On Saturday July 9th, my wife Ruth and I saw the movie Free State of Jones at Bridgeport Theatre in Tigard Oregon. The film was only showing in a limited number of theaters and an even more limited number of times at those theaters. I don't really know what the films success has been in terms of the usual metrics - dollars earned. I read a modest amount about the history of Jones County, Mississippi the movie seems to be reasonably historically accurate.The movie is centered around the actions of Newton Knight from 1862 to 1865. There are many aspects from military, racial, and historical that make the film interesting and intriguing. The events of the Civil War are huge and broad and have left an intense influence on this county. This is but one of thousands and thousands of such stories that have come responsibly to the big screen. I highly recommend seeing this movie before it is out of theaters, which will be soon.
Some additional resources:
- Smithsonian article: The True Story of the ‘Free State of Jones’
- Civil War - Vols I-3 - Shelby Foote, On Amazon
- History vs Hollywood - Free State of Jones
- Mississippi History Now article - really interesting.
