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Nancy Buirski's The Loving Story (2011; HBO 2012), focuses on Mildred (Jeter) Loving (1939-2008) and her husband Richard Loving (1933-1975), their desire to remain legally married in the Commonwealth of Virginia after marrying in Washington, D.C. in 1958, and the Supreme Court ruling on Loving v. Virginia (1967) that struck down then still existing state laws (in sixteen states, all of them in the South), thereby making "mixed marriages" legal throughout the USA ever since.
The Loving Story is beautifully done, with fantastic archival footage of the Loving family, their lawyers, and some of their opponents. It's a microcosm of American history, and completely pertinent to battles over marriage even now, in 2014. It's quite moving.
The Lovings come across as gentle, yet firm people. Though Mildred communicates more openly, there are worlds of depth in Richard's soulful eyes, and in hers, too. It's also interesting that Mildred was part African American, part Cherokee and part Rappahannock, the latter a small amalgamated tribe that has survived in the area of Caroline County (northeastern Virginia, about 90 miles from Washington, D.C.) since the 1600s.
Today's Rune: Signals. "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." -- Frederick Douglass (1857).
2 comments:
Definitely sounds fascinating. I know a few vagaries about the story but not details.
Missed you, Erik. Been on Coursera...it's addictive.
My workplace roommate showed up at work yesterday in a 50s (American) outfit, she had the hair (fake of course), striped dress and red shoes. It was interesting - I thought it was very Julianne_Moore Far_From_Heaven - though most people, well, everybody in the semirural Nigerian town would have missed it completely. Your film photo here reminds me of all that.
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