Mississippi Burning

 Weston Hill Theoharis

10-28-21

FYS 1000

Mississippi Burning

    Three civil rights activists from Mississippi are gone without a trace. The first two were Jewish, while the third was African-American. Already, it appears that whoever kidnapped them wanted to show the world that they didn't like minorities, but in a town where everyone thinks this way, it's difficult to pinpoint a culprit. When Alan Ward and Rupert Anderson, a former Mississippi sheriff, begin interviewing the locals, they discover this the hard way.

    Ray Stuckey, the Sheriff of the town where the incident occurred (in 1964), is swiftly discovered by the two detectives to be linked to the Ku Klux Klan. Mrs. Pell, the community's Deputy Sheriff's wife, appears to be the only one who is concerned about the probe. She informs the men that the trio has been murdered, and their bodies are later discovered hidden. Mr. Pell is told by the Sheriff that his wife has betrayed them, and he beats her.

    The FBI arranges for Mayor Tilman of the village to be kidnapped, of course without his knowledge. He is confined to a shed with an African-American man whom he feels is deranged. Tilman eventually gives in when the man threatens to castrate him if he does not inform him about the crime. Because of Tilman's prejudice against individuals of different ethnicities, he overlooks the possibility that this man was sent to do this and believes his threats.

    The FBI decides to question Lester Cowens, a member of the Ku Klux Klan. He returns home one day to see a burning cross in his yard, a strong indicator that the Klan is on his tail. Unsure what they want with him, he tries to flee in his truck, but the FBI tells him that it was all a set-up to get him to confess to the murder.

The individuals are still violently separated at the end of the film - Mrs. Pell leaves her husband in pursuit of more freedom, and FBI searches are inconclusive. Alan and Rupert visit an African American cemetery and read the inscription "Not Forgotten" on a gravestone.