Barbara Broccoli says Hollywood ‘wasn’t interested’ in bringing Emmett Till’s killing to screen
Barbara Broccoli has said that Hollywood was “not interested” in bringing to the screen the true story of the brutal murder of Emmett Till for nearly two decades.
The 62-year-old Bond producer said it took her 18 years to bring the 14-year-old’s story to the big screen as she spoke about her new film Till, due out this month.
Black teenager Emmett was brutally kidnapped, tortured and killed while visiting family in Mississippi in 1955 after witnesses said he whistled and grabbed Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman.
Biopic: Barbara Broccoli has said that Hollywood ‘was not interested’ in bringing to the screen the true story of the brutal murder of Emmett Till for almost two decades
The lynching became nationally known after his devastated mother, Mamie Bradley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago to display her tortured body and shed light on the violence inflicted on black people in the South.
The case galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, but Barbara admitted that her attempts to turn Emmett’s story into a film met with resistance for 18 years.
She said The Guardian: ‘They were like, ‘Why would you want to tell this story, it’s depressing?’, people don’t want to talk about this story. They just weren’t interested, they didn’t think it was worth doing.
True story: The 62-year-old Bond producer said it took him 18 years to bring the 14-year-old’s story to the big screen as he discussed his new film Till, starring Jalyn Hall.
However, Barbara eventually brought the true story of Emmett’s mother’s relentless pursuit of justice to the big screen, with the help of MGM’s Orion Pictures, who said she didn’t insist they needed a “big star name” for the project.
Tragic: Emmett was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after witnesses said he grabbed Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman
The biopic, titled Till, stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley, while Jalyn Hall plays the teenage Emmett. The film also stars Whoopi Goldberg as Alma Carthan, Emmett’s grandmother.
Barbara said of the film: “I think this film will make a huge difference to the people who see it, anything that promotes empathy or a deeper understanding is vitally important and film has the power to open people’s minds.” “.
Speaking of making the biopic, Barbara went on to say that the “horrific tragedy” of George Floyd’s death in 2020 made telling Emmett’s story “even more urgent.”
George was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nine minutes in May 2020, sparking worldwide protests over racial injustice. Derek Chauvin was later convicted of his murder.
Barbara went on to say that she became involved with Till after she was approached by filmmaker Keith Beauchamp, who had made The Untold Story documentary on Emmett.
Stars: The biopic, titled Till, stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley, while Jalyn Hall plays the teenage Emmett.
Stunning: Danielle, who plays Mamie, has already won awards for her performance at the Gotham Awards, the Philadelphia Film Festival, and the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
The new film Till focuses on the journey of Emmett’s mother, Mamie, as a civil rights advocate after the brutal murder of her teenage son.
Danielle, who plays Mamie, has already won awards for her performance at the Gotham Awards, the Philadelphia Film Festival, and the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Emmett was brutally murdered while visiting family in Mississippi in 1955 after witnesses said he whistled and grabbed white woman Carolyn Bryant Donham.
The two men severely beat the teen before dragging him to the bank of the Tallahatchie River, where they shot him in the head and dumped his body in the water.
The 14-year-old boy (pictured) was kidnapped, tortured and killed after witnesses said he whistled and grabbed white woman Carolyn Bryant Donham while she was working at a local store.
Days after the brutal murder, Emmett’s body was pulled from the river, where it had been dumped after being loaded with a cotton gin fan.
His mother’s insistence on opening a burial coffin to show the world the horrors of what had been done to her son became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights era.
After weeks of outrage, Carolyn’s husband, Roy Bryant, and half-brother, JW Milam, were acquitted by an all-white Mississippi jury. Months later, they confessed in a paid interview in a magazine.
Emmett’s family has yet to see any convictions for the crime, while Bryant and Milam, who are now dead, have not been brought to trial again.
How the brutal torture and murder of Emmett Till in 1955 became a turning point in the US civil rights movement.
Emmett Till’s fateful visit to his family in Mississippi in 1955 became one of the gruesome lynchings that galvanized the civil rights movement.
The trip quickly turned into a tragedy after the 14-year-old boy was kidnapped, tortured and killed after witnesses said he hissed and grabbed white woman Carolyn Bryant Donham while she was working at a local store.
Days after the allegations, on August 28, 1995, Till was at home with his cousin when two white men, Carolyn’s husband Roy Bryant and her half-brother JW Milam, broke in and dragged Till out of the house.
Emmett Till’s (pictured) fateful visit to his family in Mississippi in 1955 became one of the gruesome lynchings that galvanized the civil rights movement.
The two men severely beat the teen before dragging him to the bank of the Tallahatchie River, where they shot him in the head and dumped his body in the water.
Days after the brutal murder, Till’s body was pulled from the river, where it had been dumped after being weighted down with a cotton gin fan.
The lynching became nationally known after Till’s devastated mother, Mamie Bradley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago to display her tortured body and shed light on the violence inflicted on black people in the South.
Thousands of people flocked to the Roberts Temple Church of God to see the evidence of the hate crime, and Till’s mother made the brave move because she felt the world needed to know what happened.
As the murder gained more attention, two publications published graphic images of Till’s dead body, leading to national condemnation of the teen’s death.
After weeks of outrage, Bryant and Milam were acquitted by an all-white Mississippi jury. Months later, they confessed in a paid interview in a magazine.
Till’s lynching became a turning point in the civil rights movement, and people continued to campaign for justice for Till decades later.
In 2017, a book cited Donham, now 80, said she lied when she claimed Till grabbed her, hissed and made sexual advances while working in a store.
The murder galvanized the civil rights movement after Till’s mother (pictured with her son) insisted on opening a coffin to display his tortured body.
The shocking claims prompted the Justice Department to reopen the investigation. youThe FBI was unable to prove his alleged lies, but challenged the validity of Donham’s testimony after an investigation was closed in December.
After Donham’s lying allegations, she told the FBI that she had never retracted her allegations, while family members also denied the allegations.
At the time, authorities said historian Timothy B. Tyson, author of 2017’s “The Blood of Emmett Till,” was unable to produce any recordings or transcripts in which Donham allegedly admitted to lying about his encounter with the teenager.
Till’s family has yet to see any convictions for the crime, while Bryant and Milam, who are now dead, have not been brought to trial again.