“You don’t have to like each other, but you will respect each other. ” – Coach Boone. Remember the Titans is directed by Boaz Yakin, and stars Denzel Washington as Coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as Coach Bill Yoast, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, and Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier. The movie is set in 1971, Alexandria, Virginia right in the middle of Brown vs. the board of education, When two schools integrate to form T. C. Williams in Alexandria, Virginia. T. C Williams high school was one of the newly integrated schools in the south, meaning both African Americans and whites went to the same school.
Racism is the main social issue that T. C. Williams high school faces, and everyone else in the community. The movie conveys a lesson that teaches us to overlook our differences and to work together. In the 1970s, two schools integrate in Alexandria, Virginia to form T. C. Williams high school. The head coach of the Titans, Coach Yoast who is white is replaced by Coach Herman Boone who is African American from North Carolina. Coach boone sending the boys of both races to a football camp for two-weeks in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, When tensions arise between the boys.
When the boys returned to Alexandria the whites were rioting outside of the school because of it desegregating, and hey didn’t like it. As the season went on, the boys showed the community that African Americans and whites can be friends, and work together, which forced the community to change with them. Some of the white players accepted African Americans playing on the team, and were friends with them, others not so much, Like when Ray let the defensive tackle right by him so he could tackle their own quarterback, But Gerry the team’s quarterback, became good friends with Julius campbell, and other African Americans on the team.
Ray did things like this to his African American teammates throughout the movie to show e was against the segregation of the schools. Gerry, didn’t like his African American teammates at first, but as he got to know them he accepted the integration, and became friends with his African American teammates. Julius, opened Gerry’s eyes to what Ray was doing, so being co-captain Gerry told him to knock it off, and do his job, Ray kept doing it so Gerry kicked Ray off the team. The main characters in the movie are Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, Denzel Washington as Coach Boone, and Will Patton as Coach Yoast.
Throughout the movie Gerry Bertier did the best job of conveying the lesson of the movie. When the whole team was practicing, and they couldn’t get it right because Ray kept letting the defensive get by him so he could tackle their quarterback, Gary gave Julius a compliment and a handshake, and yelled at Ray for not blocking for Rev. Which lead some of the team to get along with one another. Gerry was important to the movie because he got almost everyone to overlook their differences, and working together as a team.
Gerry also did what was right by calling out his Ray even if it meant losing one of his friends, also Gerry created friendships on the team when he got almost everyone working together as a team. Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell had the greatest impact on portraying the complexities of the social issue. “All right man, listen. Im Gerry, you’re Julius lets get some particulars, and just get this over with already. ” said Gerry “Particulars. ” asked Julius “Yeah. ” “No matter what I tell you, you ain’t never gonna know nothing about me. ” “Listen I ain’t running anymore of these four- a day practices.
“What i got to say you don’t really want to hear, cause honestly ain’t too high on your people’s priority list. ” ” Honesty? You want honest? All right, Honestly, I think you’re nothing. Nothing but a pure waste of God-given talent. You don’t listen to nobody, man. Not even Doc or Boone, Shiver push on the line every time, man. You blow right past ’em, push’em, pull ’em, do something. You can’t run over everybody in this league, and every time you do, you leave one of your teammates hanging out to dry–me in particular. ” “Why should I give a hoot about you, huh? Or anybody else out there?
You want to talk about a waste, you the captain? ” “Right. ” “Captain’s supposed to be the leader, right? ” “Right. ” “You got a job? You been doing your job? ” “I’ve been doing my job. ” “Then why don’t you tell your white buddies to block for Rev better? Cause they have not blocked for him worth a plugged nickel, and you know it, nobody plays, yourself included, i’m suppose to wear myself out for the team? What team? No. No, what i’m gonna look out for myself, and i’m gonna get mine. ” “See, man? That’s the worst attitude I ever heard. ” “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.
This is significant because Julius opened Gerry’s eyes to what was really going on, and he took what Julius told him, and did something about it later, he told his whites teammates to do their job and stop letting them get by to get to Rev, and Ray continued to do it throughout the movie, and eventually Gerry ot sick of him doing this to their teammates, so he cut him from the team later in the movie. Which shows Gerry and Julius showed the complexities of what was really going on, But later on almost everyone overlooked their differences and became friends.
Some viewers might say the lesson learned from Remember the Titans is overcoming adversity. In the beginning of the movie coach Yoast, who is white was replaced with coach Boone, who is African American in Virginia, which was mostly populated by whites. Whites throw bricks through coach Boone’s window, and whites rioted outside T. C Williams high school. Also in the beginning of the movie the white players refused to play football with the African American players. When Julius and Gerry hated each other, also when Gerry’s girlfriend wouldn’t shake Julius’s hand.
But as Time went on coach Boone and coach Yoast became good friends, Whites came outside of their houses and applauded coach Boone. The player went to camp and had their differences but eventually became friends after hearing each other out. Julius and Gerry became best friends, and when Gerry had his accident he only wanted to see Julius, also the whole team was there for Gerry when he had his ccident, and later on in the movie Gerry’s ex-girlfriend went out of her way to shake Julius hand before the team’s last game.
Also coming together to win the championship game when the odds were stacked against them. Finally, when the white cop stopped and compliment Julius about how good of a football player he is. All in all Remember the Titans is a great example of overcoming adversity, not only the team but also the community made some really big strides, and came a long way from where they started. Proving that race is just a color, and nothing more. In conclusion, Remember the Titans teaches us to verlook our differences and work together.
The social issue is important to the movie because how racism was in the 1970’s and how no one got along, and a football team showing everyone that you can be friends with different races, race is just a color it doesn’t define who you are as a person, and coming together to work as a team. Some of the key lessons to be taken away from the movie are racism, friendship,teamwork, discrimination, adversity, prejudice, and family isn’t always blood. If someone you know or team is experiencing racism, get them to spend time together, and hear each other, who knows they might even become best friends.
