Separate But Equal (1991)

83% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(82 ratings)

Based on the ground-breaking Brown vs. the Board of Education case, the made-for-television Separate But Equal follows a young Thurgood Marshall (Sidney Poitier) as a lawyer who argues the racially-charged lawsuit before the Supreme Court. When the black students of Clarendon County, South Carolina… More Based on the ground-breaking Brown vs. the Board of Education case, the made-for-television Separate But Equal follows a young Thurgood Marshall (Sidney Poitier) as a lawyer who argues the racially-charged lawsuit before the Supreme Court. When the black students of Clarendon County, South Carolina are denied their request for a single schoolbus, a bitter and courages battle for justice and equality begins. The NAACP lawyer's desparate fight for the civil rights that didn't come with the outlaw of slavery nearly a century ago becomes an all-encompassing struggle both in his personal life as well as the courtroom. Marshall's opponent is John W. Davis (Burt Lancaster) and the two argue passionately and eloquently before a Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren {($Richard Kiley)}. Separate But Equal is a moving and human dramatization of one of the most pivotal court cases in American history. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 3 hr. 14 min.
Directed By: George Stevens, George Stevens Jr.
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Apr 7, 1991 Wide
On DVD: May 20, 2003
Studio: Republic Pictures Home Video

Critic Reviews

Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
No extras are included on the disc.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
A Hollywood big screen version would have cut out too many details, so the miniseries format is ideal in letting this piece of history unfold.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Traces the events leading up to the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education