportunity to make a small contribution."
Lee's partnership with Sam Pollard began on Mo' Better Blues
Mo' Better Blues
Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also directed. It follows a period in the life of a fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career...
. Pollard was recommended to Spike as a replacement for his long time collaborator Barry Brown, who was busy directing his own film. Pollard initially turned down the initial opportunity because he was busy working on his segments of Eyes on the Prize, but eventually he came around, and has since become one of Lee's most prolific collaborators. Despite the fact that their first few films working together were fiction, Pollard's background was in documentary. Pollard was a key factor in guiding the structure of the film. "Basically it was to help with the conception of the structure, to edit it ... We spent a lot of time screening dailies together. We could come to 40 Acres at 7a.m., and we would spend three hours a day screening dailies for two weeks straight ... We talked, selected all the material that we liked, and I started working on the structure in the editing room. Spike was asking if he needed narration and what the structure should be. I basically said the structure should be that there are parallels-the family, the history of the community—and then they come together on the explosion."
Box office
Originally, the film was to air first on HBO, but after seeing the final product, the production team decided it was important to release the film in theatres before running it on television. 4 Little Girls opened in American theaters on July 9, 1997 and closed on October 2, 1997. It grossed $130,146 from a total of 4 theaters. In its opening weekend it earned $13,528 from a single theater, which was 10.4% of its total gross. It cost approximately $1 million to make, funded by Home Box Office (HBO).See also
- American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all Americans...
- American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
- Timeline of the American Civil Rights MovementTimeline of the American Civil Rights MovementThis is a timeline of African-American Civil Rights Movement.-Pre-17th century:1565*unknown – The colony of St...