Although we like to maintain that real life is not as violent as the movies, there are cases that represent real life violence as recounting narratives for the purpose of illustration and learning. Learning the cold, hard facts of prejudice, bigotry and ignorance so that the knowledge gained will lead to the betterment of the evolving state of mankind. In so doing, in the interest of 'dramatic license' or box-office dollars, some filmmakers, both studios and directors maintain that the use of violence is necessary to the story line.
Rosewood is a violent movie, portraying the inexplicable mob rule acts of a white southern town as acted out upon a black southern town. While the lynching of any human being, black or white, without a fair trial and due process is appalling; the historical truth of this matter is that Rosewood did happen. How historically accurate the movie is in portraying the actual events becomes another issue. Director John Singleton is of African-American descent. He is obviously passionate when it comes to matters regarding the prejudice and bigotry against southern blacks. He made creative choices in this film to equate the word massacre with Rosewood. One of the ways he chose to do this was by killing over 500 people in his film. The truth concerning Rosewood the city is that in all likelihood a confirmed 8 people actually died. Since the entire population of Rosewood was only 150, this makes the 'massacre' seem improbable to a white audience. Additionally, Ving Rhames' character was an invention based on the stories of a Black reporter that have never been verified. In that for instance, the actual historical narrative requires verification and confirmation before belief may be introduced.
Romero is a film portraying a bigotry and prejudice based upon a different set of criteria. Where in Rosewood and even the movie Matewan the violence projected is introduced by whites and acted upon blacks m...