This is the story that most people know when it comes to Emmett Till's case. Keith A. Beauchamp's film The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till goes beyond the funeral and reveals what went on behind the scenes at the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. The tale Beauchamp shows his audience is one of injustice in the court system due to the racist ideals held at that time in Mississippi.

In interviews with Till's mother, his cousins, activists like Al Sharpton and Charles Evers (Medgar's brother), and former newspaper reporters, the story of what happened during the trial unfolds. Interspersed between the interviews are selections of footage from the trial and the news coverage that followed it. The film looks at the cover up attempt by the town of Money's sheriff department, the NAACP's secret investigation into the case, the purchase and printing of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam's confession in Look magazine, and the eventual re-opening of the case in 2004.

The film, while a really good look at the case, feels a little rushed. It packs everything into 70 minutes, which makes it a great film for educational purposes, assuming that is part of its purpose. There are education packets geared to using the film for the classroom, which is where it would have the best impact, I feel. There is also extra commentary by Beauchamp as well as a panel discussion on the impact of the Emmett Till case in American history put on by the Civil Rights Project out of Harvard University.

It's a hard film to watch. I don't know what's more disturbing: the description of how Emmett looked after he was found, or how calmly his mother describes the first time she viewed his body. The photographs and footage of Emmett's body and funeral are not for those with weak stomachs. But this should not be a deterrent. The horrible nature of the Till case was what pushed many to fight against Jim Crow laws and what laid the ground work for the Civil Rights Movement.