photo by Victoria Tinker
‘Loving’
HISTORICAL FILM
EXAMINES INTERRACIAL
MARRIAGE
BY COLLIN BEREND
Researchers browse through the colléctions of the main reading room in the
Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building.
Library of
Congress lends
more than books
BY BLAKE SWAN
W hen some people go to W ashington,
D .C . they go to see the Capitol building,
h o u sin g our le g is la tiv e ; b ran ch o f
government; or to the National Archives
to see the founding docum ents o f our
democracy.
Instead I went to the library. It wasn’t
ju st any library, it was the Library o f
Congress, our dé facto national library
and the largest in the world.
I didn’t go to the Library just because,
I went to see all of the amazing treasures
displayed w ithin. Upon entering, there
is a security checkpoint, of course, and
then guests are given a map and are free
to wander m ost o f the colossal building.
A m o n g b o oks o n d isp la y is th e
personal library o f the third President
o f the United States and author o f the
Declaration o f independence, Thomas
4 Clackamas Print NOVEMBER 2,2016 theelackamasprint.com
.
Jefferson. After the British burned most
of the original Library’s collection in I814,
Jefferson offered his personal library as
a replacement and Congress purchased
it from him . Today it is on display in a
large glass bookshelf that allows visitors
to inspect each book closely.
Also oh display are American classics
such as “ Huckleberry F in n ,” “ To Kill
a M o ck in g b ird ,” and “ The Ju n g le .”
Rare pieces in the Library include the
Gutenberg Bible, one o f three perfect
copies on vellum that still exist, and
the Library’ s oldest piece o f w riting,
a cuneiform tabletancient script from
mesopotamia from 2040 B.C.
I v isite d the N atio n al M useum o f
Am erican H istory and 1 think that the
Library is more interesting and can also
teach one more about America,
“ Loving” is a movie, based on the name
o f the fam ily involved in the Supreme
Court case Loving v . V irgin ia, th a t is
I inspiring on all fronts and bursts through
the cinema doors unlike any historical
,romance drama before it.
Students who attended the Associated
C o lle g ia t e P re ss C o n fe r e n c e in
W ashington, D .C ., had a chance to view
a sneak preview of the film .
Set in the late Í95OS in Virginia, Richard
(Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga)
L o v in g face uncertain discrim ination.
Richard, who is à b lue-co llar w orking
white m an, and Mildred, a stay at hom e
black woman, find themselves tossed in
a jail cell after getting married in D .C .,
unsure what is to come, unable to see each
other, not in the same cell, not even able
to bail one another out. Their crime? Love.
A love so criminal, they áre given the
choice by the judge, thanks tó the help of
their attorney, to either leave the state
of Virginia or go to prison for a year. Not
wanting to take a chance in jail and after
Richard learns that his wife is pregnant,
they seek home in D .C.
Je ff Nichols, the director o f the movie,
w hose w ork exten d s to “ M id n igh t
Special” and “ M ud,” creates a splendid
film that càptures the historical ëvents
and th e u n d e n ia b le lo v e b e tw e e n
Richard and Mildred Loving, who are also
parents trying to protect their kin. Nichols
paints a brilliant picture that shows how
interracial marriage was an aberration not
too long ago in an era in which dogmatic
views were pushed onto others and into
law: whites with whites and blacks with
blacks. The two shall never meet.
One of the beauties of the film is how
it correlates to rhodern day w ith the
LGBT having fought hard for sam e-sex
marriage.
In the Loving v . V irgin ia case, the
Supreme Court ruled that “ freedom to
marry has long been recognized as one
o f the vital personal rights essential
to the orderly pursuit o f happiness by
free m e n .” This w as, o f course, under
the Earl Warren court led by arguably
the m ost liberal and progressive judge
to date. This law has been affirm ed in
other cases, and this very phrase was
used by supporters to promote same-sex
marriage in 2015.
A rtistically , the m usic, conducted
by David W ingo, who has worked with
Nichols prior on “ Midnight Special,” casts
wonderfully on each scene. Every take has
its own magical uniqueness that stands
out. From the moments where we focus on
Richard when he is placing bricks down, in
contrast with scenes of him when he is in
jail, or the change of the rhythm that we
get when the focus is on Mildred; we’re
introduced to a broadselection of musical
creativity to help build the story and
create a loving emotional atmosphere.
“ Loving” is a m ovie for any age. It
brings to ligh t the historical context
through the eyes o f those who had to
endure interracial discrimination. You’ll
find that even this serious m ovie has
m any hilarious moments, thanks to cast
members like Nick Kroll, playing lawyer
Bernard Cohen, who’s been in movies and
shows like “ Sausage Party,” “ Get Him to
the G jeek,” and “ Dinner for Schmucks.”
N ot a single actor narrowly played
their character, rather each one seems
immersed and you alrtiost feel like you’re
looking at the real people o f the story,
except for Nick Krull who will just make
you laugh when you see him .
I. enjoyed the film in alm ost every
aspect and would highly recommend it to
anyone. You can see <fLoving” in theaters
starting Nov. 4.
Focus Features