Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Eyes on the Prize

  • TV Series
  • 1987–19901987–1990
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 6h
IMDb RATING
9.2/10
657
YOUR RATING
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Eyes on the Prize (1987)
  • Documentary
  • History
A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.
IMDb RATING
9.2/10
657
YOUR RATING
  • Creator
    • Henry Hampton
  • Stars
    • Julian Bond
    • Coretta Scott King
    • Andrew Young
Top credits
  • Creator
    • Henry Hampton
  • Stars
    • Julian Bond
    • Coretta Scott King
    • Andrew Young
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 11 wins & 5 nominations total

    Episodes14

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Photos10

    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Julian Bond
    Julian Bond
    • Narratoras Narrator
    Coretta Scott King
    Coretta Scott King
    • Selfas Self
    6 episodes6 eps • 1987–1990
    Andrew Young
    Andrew Young
    • Selfas Self
    6 episodes6 eps • 1987–1990
    John Lewis
    John Lewis
    • Selfas Self
    4 episodes4 eps • 1987–1990
    C.T. Vivian
    C.T. Vivian
    • Selfas Self
    5 episodes5 eps • 1987–1990
    Burke Marshall
    • Selfas Self
    4 episodes4 eps • 1987
    Jesse Jackson
    Jesse Jackson
    • Selfas Self
    6 episodes6 eps • 1990
    Stokely Carmichael
    Stokely Carmichael
    • Selfas Self
    5 episodes5 eps • 1987–1990
    Ralph Abernathy
    Ralph Abernathy
    • Selfas Self
    6 episodes6 eps • 1987–1990
    Unita Blackwell
    • Selfas Self
    3 episodes3 eps • 1987–1990
    Harry Belafonte
    Harry Belafonte
    • Selfas Self
    4 episodes4 eps • 1987–1990
    Nancy Jefferson
    • Selfas Self
    3 episodes3 eps • 1990
    Ernest Green
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    James Bevel
    James Bevel
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    Myrlie Evers
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    James Hicks
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    Nicholas Katzenbach
    Nicholas Katzenbach
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    Constance Baker Motley
    • Selfas Self
    2 episodes2 eps • 1987
    • Creator
      • Henry Hampton
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground
    5.0
    Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground
    The Central Park Five
    7.7
    The Central Park Five
    Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches
    7.8
    Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches
    The One and Only Dick Gregory
    7.9
    The One and Only Dick Gregory
    Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
    7.2
    Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
    4 Little Girls
    7.8
    4 Little Girls
    Let the World See
    7.0
    Let the World See
    The Josephine Baker Story
    7.1
    The Josephine Baker Story
    Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
    6.7
    Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
    Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things
    6.9
    Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things
    Who Killed Malcolm X?
    7.5
    Who Killed Malcolm X?
    Freedom Riders
    8.1
    Freedom Riders

    Storyline

    Edit
    This is a documentary series about the glory years of the American civil rights movement, starting in 1955 with the murder of Emmett Till and the subsequent trial and ending with the civil rights march to Selma in 1965. Along the way, the series touches on the major figures of the movement, such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, and major incidents, such as the Little Rock school riots and the Montgomery, Alabama, transit boycott. —Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>
    • american history
    • black history
    • body part in title
    • body part in series title
    • four word title
    • 25 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Documentary
      • History
    • Certificate
      • TV-PG
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The series was unavailable from 1995 to 2006 owing to copyright issues. Licenses for "Happy Birthday", news footage, various photographs, songs, and lyrics used in the film expired in 1995, and the film company Blackside could not afford to renew these licenses. A grant from the Ford Foundation enabled them to renew the licenses. The series was rebroadcast and released to DVD in October 2006.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Malcolm X/Bram Stoker's Dracula/Traces of Red/Love Potion #9 (1992)

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Overall excellent film
    This series (along with the sequel, "Eyes on the Prize II") is a classic documentary that, in many ways, pointed to the techniques later adapted by Ken Burns in his documentaries. Given the availability of film and first-person accounts, as well as photos, this is a far more moving and affecting film. Beginnings are difficult, and one might quibble with how the first part brings the viewer "up to speed" on African American history before the 1950's, the immediate attention to the story of Emmitt Till makes up for much of that missing narrative, by showing in graphic detail the status of African Americans in the United States, particularly the deep South. The rest of the series fills in a great amount of detail in the ensuing decade up to 1965 and the Voter-Rights act of that year.

    Three things to point out in detail that made this a strong film. First, the framing of the narrative before Brown v. Board to emphasize that the Brown case did not come about in isolation, but as part of a broader strategy of the NAACP (if you are further interested in this, you should look at "The Road to Brown") led by Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall. Second, the film did not solely rely on newsreel footage and interviews, but effectively used still photos to convey drama and set pacing. On that last issue, the third point (which may have been for cost and copyright reasons for all I know) was the minimal use of music in the film. Some of the most powerful moments in the film come from a long (4-5 seconds) shot of a dramatic photo with only silence.

    Why only 9 stars and not 10? I would like to have seen a bit more in the lead up to the 1950's, and some emphasis on larger context of the Cold War and such -- particularly a bit more on radical African Americans who were targeted by the state for prosecution before the forties, as well as more on the legacies of W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington as backdrop for later debates within the movement. These are really historical concerns, and overall, the film is worth seeing. I hope that soon the copyright issues will be sorted out so that this can be released on DVD, as many video copies available now are showing their age after many viewings!
    helpful•2
    1
    • gkar2025
    • Apr 21, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 21, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Eyes on the Prize II
    • Production company
      • Blackside
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      6 hours
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color

    Related news

    2022 Ace Eddies: ‘King Richard,’ ‘Tick Tick Boom’ Take Surprising Drama and Comedy Editing Prizes
    2022 Ace Eddies: ‘King Richard,’ ‘Tick Tick Boom’ Take Surprising Drama and Comedy Editing Prizes
    Mar 6Indiewire
    Ace Editing Awards Include ‘Dune,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘No Time to Die,’ ‘The Power of the Dog’
    Ace Editing Awards Include ‘Dune,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘No Time to Die,’ ‘The Power of the Dog’
    Jan 27Indiewire

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Eyes on the Prize (1987)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Eyes on the Prize (1987) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page
    Add episode

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.