Remember the Titans is one of my all time favorite movies. The film takes place in Alexandria, Virginia during the 1970s after the Civil Rights Movement. As integration among public areas, such as restaurants and schools, continued to spread, racial tensions between black and white Americans still strongly persisted. These tensions are evidently portrayed at the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School, where Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, becomes the new head football coach for the school. During this time, football was one of the most revered and celebrated sports in Virginia, especially at the high school level. Consequently, the film puts the beloved game of football to its ultimate test, as Coach Boone strives to drive his racially diverse team to victory through teaching his team the importance of respect, hard work, and the true meaning of friendship. We see transformations of various characters throughout the film, yet one very notable character I found most dynamic was Gerry Bertier, a white American student. As captain of the football team, Gerry is forced to face the inevitable changes surrounding him and his leadership towards the team is put to an ultimate challenge. In the beginning, as the racial structure of the team changes, Gerry’s own mind becomes a reflection of the protests and intensity surrounding him – filled with a mix of anger, confusion, and frustration. Ultimately, he sees no justification or reasons for the integration and disfavors the new policies.



As Gerry remains mentally tied to the previous norms and regulations of race in society, his attitude opposing the new changes ultimately escalates. Before boarding the bus for the training trip, Gerry confronts Coach Boone and states, “we don’t need any of your people on defense.” His choice of utilizing the words “we” and “your” to differentiate between the two races illustrates his existing prejudice, as well as his own sense of superiority in the way that he easily asserts his blunt opinions towards Coach Boone, of whom represents higher authority than Gerry. In this manner, his ego becomes inflated.



At the training camp, one of the most classic scenes in the film is the inspirational speech Coach Boone gives to the team at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. They arrive at the site after a very long run through woodland and trails. The birds chirping and the sounds of spring not only explicitly represent the nature surrounding Gerry during the run, but it also represents a foreshadowing of a fresh new perspective that Gerry gains for the rest of the film. From Coach Boone’s speech and the historical context surrounding him, Gerry begins to think about the bigger picture, involving the true meaning of teamwork to accomplish a goal, and as captain of the team, the responsibility he has to ensure that all his fellow teammates are respecting one another even if they don’t like each other. He begins to understand that just like the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, if the team continues to dispute, they too “will be destroyed.”



As a result of Gerry’s new outlook of the team, he becomes more disciplined in his training strategies and attempts to enforce this same discipline towards his other teammates. Meanwhile, he develops a close friendship with Julius, a Black player on the team, and the prejudice attitudes he once held were completely erased. Thus, the discipline he enforces across the team not only involves the actual training routines, but also the manner in which the team interacts with one another and getting every one to treat each other fairly and respectfully.



This next clip is an instrumental song that I believe best reflects the coming events and changes in Gerry’s life. The beginning of the piece starts with the sound of a piano and the notes are being played at a slow to medium pace connoting a calmer tone. Yet, the notes are also being played at a lower key, which also connotes a bit of suspense and seriousness. Soon, the sound of other instruments, like the electric guitar, bass, and drums enter in and the sound no longer connote tranquility but more so intensity and stress. In the film, while celebrating one of the team’s wins, Gerry decides to leisurely drive around the town and take in all the excitement when suddenly, a truck crashes into his car. Gerry later learns that both of his legs had become paralyzed as result of the accident. This sudden turn of events are reflective of this song in the way in which the notes go from calm with the piano to suddenly very loud and intense with the guitars and drums. What’s important to note, however, is after the loud entrance of the guitars and drums, there are snippets of the piece where it is just the piano playing alone again, which I believe illustrate finding peace or hope among all the chaos. Gerry Bertier is able to do just that by still demonstrating his great leadership through cheering on the team and maintaining high hopes and spirits, despite not being able to play in the championship game. Furthermore, based off the true story of Gerry Bertier, he later participates in special Olympic games, which shows his perseverance and ability to accept his physical state and not let it prevent him from achieving success.



This last song illustrates the final victory that Gerry Bertier felt and achieved. The football team won the State Title and as he pleasantly watched the end results of the game on television from his hospital bed, he proudly raised both his arms in the air feeling nothing short of victorious and ecstatic. This song not only represents the victory of the game, but it also demonstrates the victory of racial equality and the eternal friendship formed by all members of the team. The lyric in the beginning, “you got a whole world to change/but understand who you got to change first” reflects how Gerry learned that in order for him to enforce discipline and change within his team, he had to change his own attitude first. Also, the lyrics, “I know no limits, life can change in an instant” reflects how his own life changed in an instant after the car accident, yet he maintains a positive attitude towards life and still strives for success no matter what.

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