Eyes on the Prize, a critically acclaimed documentary dealing with the American Civil Rights Movement, is one of the best documentaries ever made in the U.S. and certainly the best to date on the civil rights movement. The 14 part series was recently re-released in 2006 as a 7 volume DVD set after being out distribution since the early 2000s. It is an indispensable part of any academic library’s film collection.

Eyes on the Price was created and produced by Henry Hampton (1940-1998) and Blackside Inc., the independent film and television company he created in 1968. During his life Hampton, one of the most influential documentary filmmakers of the 20th century, and Blackside produced over 60 films and media projects documenting the complex issues of race and poverty affecting Americans. Hampton wanted to show a different side of the movement "A hundred civil rights stories had been told, but it was always black people being saved by whites. In 'Eyes,' we brought our people up in history."

The series uses historical footage and contemporary interviews of people struggling for and against the movement to tell the story of the major events of the American Civil Rights struggles from 1954-1985 and of individual acts of courage of ordinary people who played an extraordinary role in the birth of one of the most powerful social justice movements in history.

The Los Angles Times called it “an exhaustive documentary that shouldn’t be missed”. The Oakland Tribune said, "The series brings back all the mixed emotions of that time, the fear, the hope, the anger, the defiance, the courage, the strength, the sorrow, the pain... The series teaches about the power of courage, the strength of determination, and the way fear strips away the power and the dignity of those who fail to fight it. These are vital lessons..." January 21, 1987. Eyes on the Prize went on to win 23 awards, including two Emmy’s, the Edward R. Murrow Brotherhood Award for Best National Documentary, the International Documentary Association’s Distinguished Documentary Award and the top DuPont-Columbia award for excellence in broadcast journalism. It is an invaluable record of the cultural, civil, judicial and social events of the era.

As usual, PBS has an excellent collection of supplementary materials on its website such as links to primary sources, profiles of individuals and groups, timelines, study guides for teachers, a transcript of each volume and more on the PBS website at: PBS.org

-Chela Lucas