Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story Review
By David Kempler
Did They Throw the Book at the Right Guy?
In 1965, Frank De Felitta shot a documentary for NBC News, venturing into the Mississippi Delta to get a close-hand look at the Civil Rights movement and the push-back against it. While the whites in the area were clearly reticent to say a word to the gentlemen and his crew that had entered their turf, De Felitte heard about Booker Wright, a black waiter who worked at a local whites-only restaurant. Booker was famous for memorizing the menu and reciting it for all customers.
De Felitta got more than he bargained for when he met Booker. While the cameras were rolling, Booker spoke about the fact that no matter how he was treated by the white patrons, he would maintain his cool and smile. He wasn't saying anything earth-shattering or that was not common knowledge, but to have a black man go on record with statements like this was extraordinary.
De Felitta realized that what he had captured on film was dynamite and made it clear to Booker that there might be horrific ramifications if his comments ever made it to the air. He offered to cut it out, but Booker said to go with it. Soon after it was aired, Booker was murdered.
Fast-forward almost a half a century and De Felitta's son Raymond decides to head back down to the region to try and learn more about what had transpired and to learn more about the murder of Booker.
By interviewing Booker's descendants, he pieced together as much as he could, and the conclusion drawn was that even though Booker had been gun-downed by a black man, that man must have been hired by white men to punish Booker for his transgression.
The problem is that there is no real proof offered up to support the theory. Everyone says with a nod and a wink that of course that's what happened. And that may indeed be the truth, but there is a glaring hole here. The murderer is serving time in jail and was unavailable to be interviewed. That is not a stretch. The problem is that there is no background at all offered about the man convicted of the murder. What were his connections? Did he have another possible motive? Was he a nut?
"Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story" is shot beautifully and professionally. The entire production is conducted at a top-notch level, and certainly we learn about Booker and what the man was about, but that hole of what really happened casts a giant shadow that the documentary cannot escape from. A murder mystery that offers little proof as to the details of the murder leaves one with an empty feeling and makes you wonder whether the filmmakers had evidence that would have conflicted with what they were trying to tell us. I don't think that's the case, but without knowing for sure, I can't help but feel a little bit cheated.
