Integration Report I (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #759 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]

This grass-roots film from 1960 documents the major protests in the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans. Included are the sit-ins at drugstore lunch counters in the south, Jackie Robinson protesting segregation at airports, a major march on Washington which included many white college students among the protestors, and the struggle to get children into primarily white public schools in New York City. Speeches by most of the major civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. are also featured. This is a well-made, understated film that mainly lets the images and the speeches speak for themselves. The soundtrack features folksongs and African-American religious songs that inspired the protestors at the time. It all adds up to an interesting, historically important document of the civil rights struggle.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: N/A. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.