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Mississippi Burning is set in 1964, at a time when attitudes in the world were shamefully backwards in just how racist they were. It would be another year before Martin Luther King’s landmark walk in Alabama, as depicted in Selma. Today, racism still hasn’t been stamped out but things have thankfully improved. However, watching the depiction of the 1960s, it makes you weep for how society’s attitudes were back then.
As the film begins, three civil rights activists go missing after trying to set up a voter registration clinic for black people in a bid for equal rights, but the Klu Klux Klan burned it down at the start. Their disappearance is done in a way from which they will not return, and while you know who the culprits are, as the racial tensions flare up, just how far will the authorities go in a bid to cover it up, so as not to upset their racist applecart?
Like Colors and State of Grace, this is another late 80s/early 90s classic being brought to Blu-ray, which I never saw before now, and Mississippi Burning makes for great dramatic potboiler with two FBI cops trying to get to the bottom of it. Both leads are on top form – Gene Hackman, more the maverick as Agent Rupert Anderson, who hails from a stone’s throw of this town; and Willem Dafoe as Agent Alan Ward, a straight-laced by-the-book type. Naturally, these two are going to rub each other up the wrong way.
When asking for a swamp to be swarched in full, and making demands of the local law enforcement, Anderson warns the new arrival, “Don’t do it, Mr Ward. You’ll just start a war”. Ward replies: “It was a war long before we got here.” Another time, in despair, he asks of Anderson, “Where does it come from, all this hatred?”
There’s also a corker from R Lee Ermey as Mayor Tilman: “Anderson, you’re starting to get so far up my nose, I’m beginning to feel your boots on my chin!”
If Mississippi Burning was re-rated today, I think it would just about pass for a 15-certificate, although there is some borderline 18-cert violence. Selma received a 12-certificate, despite containing a fair amount of violence. I would think the educational aspect of that film contributed to that. Hence, if this one had been made now, a 15-certificate would’ve been appropriate. There’s certainly too much strong language in this film to bring it down to a 12.
The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio and in 1080p high definition. The print has certainly been cleaned up and is going to look as good as it can be, and there’s a lot of sharp definition in many scenes, plus some soft on occasion, especially the opening and closing credits which have quite a low quality picture at that time.
Shot in Dolby Stereo Spectral Recording, that’s effectively like Dolby Surround before that name evolved. The audio is Stereo PCM and it’s fine. It’s not exactly a special effects movie as you’d expect, but what’s there works fine.
The extras are as follows, and mostly contain brand new interviews:
- Remembering Mississippi Burning (9:25): This is an interview with Willem Dafoe, looking back on making the movie, and how much he enjoyed working with Hackman, and how surprised he was that a British director *did* know a lot about American civil rights.
- Through The Storm (20:33): Director Alan Parker talks about making the film, including recounting how shooting the film in actual towns and real houses – as well as walking through a real swamp, all compared to building a set to do the same thing on.
- Under Siege (15:54): the film from the point of view of screenwriter Chris Gerolmo.
- Audio commentary: featuring director Alan Parker.
There are 20 chapters on this disc which is most welcome as it’s better than the usual 12 most distributors give. I would always recommend one every 5 minutes, which is almost on a par with the number here. The menu mixes clips from the film with Mahalia Jackson singing Walk On By Faith to footage that shows segregated water fountains.
Thankfully, unlike the Colors and State of Grace, this time there ARE subtitles in English.
Mississippi Burning is released on Monday on Blu-ray, and click on the packshot for the full-size image.
|
FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
8 7 7 4 |
| OVERALL | 6.5 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 127 mins
Year: 1988
Released: September 14th 2015
Chapters: 20
Cat.no: 2NDBR4043
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Sound: Stereo PCM
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
Widescreen: 1.85:1
Disc Format: BD50
Director: Alan Parker
Producers: Robert F Colesberry and Frederick Zollo
Screenplay: Chris Gerolmo
Music: Trevor Jones
Cast:
Agent Rupert Anderson: Gene Hackman
Agent Alan Ward: Willem Dafoe
Mrs Pell: Frances McDormand
Deputy Clinton Pell: Brad Dourif
Mayor Tilman: R Lee Ermey
Sheriff Ray Stuckey: Gailard Sartain
Clayton Townley: Stephen Tobolowsky
Frank Bailey: Michael Rooker
Lester Cowens: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Agent Monk: Badja Djola
Agent Bird: Kevin Dunn
Eulogist: Frankie Faison
Judge: Tom Mason
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.