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The Great Debaters Not Yet Rated (December 25) |
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What's the Story? Based on a true story, The Great Debaters follows Professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) as he leads students from small-town Wiley College, in Texas, to the national debate competition against Harvard University. Along the way, the team gets some life lessons on surviving in the south of the 1930s. Debaters include James Farmer Jr., (Denzel Whitaker), who almost buckles under the pressure of the team and the imposing presence of his father (Forest Whitaker); Henry Lowe (Nate Parker) whose exploding temper causes him to clash with his team and coach, and Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), the first female to join the team. As they prepare for the nationals against the more experienced Harvard debate team, the underdog students struggle to overcome close-mindedness and racism. Will it be a championship win for the new team? For an interview with Denzel Washington, who also directed the film, go to timeforkids.com/denzel Did You Know? The actors who played members of the Wiley debate team were sent to "debate camp" at Texas University, where they participated in two days of intense training. Dr. Thomas Freeman, who established the school's debate team in 1948, coached the actors. |
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Photos: DAVID LEE—TWC
