Movie spotlight
A Class Divided
William Peters follows up on the 1970 TV documentary Eye of the Storm about Jane Elliott's experiment of dividing an otherwise homogenous group of school kids by their eye color. The episode intercuts footage from Eye of the Storm with new footage of the students, who are now adults. The film takes us through the journey of a young class learning the unfairness of racism. Elliot teaches the lesson through eye color and different treatment. All of the students admit that this is wrong. In footage of the students as adults, we are able to see how this shaped the experiment changed their lives.
Insights
Plot Summary
This documentary revisits a third-grade classroom in Riceville, Iowa, where teacher Jane Elliott conducted a famous "blue eyes/brown eyes" exercise in 1968 to teach her students about racial discrimination. The film follows the original students as adults, reflecting on the profound and lasting impact of the controversial experiment on their lives and perspectives.
Critical Reception
A Class Divided is widely regarded as a powerful and important documentary, lauded for its unflinching examination of prejudice and its lasting effects. The film has been praised for its educational value and its ability to spark dialogue about race and discrimination, though the controversial nature of the original experiment has also been a subject of discussion.
What Reviewers Say
A deeply affecting and thought-provoking exploration of racism's impact.
Highlights the lasting psychological effects of discrimination.
Serves as a crucial educational tool for understanding prejudice.
Google audience: Audience reviews often highlight the documentary's emotional resonance and its effectiveness in illustrating the real-world consequences of discrimination. Many viewers found the reflections of the adult participants particularly impactful, underscoring the project's enduring legacy.
Fun Fact
The original 'blue eyes/brown eyes' exercise conducted by Jane Elliott in 1968 was a response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and was intended to provide her students with a firsthand understanding of prejudice.
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