History is full of partnerships both contentious and productive. And in the early 1960s, one of the most notable relationships was between civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Both were embroiled in the nation's debate over equality, both men played huge parts in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made racial discrimination illegal.
New debate has emerged over King and Johnson's relationship during some of the most tumultuous years of 20th century America with the release of the civil rights-era drama "Selma."
Politico postured shortly before the film's release that the film inaccurately portrayed Johnson not as an ally of the movement, but a staunch adversary — something writer Mark Updegrove said not only "flies in the face of history," but adds fuel to the fire of the current racial tensions in the U.S.
"It's not a matter of opinion; it’s a matter of archival record," Updegrove said of the King/Johnson collaboration. "At a time when racial tension is once again high, from Ferguson to Brooklyn, it does no good to bastardize one of the most hallowed chapters in the Civil Rights Movement by suggesting that the President himself stood in the way of progress."
Civil rights era historical author Diane McWhorter told The New York Times that while she liked other aspects of the film, the portrayal of LBJ was "the opposite of the truth."
But not everyone is convinced the film is inaccurate. USA Today columnist Sherrilyn Ifill wrote that the film was fair to both King and Johnson by portraying their flaws.
"The film also portrays Johnson as what he was, a man who was political to his bones, and who also had a deep understanding of the awfulness of Southern resistance on race," Ifill wrote.
Harvard African-American studies scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. said at a luncheon for the film at Manhattan's Metropolitan Club that he hoped audiences would take "Selma" as they would any other historical drama: With a grain of salt.
"This is not a documentary," Gates was quoted in Vulture. "Any attempt to make this about the Great White Father is misdirected."
Email: chjohnson@deseretnews.com
Twitter: ChandraMJohnson
You may be interested in the following stories:
'Unbroken' billed as faith-based film, but will audiences agree?