Movie Night - Great Choice - BOBBY

Watching the 2006 movie "Bobby" was like being time-warped back to the sixties.  The music, the wardrobe, the people and politics were all featured; and everything came across as authentic. Except for having to sit through a scene referencing a baseball game with Dodgers great Don Drysdale pitching, Go Giants, the movie was flawless.

How the makers of this movie created this story was incredible.  Instead of making a movie featuring the detailed tragic 1968 assassination of senator Robert Francis Kennedy, they made a movie about the place, peoples in the place and the political issues of the times.  It all takes place on the fateful day leading up to Democratic primaries election night at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.  

The movie gave me a sense of the bright hope that this young leader gave the country and all that came into contact with him.  He was an idealist who believed the United State of America had an obligation to promote peace, justice and equality at home as well as abroad.  A humanitarian at heart, Bobby just had that charisma, today's "It Factor," which gave citizens hope for change and a better future at a time when war and violence were rampant.



I think the all-star cast in the movie makes it a classic. Almost every actor and actress seemed to underplay their roles, giving the hotel and the many unfolding situations the bigger spotlight.  By the time the main situation comes to fruition, you realize that all the happenings played out that day, regardless of how big or small,  help turn our focus and attention even more on the character and dreams of Bobby Kennedy. We see the shock of every character once they realize just how great a loss the world has suffered on this night, at this place, witnessed by these people.  

The Bobby Kennedy speech that plays at the end of the movie, along with the song "Never gonna break my faith" performed by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, are fitting tributes to the man and his legacy.  

The speech summarizes all that he stood and hoped for, whereas the song is a reminder for us to stay strong in our faith when storms arise.   The sixties were a very stormy time.  With the assassinations of John, Bobby, Martin, Medgar and even Malcolm, the country seemed to be angry, out of order and in complete disarray. We were at war with ourselves and our purported enemies. 

And yet here we are, 2015 and still standing. I'd like to think that there's been some progress since those dark and dangerous times.  Some healing and soul searching.  I'd also like to believe that a bit of all five of those brave and courageous young men, who's voices were silenced by a finger pulling back on the trigger of a firearm, live on in the spirit of  leaders today. 

We know we have a whole lot further to go before even glimpsing the dream those men envisioned for us.  Though there are many indicators that we've taken as many steps backward as we have forward, we soldier onward.  We move forward in faith and purpose to make things right in the world for all. That's what Bobby and the others would expect from us; to soldier on in our fight for peace and justice in this one world we all share.

For those we lose before their time
I pray their souls will find the light
I know that the day will surely come
When his will, His will, will be done

More lyrics http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/aretha_franklin/never_gonna_break_my_faith_with_mary_j_blige-lyrics-1121404.html#ixzz3dgKxiVPg