The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

This documentary starts off poorly, with a weak musical score and a meandering focus. But it catches fire when it finally reveals its story, that of Emmett Louis Till, a young black man who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered for the crime of whistling at a white woman. Of course, this was in 1955, and in Mississippi, but still, a mere 50 years ago, there was little or no hope for justice when the crime was white-on-black violence. The real horror starts when Till’s murderers are brought to trial. At that point, what could have been seen as an isolated incident is revealed as part of a culture of hate. Till’s mother is booed and harassed as she enters the courtroom; his killers become local heroes, and the police make a point of issuing statements denouncing the NAACP and “northern negroes” who are “meddling” in their affairs. I wish the documentarians had done a cleaner job in presenting their story, but ultimately, the tale overcomes any problems in the filmmaking, presenting a needed reminder of the way in which, here in the U.S.A, evil can be not only tolerated, but sometimes even celebrated.