太子探花

Top 50 films on race relations in America

<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p>
<p>Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to reflect on how far we&#8217;ve come and how far we still have to go.</p>
<p>In that spirit, WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley is ranking the best movies ever on U.S. race relations.</p>
<p>Which films moved us forward? And which movie ranks No. 1?</p>
<p>Click through the gallery to launch the countdown.</p>
"Do the Right Thing," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Glory" and "In the Heat of the Night" famously dealt with race relations. (WTOP collage via YouTube)
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<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p>
<p>Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to reflect on how far we&#8217;ve come and how far we still have to go.</p>
<p>In that spirit, WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley is ranking the best movies ever on U.S. race relations.</p>
<p>Which films moved us forward? And which movie ranks No. 1?</p>
<p>Click through the gallery to launch the countdown.</p>

Top 50 Movies on Race Relations in America

50. 鈥淭he Birth of a Nation鈥 (1915) – D.W. Griffith

49. 鈥淏lacKkKlansman鈥 (2018) – Spike Lee

48. 鈥淕one with the Wind鈥 (1939) – Victor Fleming

47. 鈥淒jango: Unchained鈥 (2012) – Quentin Tarantino

46. 鈥淪haft鈥 (1971) – Gordon Parks

45. 鈥淭he Last Black Man in San Francisco鈥 (2019) – Joe Talbot

44. 鈥淢ississippi Burning鈥 (1988) – Alan Parker

43. 鈥淭he Butler鈥 (2013) – Lee Daniels

42. 鈥42鈥 (2013) – Brian Helgeland

41. 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song鈥 (1971) – Buzz Kulik

40. 鈥淲hite Men Can鈥檛 Jump鈥 (1992) – Ron Shelton

39. 鈥淭he Blind Side鈥 (2009) – John Lee Hancock

38. 鈥淏lindspotting鈥 (2018) – Carlos Lopez Estrada

37. “Queen & Slim鈥 (2019) – Melina Matsoukas

36. 鈥淪traight Outta Compton鈥 (2015) – F. Gary Gray

35. 鈥淭he Defiant Ones鈥 (1958) – Stanley Kramer

34. 鈥淎 Time to Kill鈥 (1996) – Joel Schumacher

33. 鈥淛ust Mercy鈥 (2020) – Destin Daniel Cretton

32. 鈥淭he Hurricane鈥 (1999) – Norman Jewison

31. 鈥淒etroit鈥 (2017) – Kathryn Bigelow

30. 鈥淏everly Hills Cop鈥 (1984) – Martin Brest

29. 鈥淒riving Miss Daisy鈥 (1989) – Bruce Beresford

28. 鈥淕reen Book鈥 (2018) – Peter Farrelly

27. 鈥淭he Help鈥 (2011) – Tate Taylor

26. 鈥淭he Color Purple鈥 (1985) – Steven Spielberg

25. 鈥淎 Raisin in the Sun鈥 (1961) – Daniel Petrie

24. 鈥淔ences鈥 (2016) – Denzel Washington

23. 鈥淐rash鈥 (2005) – Paul Haggis

22. 鈥淗idden Figures鈥 (2016) – Theodore Melfi

21. 鈥淚mitation of Life鈥 (1959) – Douglas Sirk

20. 鈥淚f Beale Street Could Talk鈥 (2018) – Barry Jenkins

19. 鈥淟oving鈥 (2016) – Joe Nichols

18. 鈥淗arriet鈥 (2019) – Kasi Lemmons

17. 鈥淟incoln鈥 (2012) – Steven Spielberg

16. 鈥淏lazing Saddles鈥 (1974) – Mel Brooks

15. 鈥淩emember the Titans鈥 (2000) – Boaz Yakin

14. 鈥淏lack Panther鈥 (2018) – Ryan Coogler

13. 鈥淏oyz N the Hood鈥 (1991) – John Singleton

12. 鈥淭welve Years a Slave鈥 (2013) – Steve McQueen

11. 鈥淢udbound鈥 (2017) – Dee Rees

10. 鈥淕lory鈥 (1989) – Edward Zwick

9. 鈥淔ruitvale Station鈥 (2013) – Ryan Coogler

8. 鈥淢alcolm X鈥 (1992) – Spike Lee

7. 鈥淪elma鈥 (2014) – Ava DuVernay

6. 鈥淚n the Heat of the Night鈥 (1967) – Norman Jewison

5. 鈥淕uess Who鈥檚 Coming to Dinner?鈥 (1967) – Stanley Kramer

4. 鈥淕et Out鈥 (2017) – Jordan Peele

3. 鈥淢oonlight鈥 (2016) – Barry Jenkins

2. 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥 (1962) – Robert Mulligan

1. 鈥淒o the Right Thing鈥 (1989) – Spike Lee

 

WTOP's Jason Fraley salutes movies on race (Jason Fraley)
WTOP's Jason Fraley cuts a race movie mashup (2015) (Jason Fraley)

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for 鈥渉is savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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