King

The late, great Paul Winfield tackles the role of his career in King, an NBC miniseries originally broadcast over three nights in February 1978. As Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Winfield flawlessly conveys both the physical and psychological essence of the man in a six-hour telefilm, written and directed by Judgment at Nuremberg's Oscar-winning screenwriter Abby Mann, chronicling King's life from his beginnings as a Baptist minister in the early 1950s to his tragic assassination in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, recreating pivotal events and speeches along the way. In fact, King features many of the people who participated in historical civil rights milestones (including Julian Bond, Ramsey Clark, the late Ossie Davis, and singer Tony Bennett), and while Mann's first and only directorial effort is somewhat dry and artless, his devotion to factual detail is apparent in every frame, making this the definitive dramatization of MLK's extraordinary life and legacy. Presented on two discs in a transfer of variable quality, DVD extras include three substantial mini-documentaries that explore King's struggle, the Civil Rights movement, and the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with Davis (who plays MLK's father in the miniseries) and civil rights leader Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer. Recommended. (J. Shannon)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Jan. 27, 2015—Olive, 271 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on the Blu-ray release, 1978's King is presented with a solid transfer and a DTS-HD stereo soundtrack. Extras include behind-the-scenes segments on “The Civil Rights Movement” (20 min.) and “The Struggle” (20 min.), as well as “In Conversation with Abby Mann & Tony Bennett” featuring director Mann and singer Bennett (19 min.), and a “Recreating History” making-of featurette (16 min.). Bottom line: a fine historical miniseries makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]