On February 14, HBO premiered The Loving Story.  Compelling film — amazing archival photos and footage.  It always helps (as in Being Elmo) when someone makes a documentary or news feature at the time of an event or period in a character’s life you want to explore later and there is access to the earlier footage.

In fact, most of The Loving Story, especially the first half, is constructed from archival elements.  There are a very few interviews (mainly the two attorneys who argued the case, one daughter, and one cousin who is now an academic) woven into the film.

The film documents the interracial marriage of Mildred and Richard Loving in the 1950s when it was illegal to do so in their state of Virginia.  After their arrest, the Lovings were told they had to leave Virginia, and their fight to return to their state legally made history when the Supreme Court ruled that miscegenation laws were unconstitutional in the late 60s.  At that time, 16 states still had laws forbidding interracial marriage on the books.

The film is available on HBO, but this upcoming screening and symposium in the Triangle may also be of interest:

http://www.uncsouth.org/content/news/news-item/the_loving_story_screening_and_symposium/

The line-up of speakers is quite interesting, and the film is inspiring and – some will say – still topical.