To commemorate Black History Month, Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL, presents the inspiring movie, “The Help,” based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 award-winning novel. The movie will be held on Tuesday, February 4, 2014, on the big screen in the Odell Program Room beginning at 2:00 p.m. Popcorn and beverages will be served. There is no charge for the movie, but donations are welcome.
“The film is a stirring salute to subjugated women who held their heads high.” (Entertainment)
Before Civil Rights, although the South was more racist than the North, Blacks and Whites casually coexisted day-to-day. Their lives had been intertwined since the early days of slavery. Aibileen Clark, portrayed by Olivia Davis, tells us she is a maid, just like her mother and her grandmother, who was a house slave. It’s 1961, and Aibileen is really saying that she is a slave, too; just with a different title: “maid.”
Set in Jackson, MS, this is Aibileen’s story and the story of Minny, her best friend, a feisty housekeeper/cook. The film revolves around their hopes and broken dreams.
The film also depicts Aibileen’s and Minny’s counterparts: the women they work for, cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. Hilly is a snarling, snobby racist and is the very soul of what had to be changed. Her long-time friend, Skeeter, has outgrown Hilly and her ideas. Skeeter realizes the world is changing. She begins to write a book based on interviews of the maids of Jackson.
“The Help” is a deeply moving film. It is told through the eyes of women living in the Deep South in the early 60’s, as Civil Rights is born.
