The Last White Knight is a look back at Civil Rights Act era U.S.A. from a less obvious angle; that of a white Canadian Jewish boy, Paul Saltzman who was in the south to help members of the Indiana African-American community register to vote, and who was punched in the head by a member of the Ku Klux Klan for his trouble.
The Last White Knight doesn’t use much in the way of footage from the time to demonstrate past events but instead uses a number of drawings to illustrate some of the more bloody and defining moments of that part of the civil rights struggle. It also uses interviews with people who were there at the time, including musician and actor Harry Belafonte, who describes the time that he visited the area with Sidney Poitier and they encountered a number of cars full of KKK members who would have happily slaughtered them, had they the opportunity.
The film also includes a large amount of face-to-face interview time with the KKK member who punched Paul, the interestingly named Delay de la Beckwith, son of Byron de la Beckwith (unsurprisingly also of the KKK) who was eventually convicted of murdering civil rights activist Medgar Evers. Delay is largely unrepentant of his previous crimes and ruefully confesses that his children will have nothing to do with the KKK.
The 78 minute documentary does have an interesting angle but it really doesn’t need that much of an angle at all. The disturbing footage of KKK members referring to themselves as Christians and reaffirming their bonkers views is worth a view alone. The footage of interviews with Morgan Freeman and Harry Belafonte is the icing on the cake, and the reminder of the not very distant at all intolerant and violent past in the south of the U.S.A. is the sour cherry on top.
The UK Premiere of The Last White Knight took place on 10 November. Trailer below…
Maryann has awarded The Last White Knight three Torches of Truth
