X

1997
TV-14
HBO Max
1 h 42 m

1997
TV-14
HBO Max
1 h 42 m

4 Little Girls

Summary On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation -- and a defining moment in the history of America's civil-rights movement. Now, acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee tells the full story of the bombing, through heart-...

Directed By: Spike Lee

1997
TV-14
HBO Max
1 h 42 m

1997
TV-14
HBO Max
1 h 42 m

4 Little Girls

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

88

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 11 User Ratings

7.2

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation -- and a defining moment in the history of America's civil-rights movement. Now, acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee tells the full story of the bombing, through heart-...

Directed By: Spike Lee

Top Cast

Maxine McNair

Self - Mother of Denise McNair

Walter Cronkite

Self - Special Correspondent CBS News

Chris McNair

Self - Father of Denise McNair

Fred Lee Shuttlesworth

Self - Pres. of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights

Helen Pegues

Self - Denise's Aunt

Queen Nunn

Self - Neighbor of Denise McNair

Arthur Hanes Jr.

Self - Defense Attorney for Bob Chambliss

Howell Raines

Self - New York Times Editor

Harold McNair

Self - Denise's Uncle

Carole C. Smitherman

Self - Denise's Childhood Friend

Wamo Reed Robertson

Self - Carole's Aunt

Dianne Braddock

Self - Carole's Sister

Carolyn Lee Brown

Self - Carole's Childhood Friend

Alpha Robertson

Self - Mother of Carole Robertson

Wyatt Tee Walker

Self - Former Executive Director of SCLC

Florence Terrell

Self - School Teacher

Gwendolyn White

Self - School Teacher

Doris Lockhart

Self - Neighbor of Cynthia Wesley

Gerald Colbert

Self - Cynthia's Childhood Neighbor

Freeman Hrabowski III

Self - Cynthia's Childhood Friend

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

94% Positive
15 Reviews

6% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews

94% Positive
15 Reviews

6% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

This subject demands consummate screen treatment and now has absolutely gotten it from director/producer Spike Lee. [10 Jul 1997, Pg.02.D]

By Mike Clark FULL REVIEW

San Francisco Chronicle

4 Little Girls brilliantly captures a moment in American history and tells an achingly painful story of injustice and family loss.

By Edward Guthmann FULL REVIEW

The Hollywood Reporter

Spike Lee's first feature-length documentary is an uncharacteristically restrained effort by this major filmmaker, lacking the intense style and outlandishness of much of his earlier work. But it tells a powerful story simply and movingly and thus serves as an important cinematic document of one of the most heinous crimes of the civil rights era: the 1963 Birmingham, Ala., church bombing that resulted in the deaths of four young children. [11 July 1997]

By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW

It is Lee's job as a film maker to imbue these images with life, and that's a task he easily accomplishes.

By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW

The film is artfully made, its occasional excesses of style moderated by the plain force of the content and the passion of the testimony.

TV Guide Magazine

Lee occasionally stumbles as a documentarian... But the material is so profoundly moving that it hardly matters.

By Maitland McDonagh FULL REVIEW

Lee's tough decision to include photos of the victims' smashed-up bodies was probably correct, but adding 'soulful' music to some of the interviews was more questionable.

See All 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 11 User Ratings

73% Positive
8 Ratings

0% Mixed
0 Ratings

27% Negative
3 Ratings

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 11 User Ratings

73% Positive
8 Ratings

0% Mixed
0 Ratings

27% Negative
3 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

Production Company 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Home Box Office (HBO)

Release Date Jul 9, 1997

Duration 1 h 42 m

Rating TV-14

Genres

Tagline Birmingham, 1963. A single explosion rocked a community and awakened a sleeping nation.

View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA

• 1 Nomination

Primetime Emmy Awards

• 5 Nominations

Online Film & Television Association

• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

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