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Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Play trailer Poster for Scottsboro: An American Tragedy Released Jan 19, 2001 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Using trial transcripts, courtroom photographs and other archival material, this documentary tells the story of nine African-American teenagers who, in 1931, were accused of rape by two white women. Despite a complete lack of evidence, the boys were convicted and sent to prison. Although ultimately exonerated, the boys' lives were devastated by the incident, and the filmmakers connect the public outrage regarding this case to the beginnings of the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

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Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Elvis Mitchell New York Times Rated: 4/5 Feb 15, 2001 Full Review Amy Taubin Village Voice Scottsboro is fine TV, but it suggests that too much material was left behind in the AVID storage file. Feb 8, 2001 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 31, 2005 Full Review TV Guide Rated: 4/5 Jul 30, 2003 Full Review David Poland Hot Button Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2002 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 4/5 Apr 5, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (2) audience reviews
Audience Member a look at a case from the 1930s involving a group of 9 boys falsely accused of rape in the south. disturbing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Well made documentary covering this very disturbing case of nine young men that were in the wrong place at the wrong time in racist 1930s Alabama. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Using trial transcripts, courtroom photographs and other archival material, this documentary tells the story of nine African-American teenagers who, in 1931, were accused of rape by two white women. Despite a complete lack of evidence, the boys were convicted and sent to prison. Although ultimately exonerated, the boys' lives were devastated by the incident, and the filmmakers connect the public outrage regarding this case to the beginnings of the civil rights movement of the 1950s.
Director
Barak Goodman, Daniel Anker
Producer
Daniel Anker, Barak Goodman
Screenwriter
Barak Goodman
Distributor
Films Transit International [ca/nl/us], Social Media Productions
Production Co
WGBH
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 19, 2001, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 30m
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