document_title: Fluoridation by country

question_text: when did water fluoridation begin in the uk

question_tokens: when did water fluoridation begin in the uk

root

text: Fluoridation by country

text: Africa[edit]

text: Of Africa's 1.1 billion people, about 400,000 get artificially-fluoridated water (in Libya, data pre-2003).[22]

tag: p

text: Egypt[edit]

text: Water is fluoridated in Egypt, with no recommended minimum value but with a maximum value of 0.8 mg/L.

text: Libya[edit]

text: Before 2003, 400,000 Libyans were receiving artificially-fluoridated water.[22]

text: Nigeria[edit]

text: Only a fraction of Nigerians receive water from waterworks, so water fluoridation affects very few people. A 2009 study found that about 21% of water sources naturally contain fluoride to the recommended range of 0.3–0.6 ppm. About 62% have fluoride below this range.[23]

text: South Africa[edit]

text: South Africa's Health Department recommends adding fluoridation chemicals to drinking water in some areas. It also advises removal of fluoride from drinking water (defluoridation) where the fluoride content is too high.[24][25]

text: Legislation around mandatory fluoridation was introduced in 2002, but has been delayed since then pending further research after opposition from water companies, municipalities and the public.[26]

text: Zambia[edit]

text: Approximately 947,000 (7% of the population) receives water with naturally occurring fluoride in it.[17]

text: Zimbabwe[edit]

text: Roughly 2,600,000 (21% of the population) receives water with naturally occurring fluoride in it.[17]

text: Asia[edit]

text: China[edit]

text: Fluoridation is banned in China. Naturally high fluoride levels in water are a serious problem in China.[27] As of 2003, there is no water fluoridation in China.[28] Water fluoridation began in 1965 in the urban area of Guangzhou. It was interrupted during 1976–1978 due to the shortage of sodium silico-fluoride. It was resumed only in the Fangcun district of the city, due to objections, and was halted in 1983. The fluoridation reduced the number of cavities, but increased dental fluorosis; the fluoride levels could have been set too high, and low-quality equipment led to inconsistent, and often excessive, fluoride concentrations.[29]

text: Hong Kong[edit]

text: All Hong Kong residents receive natural occurring fluoride in water,[22] at about half the traditionally-recommended fluoride level. The Water Supplies Department fluoridates rainwater from 17 local reservoirs, in 21 treatment plants.[30] Recent tests showed drinking water to have an average fluoride level of 0.48 mg/L, and a maximum of 0.69 mg/L.[31]

text: India[edit]

text: Water fluoridation is not practiced in India.[32][33] Due to naturally-occurring fluoride, both skeletal and dental fluorosis have been endemic in India in at least 20 states, including Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.[34] The maximum permissible limit of fluoride in drinking water in India is 1.2 mg/L,[35] and the government has been obligated to install fluoride removal plants of various technologies to reduce fluoride levels from industrial waste and mineral deposits. Now reverse osmosis plants are widely used. Household and public system reverse osmosis plants are common in the market. Alleppey in Kerala is most affected with over-fluoridated water. Government-installed reverse osmosis plants supply free filtered water. Rotary International Club, Saratoga USA, helped to install 3 RO Plants in rural Alleppey.

text: As of  2014[update], there are 14,132 habitations in 19 States still containing fluoride above the permissible levels in drinking water. Rajasthan has the highest number of habitations (7,670) with high amount of fluoride in drinking water. Telangana has 1174, Karnataka has 1122 and Madhya Pradesh has 1055 habitation. Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh also has such habitations.

text: The government of India launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis in 2008–2009. In 2013–2014, the programme was brought under the National Rural Health Mission, which has so far covered 111 districts. The programme includes surveillance of fluorosis in the community, training and manpower support, establishment of diagnostic facilities, treatment and health education. The Indian Council of Medical Research has formed a task force on fluorosis to address issues related to prevention and control.[36]

text: Israel[edit]

text: Fluoride was required in water supplies nationwide by legislation passed in 2002,[37] but the requirement was repealed in 2014, and artificial fluoridation was disparaged by national health officials, effectively ending the practice in Israel for a short while.[18] After the election of 2015 the fluoridation program is to be re-debated the new deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman.[38]

text: Mekorot, Israel's national water company states, "In the South of the country, it is unnecessary to add fluoride because it is found naturally in the water."[39] Water fluoridation was introduced in Israel's large cities in 1981, and a national effort to fluoridate all the country's water was approved in 1988.[40]

text: In 2002, the Union of Local Authorities (ULA) and others petitioned Israel's High Court to stop the Health Ministry from forcing cities to implement water fluoridation. The court soon issued a restraining order,[41][42] but after half a year ULA withdrew its petition upon the request of the court.[43]

text: By 2011, about 65% of the municipalities and local authorities in Israel had agreed to allow fluoridation, and there was active opposition to the spread of fluoridation to the towns where it has not yet been instituted.[40] In 2011, the Health and Welfare Committee of the Knesset criticized the Health Ministry for continuation of water fluoridation.[44]

text: On 26 August 2014, Israel officially stopped adding fluoride to its water supplies.[45] According to a Ministry of Health press release statement, the reasons it ended water fluoridation were: "Only some 1% of the water is used for drinking, while 99% of the water is intended for other uses (industry, agriculture, flushing toilets etc.). There is also scientific evidence that fluoride in large amounts can lead to damage to health. When fluoride is supplied via drinking water, there is no control regarding the amount of fluoride actually consumed, which could lead to excessive consumption. Supply of fluoridated water forces those who do not so wish to also consume water with added fluoride."[18] Many in the medical and dental communities in Israel criticized the decision as a mistake.[46]

text: After the election of 2015, the new deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman announced that the fluoridation program will be re-debated.[38]

text: Japan[edit]

text: The first community water fluoridation programme was in Kyoto prefecture in 1952, lasting 13 years. The second was established by US military authorities in Okinawa prefecture in 1957, lasting 15 years. The last experience was in Mie Prefecture in 1967, lasting 4 years.[47]

text: Less than 1% of Japan practices water fluoridation.[48] Instead, as of March 2010, a total of 7,479 schools and 777,596 preschool to junior high school children were participating in school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing programme (S-FMR), with an estimate of 2,000,000 children participating in 2020.[49]

text: South Korea[edit]

text: In 2005, the ruling Uri Party proposed legislation for compulsory water fluoridation for municipalities. The legislation failed, and only 29 out of around 250 municipal governments had introduced water fluoridation at that time.[50] Fluoridation was proposed again in 2012.[51]

text: Malaysia[edit]

text: In 1998, 66% of Malaysians were getting fluoridated water.[52]

text: In 2010, Bernama reported, "Principal Director (Oral Health) in the Health Ministry, Datuk Dr Norain Abu Taib said that only 75.5% of the country's population are enjoying the benefits of water fluoridation".[53]

text: Singapore[edit]

text: In 1956, Singapore was the first Asian country to institute a water fluoridation program that covered 100% of the population.[54][55] Water is fluoridated to a typical value of 0.4-0.6 mg per litre.[56]

text: Vietnam[edit]

text: Only about 4% of the population of Vietnam has water fluoridation, whereas only 70% get their water from public supplies.[22]

text: Europe[edit]

text: Out of a population of about three-quarters of a billion, under 14 million people (approximately 2%) in Europe receive artificially-fluoridated water. Those people are in the UK (5,797,000), Republic of Ireland (3,250,000), Spain (4,250,000), and Serbia (300,000).[22]

text: The first water fluoridation in Europe was in West Germany and Sweden in 1952, bringing fluoridated water to about 42,000 people. By mid-1962, about 1 million Europeans in 18 communities in 11 countries were receiving fluoridated water.[57]

text: Many European countries have rejected water fluoridation, including: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland,[58] Scotland,[59] Iceland, and Italy.[60] A 2003 survey of over 500 Europeans from 16 countries concluded that "the vast majority of people opposed water fluoridation".[61]

text: Austria[edit]

text: Austria has never implemented fluoridation.[48]

text: Belgium[edit]

text: Belgium does not fluoridate its water supply, although legislation permits it.[48]

text: Czech Republic[edit]

text: Czech Republic (previously Czechoslovakia) started water fluoridation in 1958 in Tábor. In Prague fluoridation started in 1975. It was stopped in Prague in 1988 and subsequently in the whole country. Since 2008 no water has been fluoridated.[62] Fluoridated salt is available.[63]

text: Croatia[edit]

text: Croatia does not fluoridate its water.[64]

text: Denmark[edit]

text: Denmark has released test results for levels of various water contaminants, including fluoride, in the drinking water of some cities: København,[65] Brøndby,[66] Albertslund,[67] Dragør,[68] Hvidovre,[69] Rødovre,[70] Vallensbæk,[71] and Herlev.[72]

text: Estonia[edit]

text: There is no water fluoridation in Estonia.[22] About 4% of the population may be exposed to excessive natural fluoride in drinking waters, and there are measures to remove excess fluoride.[73]

text: Finland[edit]

text: Kuopio is the only community in Finland with at least 70,000 people that has ever had water fluoridated.[48] Kuopio stopped fluoridation in 1992.[74] In regions with rapakivi bedrock (small, but densely populated regions), 22% of well waters and 55% of drilled well waters exceed the legal limit of 1.5 mg/l; generally, surface and well waters have 0.5-2.0 mg/l fluoride in affected regions.[75]

text: France[edit]

text: Fluoridated salt is available in France,[48] and 3% of the population uses naturally fluoridated water,[22] but the water is not artificially fluoridated.[22][58]

text: Germany[edit]

text: Public drinking water supplies are not currently fluoridated in any part of Germany,[76] however for children and adolescents use of fluoridated salt and toothpaste, as well as fluoride tablets and washes is strongly encouraged by the German Ministry of Health.[77]

text: Kassel-Wahlershausen in West Germany became the second location in Europe where water fluoridation was practiced in 1952. By 1962, no other part of the FRG was fluoridating,[57] and Kassel-Wahlershausen discontinued the practice in 1971.[citation needed]

text: In the GDR (East Germany) in the late 1980s, about 3.4 million people (20%) were receiving water with added fluoride. Fluoride tablets were also provided.[78] The fluoridated areas of the GDR included the towns of Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz), Plauen, Zittau, and Spremberg. Children in those towns were part of large long-running studies of caries prevalence. A fluoride cessation study found that consistent with a previously observed population-wide phenomenon that the rate of cavities continued to drop after the fluoride concentration in water fell from the augmented 1.0 ppm to its natural level below 0.2 ppm.[79][80] Water fluoridation was discontinued after the German reunification.

text: Greece[edit]

text: There is no water fluoridation in Greece.[81]

text: Hungary[edit]

text: In the early 1960s the city of Szolnok briefly fluoridated its water. The program was discontinued due to technical problems and a public view that fluoridation did not seem reasonable.[clarification needed] Hungary has not used artificially fluoridated water since then.[citation needed]

text: Ireland[edit]

text: Near the end of 2015, Ireland was the only country in the European Union with a nationwide mandate for water fluoridation.[18][82][83]

text: The majority of drinking water is fluoridated. In 2012, roughly 3.25 million people received artificially-fluoridated water.[22] Almost 71% of the population in 2002 resided in fluoridated communities.[84] The fluoridation agent used is hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFSA; H2SiF6).[85] In a 2002 public survey, 45% of respondents expressed some concern about fluoridation.[86]

text: In 1957, the Department of Health established a Fluorine Consultative Council which recommended fluoridation at 1.0 ppm of public water supplies, then accessed by approximately 50% of the population.[87] This was felt to be a much cheaper way of improving the quality of children's teeth than employing more dentists.[88] This led to the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960, which mandated compulsory fluoridation by local authorities.[88][89] The statutory instruments made in 1962–65 under the 1960 Act were separate for each local authority, setting the level of fluoride in drinking water to 0.8–1.0 ppm.[90][91] The current regulations date from 2007, and set the level to 0.6–0.8 ppm, with a target value of 0.7 ppm.[92]

text: Implementation of fluoridation was held up by preliminary dental surveying and water testing,[93] and a court case, Ryan v. Attorney General.[94] In 1965, the Supreme Court rejected Gladys Ryan's claim that the Act violated the Constitution of Ireland's guarantee of the right to bodily integrity.[94][95] By 1965, Greater Dublin's water was fluoridated; by 1973, other urban centers were too.[96] Studies from the late 1970s to mid 1990s showed a decrease in (and lower incidence of) dental decay in school children living in areas where water was fluoridated than in areas where water was not fluoridated.[97]

text: A private member's bill to end fluoridation was defeated in the Dáil on 12 November 2013.[98][99] It was supported by Sinn Féin and some of the technical group and opposed by the Fine Gael-Labour government and Fianna Fáil.[99][100][101]

text: Recently there is much local opposition to the national fluoridation mandate. Early in 2014, Cork County Council and Laois County Council passed motions for the cessation of water fluoridation. In Autumn 2014, Cork City Council, Dublin City Council,[82][83] and Kerry County Council passed similar motions.[82]

text: Latvia[edit]

text: There is no water fluoridation in Latvia.[22] Riga's upper limit on natural fluoride is 1.5 mg/l.[102]

text: Netherlands[edit]

text: Water was fluoridated in large parts of the Netherlands from 1960 to 1973, when the High Council of The Netherlands declared fluoridation of drinking water unauthorized.[103] Dutch authorities had no legal basis for adding chemicals to drinking water if they would not contribute to a sound water supply.[104] Drinking water has not been fluoridated in any part of the Netherlands since 1973.

text: Norway[edit]

text: In 2000, representatives of the Norwegian National Institute for Public Health reported that no cities in Norway were practicing water fluoridation. There had been intense discussion of the issue around 1980, but no ongoing political discussion in 2000.[105]

text: Serbia[edit]

text: About 300,000 people in Serbia (3%) were receiving fluoridated water before 2003.[22]

text: Spain[edit]

text: Around 10% of the population[106] (4,250,000 people)[22] receive fluoridated water.

text: Sweden[edit]

text: In 1952, Norrköping in Sweden became one of the first cities in Europe to fluoridate its water supply.[107] It was declared illegal by the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden in 1961, re-legalized in 1962[108] and finally prohibited by the parliament in 1971,[109] after considerable debate. The parliament majority said that there were other and better ways of reducing tooth decay than water fluoridation. Four cities received permission to fluoridate tap water when it was legal.[107]:56–57 An official commission was formed, which published its final report in 1981. They recommended other ways of reducing tooth decay (improving food and oral hygiene habits) instead of fluoridating tap water. They also found that many people found fluoridation to infringe upon personal liberty/freedom of choice by forcing them to be medicated, and that the long-term effects of fluoridation were insufficiently acknowledged. They also lacked a proper study on the effects of fluoridation on formula-fed infants.[107]:29 In the year 2004 the allowed amount of fluoride in the water was decreased to 1,5 mg/l.[110]

text: Switzerland[edit]

text: In Switzerland, since 1962, two fluoridation programs had operated in tandem: water fluoridation in the City of Basel, and salt fluoridation in the rest of Switzerland (around 83% of domestic salt sold had fluoride added). However it became increasingly difficult to keep the two programs separate. As a result, some of the population of Basel were assumed to use both fluoridated salt and fluoridated water. In order to correct the situation, in April 2003 the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt resolved to cease water fluoridation and expand salt fluoridation to Basel.[111][112]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: Around 10% of the population of the United Kingdom receives fluoridated water.[106] About half a million people receive water that is naturally fluoridated with calcium fluoride, and about 6 million total receive fluoridated water.[113] The Water Act 2003 required water suppliers to comply with requests from local health authorities to fluoridate their water.[113]

text: The following UK water utility companies fluoridate their supply:

text:
Anglian Water Services Ltd
Northumbrian Water Ltd
South Staffordshire Water plc
Severn Trent plc
United Utilities Water plc

tag: ul

text: Earlier plans were undertaken in the Health Authority areas of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Birmingham, Black Country, Cheshire, Merseyside, County Durham, Tees Valley, Cumbria, Lancashire, North, East Yorkshire, Northern Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Trent and West Midlands South whereby fluoridation was introduced progressively in the years between 1964 and 1988.[114]

text: The South Central Strategic Health Authority carried out the first public consultation under the Water Act 2003, and in 2009 its board voted to fluoridate water supplies in the Southampton area to address the high incidence of tooth decay in children there.[113] Surveys had found that the majority of surveyed Southampton residents opposed the plan, but the Southampton City Primary Care Trust decided that "public vote could not be the deciding factor and that medical evidence shows fluoridation will reduce tooth decay – and failed to back up claims of serious negative side effects".[115] Fluoridation plans have been particularly controversial in the northwest of England and have been delayed after a large increase on projected costs was revealed.[116] In October 2014, Public Health England abandoned plans for water fluoridation for 195,000 people in Southampton and neighbouring parts of south-west Hampshire due to opposition from both Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council.[117]

text: It was reported in 2007 that the UK Milk Fluoridation Programme, centered in the northwest of England, involved more than 16,000 children.[118]

text: The water supply in Northern Ireland has never been artificially fluoridated except in two small localities where fluoride was added to the water for about 30 years. By 1999, fluoridation ceased in those two areas, as well.[citation needed]

text: In 2004, following a public consultation, Scotland's parliament rejected proposals to fluoridate public drinking water.[59]

text: North America[edit]

text: Canada[edit]

text: The decision whether to fluoridate lies with local governments, with guidelines set by provincial, territorial, and federal governments. Brantford, Ontario became the first city in Canada to fluoridate its water supplies in 1945.[120] In 1955, Toronto approved water fluoridation, but delayed implementation of the program until 1963 due to a campaign against fluoridation by broadcaster Gordon Sinclair.[121] The city continues to fluoridate its water today.[122] In 2008 the recommended fluoride levels in Canada were reduced from 0.8–1.0 mg/L to 0.7 mg/L to minimize the risk of dental fluorosis. Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba have the highest rates of fluoridation, about 70–75%. The lowest rates are in Quebec (about 6%), British Columbia (about 4%), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1.5%), with Nunavut and the Yukon having no fluoridation at all.[120] Overall, about 45% of the Canadian population had access to fluoridated water supplies in 2007.[120] A 2008 telephone survey found that about half of Canadian adults knew about fluoridation, and of these, 62% supported the idea.[123]

text: In 2010, the Region of Waterloo held a non-binding referendum for residents to decide whether water fluoridation should continue.[124][125] The result of the vote was 50.3% voting against fluoridation.[125][126] The regional council honored the vote, and over forty years of fluoridation in the city of Waterloo ended in November.[127]

text: In 2011, Calgary city council voted 10–3 to stop adding fluoride to the city's drinking water, having started water fluoridation in 1991.[128][129] A research project has been planned to study the effects of Calgary's cessation, using Edmonton as a control.[130]

text: On 28 January 2013, Windsor city council voted 8–3 to cease fluoridation of Windsor's drinking water for five years, honoring a February 2012 recommendation by the Windsor Utilities Commission. Tecumseh gets its water from Windsor, and Tecmuseh's council had voted on 13 March 2012 to ask Windsor to stop fluoridating. Money formerly spent on fluoridation was reallocated to oral health and nutrition education programs. Windsor's water had been fluoridated for over fifty years.[131][132][133]

text: Lakeshore and Amherstberg have voted to end water fluoridation.[131]

text: Hamilton, London, and Toronto have recently chosen to continue fluoridation. Toronto treats its water to 0.6 mg/L.[134]

text: Mexico[edit]

text: Mexico has no water fluoridation program; instead it has a table salt fluoridation program.

text: United States[edit]

text: As of May 2000, 42 of the 50 largest U.S. cities had water fluoridation.[135] In 2010, 66% of all U.S. residents and 74% of U.S. residents with access to community water systems receive fluoridated water.[136] In 2010, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study determined that "40.7% of adolescents aged 12–15 had dental fluorosis [in 1999–2004]".[137] In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are proposing[138] to reduce the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water to the lowest end of the current range, 0.7 milligrams per liter of water (mg/L), from the previous recommended maximum of 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L in recognition of the increase in sources of fluoride such as fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwashes [138][139] This could effectively terminate municipal water fluoridation in areas where fluoride levels from mineral deposits and industrial pollution exceed the new recommendation.[140]

text: Oceania[edit]

text: Australia[edit]

text: Australia now provides fluoridated water for 70% or more of the population in all states and territories. Many of Australia's drinking water supplies began fluoridation in the 1960s and 1970s. By 1984 almost 66% of the Australian population had access to fluoridated drinking water, represented by 850 towns and cities.[142][143] Some areas within Australia have natural fluoride levels in the groundwater, which was estimated in 1991 to provide drinking water to approximately 0.9% of the population.[142]

text: The first town to fluoridate the water supply in Australia was Beaconsfield, Tasmania in 1953.[144] Queensland became the last state to formally require the addition of fluoride to public drinking water supplies in December 2008.[145]

text: New Zealand[edit]

text:
The use of water fluoridation first began in New Zealand in Hastings in 1954. A Commission of Inquiry was held in 1957 and then its use rapidly expanded in the mid 1960s.[146] New Zealand now has fluoridated water supplied to about half of the total population.[147] Of the six main centers, only Christchurch[148] and Tauranga[149] do not have a fluoridated water supply. Wellington's water supply is mostly fluoridated, but the suburbs of Petone and Korokoro receive a non-fluoridated supply.[150] In Auckland, the suburbs Onehunga and Huia Village don't fluoridate water.[151] In 2013, a Hamilton City Council committee voted to remove fluoride from late June 2013.[152] A referendum was held during the council elections in October 2013 with approximately 70% of voters voting for fluoride to be added back into the water supply, and in March 2014, the council voted 9 to 1 to re-introduce fluoride into the supply.[153] In a 2007 referendum about half of voters in the Central Otago, South Otago and the Southland Region did not want fluoridation[154] and voters in the Waitaki District were against water fluoridation for all Wards.[155] Ashburton and Greymouth also voted against fluoridation.[156]
In 2014, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor and the Royal Society of New Zealand published a report on the health effects of water fluoridation.[157]

text: South America[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018)

tag: table

text: Brazil[edit]

text: By 2008, 41% of people (73.2 million) in Brazil were getting artificially-fluoridated water.[22]

text: Water fluoridation was first adopted in Brazil in the city of Baixo Guandu, ES, in 1953.[158] A 1974 federal law required new or enlarged water treatment plants to have fluoridation, and its availability was greatly expanded in the 1980s, with optimum fluoridation levels set at 0.8 mg/L. Today, the expansion of fluoridation in Brazil is a governmental priority; Between 2005 and 2008, fluoridation became available to 7.6 million people in 503 municipalities.[citation needed] As of 2008, 3,351 municipalities (60.6%) had adopted fluoridation, up from 2,466 in 2000.[159]

text: Chile[edit]

text: In Chile 70.5% of the population receives fluoridated water (10.1 million added by chemical means, 604,000 naturally occurring).[160] The Biobio Region is the only administrative division that doesn't fluoridate water.[161][unreliable source?]


document_title: The Horse Soldiers

question_text: where was the filming location for the horse soldiers

text: The Horse Soldiers

text: Background[edit]

text: The film was loosely based on Harold Sinclair's 1956 novel of the same name,[2] which in turn was based on the historic 17-day Grierson's Raid and Battle of Newton's Station in Mississippi during the Civil War.

text: In April 1863, Colonel Benjamin Grierson led 1,700 Illinois and Iowa soldiers from LaGrange, Tennessee to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through several hundred miles of enemy territory, destroying Confederate railroad and supply lines between Newton's Station and Vicksburg, Mississippi. The mission was part of the Union Army's successful Vicksburg campaign to gain control over boat traffic on the Mississippi River, culminating in the Battle of Vicksburg.[3] Grierson's destruction of Confederate-controlled rail links and supplies played an important role in disrupting Confederate General John C. Pemberton's strategies and troop deployments. Union General William Tecumseh Sherman reportedly described Grierson's daring mission as "the most brilliant of the war".[4]

text: Plot summary[edit]

text: A Union cavalry brigade led by Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne)—a railroad construction engineer in civilian life—is sent on a raid behind Confederate lines to destroy a railroad and supply depot at Newton Station. Major Henry Kendall (William Holden), a regimental surgeon who is torn between duty and the horror of war, is constantly at odds with Marlowe.

text: While the unit rests at Greenbriar Plantation, Miss Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers), the plantation's mistress, and her slave, Lukey (Althea Gibson) eavesdrop on a staff meeting as Marlowe discusses his battle strategy. To protect the secrecy of the mission, Marlowe is forced to take the two women with him. Initially hostile to her Yankee captor, Miss Hunter gradually warms to him. In addition to Kendall and Miss Hunter, Marlowe also must contend with Col. Phil Secord (Willis Bouchey), who continually second-guesses Marlowe's orders and command decisions.

text: Several battles ensue, including a fire fight during which Lukey is killed, and a skirmish with boy cadets from a local military school (based on the actual Battle of New Market). After destroying the crucial supply line, and with Confederate forces in pursuit, the brigade reaches a bridge that must be stormed in order to access the Union lines. Marlowe's men rig it with explosive charges, and Marlowe bids Hannah farewell. Kendall chooses to remain behind with some badly wounded men—knowing he will be captured with them—rather than leave them, defenseless, to the mercy of the Confederates. Marlowe, though wounded, lights the fuse and leads his troops across the bridge before it is destroyed, halting the Confederate advance. Their mission accomplished, he and his brigade continue on toward Baton Rouge.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
John Wayne as Colonel John Marlowe
William Holden as Major Henry 'Hank' Kendall
Constance Towers as Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar
Althea Gibson as Lukey, Miss Hunter's fiercely loyal black maid
Judson Pratt as Sergeant Major Kirby
Ken Curtis as Cpl. Wilkie
Willis Bouchey as Col. Phil Secord
Bing Russell as Dunker, Yankee Soldier Amputee
O.Z. Whitehead as Otis 'Hoppy' Hopkins (medical assistant)
Hank Worden as Deacon Clump
Chuck Hayward as Union captain
Denver Pyle as Jackie Jo (rebel deserter)
Strother Martin as Virgil (rebel deserter)
Basil Ruysdael as the Reverend (Jefferson Military Academy)
Carleton Young as Col. Jonathan Miles, CSA
William Leslie as Maj. Richard Gray
William Henry as Confederate lieutenant
Walter Reed as Union officer
Anna Lee as Mrs. Buford
William Forrest as Gen. Steve Hurlburt
Ron Hagerthy as Bugler
Russell Simpson as Acting Sheriff Henry Goodbody
Hoot Gibson as Sgt. Brown
Jack Pennick as Sgt. Maj.Mitch Mitchell (uncredited) Senior member of John Ford's Stock Company.

text: Production[edit]

text: Exterior scenes were filmed in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, along the banks of Cane River Lake, and in and around Natchez, Mississippi.[5] The film company built a bridge over the Cane River for the pivotal battle scene, and many locals were hired as extras.[5]

text: The project was plagued from the start by cost overruns, discord, and tragedy. Holden and Ford argued incessantly. Wayne was preoccupied with pre-production logistics for The Alamo.[6] Lukey's dialog was originally written in a stereotypic "Negro" dialect that Althea Gibson, the former Wimbledon and U.S. National tennis champion who was cast in the role, found offensive. She informed Ford that she would not deliver her lines as written. Though Ford was notorious for his intolerance of actors' demands,[7] he agreed to modify the script.[8]

text: During filming of the climactic battle scene, veteran stuntman Fred Kennedy suffered a broken neck while performing a horse fall and died. "Ford was completely devastated," wrote biographer Joseph Malham. "[He] felt a deep responsibility for the lives of the men who served under him."[9] The film was scripted to end with the triumphant arrival of Marlowe's forces in Baton Rouge, but Ford "simply lost interest" after Kennedy's death. He ended the film with Marlowe's farewell to Hannah Hunter before crossing and blowing up the bridge.[10]

text: The film was a commercial failure; analysts said this was due largely to Wayne's and Holden's high salaries, and the complex participation of multiple production companies. The response of audiences and critics was "lackluster".[11]

text: Historical accuracy[edit]

text: Though based loosely on Grierson's Raid, The Horse Soldiers is a fictional account that departs considerably from the actual events. The real-life protagonist, a music teacher named Benjamin Grierson, becomes railroad engineer John Marlowe in the film. Hannah Hunter, Marlowe's love interest, has no historical counterpart. Numerous other details were altered as well, "to streamline and popularize the story for the non-history buffs who would make up a large part of the audience."[12]


document_title: Hidden Figures

question_text: who becomes the supervisor at the end of hidden figures

text: Hidden Figures

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1961, mathematician Katherine Goble works as a human computer in the gender segregated and racially segregated division West Area Computers of the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, alongside her colleagues, aspiring engineer Mary Jackson and their unofficial acting-supervisor Dorothy Vaughan.

text: Following the successful Soviet launch of Yuri Gagarin, pressure to send American astronauts into space increases. Supervisor Vivian Mitchell assigns Katherine to assist Al Harrison's Space Task Group, given her skills in analytic geometry. She becomes the first black woman on the team.

text: Katherine's new colleagues are initially dismissive and demeaning, especially head engineer Paul Stafford. Meanwhile, Mitchell informs Dorothy that she will not be promoted, as there are no plans to assign a "permanent supervisor for the colored group". Mary is assigned to the space capsule heat shield team, and immediately identifies a flaw. With encouragement from the team leader, a Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor, she submits an application for an official NASA engineer position and begins to pursue an engineering degree.

text: Katherine meets National Guard Lt. Col. Jim Johnson at a barbecue, but she is disappointed when he voices skepticism about women's mathematical abilities. He later apologizes, and begins spending time with Katherine and her three daughters.

text: When Harrison invites his subordinates to solve a complex mathematical equation, Katherine develops the solution, leaving him impressed. The Mercury 7 astronauts visit Langley and astronaut John Glenn is cordial to the West Area Computers.

text: Harrison is enraged when he finds out that Katherine is forced to walk a half-mile (800 meters) to another building to use the colored people's bathroom. Harrison abolishes bathroom segregation, knocking down the "Colored Bathroom" sign. Harrison allows Katherine to be included in their meetings, in which she creates an equation to guide the space capsule during re-entry. Despite this, Katherine is forced to remove her name from the reports, which are credited solely to Stafford. Meanwhile, Mary goes to court and convinces the judge to grant her permission to attend night classes in an all-white school to obtain her engineering degree.

text: Dorothy learns of the impending installation of an IBM 7090 electronic computer that could replace human computers. She visits the computer room to learn about it, and successfully starts the machine. Later, she visits a public library, where the librarian scolds her for visiting the whites-only section, to borrow a book about Fortran. After teaching herself programming and training her West Area co-workers, she is officially promoted to supervise the Programming Department, bringing 30 of her co-workers with her. Mitchell eventually addresses Dorothy as "Mrs. Vaughan," indicating her new-found respect.

text: As the final arrangements for John Glenn's launch are made, Katherine is reassigned back to West Area Computers. As a wedding and farewell gift from her colleagues (Katherine is now married to Jim Johnson), Katherine is given a pearl necklace, the only jewelry allowed under the dress code.

text: The day of the launch, discrepancies arise in the IBM 7090 calculations for the capsule's landing coordinates, and Astronaut Glenn requests that Katherine be called in to check them. She quickly does so, only to have the door slammed in her face after delivering the results to the control room. However, Harrison gives her a security pass so they can relay the results to Glenn together. After a successful launch and orbit, the space capsule has a heat shield problem. Mission control decides to land it after three orbits instead of seven. Katherine suggests that they leave the retro-rocket attached to heat shield for reentry. The instructions prove correct, and Friendship 7 successfully lands.

text: Following the mission, the mathematicians are laid off and ultimately replaced by electronic computers. Katherine is reassigned to the Analysis and Computation Division, Dorothy continues to supervise the Programming Department, and Mary obtains her engineering degree and gains employment at NASA as an engineer. At the end of the film, we see Stafford, showing a change of heart, bringing Katherine a cup of coffee.

text: An epilogue reveals that Katherine calculated the trajectories for the Apollo 11 and Space Shuttle missions. In 2015 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The following year, NASA dedicated the Langley Research Center's Katherine G. Johnson Computational Building in her honor.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Goble Johnson, mathematician
Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, mathematician and supervisor
Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, who becomes an engineer
Kevin Costner as Al Harrison, director of the Space Task Group
Kirsten Dunst as Vivian Mitchell, supervisor
Jim Parsons as Paul Stafford, head engineer in STG
Glen Powell as John Glenn, astronaut
Mahershala Ali as Jim Johnson, military officer who romances and eventually marries Katherine
Karan Kendrick as Young Joylette Coleman, mother of Young Katherine Goble Johnson
Donna Biscoe as Joylette Coleman, Katherine's mother, who helps care for her children
Rhoda Griffis as White Librarian
Maria Howell as Ms. Summer
Aldis Hodge as Levi Jackson
Paige Nicollette as Eunice Smith
Gary Weeks as Reporter at Press Conference
Saniyya Sidney as Constance Johnson
Zani Jones Mbayise as Kathy Johnson
Kimberly Quinn as Ruth
Olek Krupa as Karl Zielinski, engineer who encourages Mary Jackson

text: Production[edit]

text: On July 9, 2015, it was announced that producer Donna Gigliotti had acquired Margot Lee Shetterly's nonfiction book Hidden Figures, about a group of black female mathematicians that helped NASA win the Space Race.[5] Allison Schroeder wrote the script, which was developed by Gigliotti through Levantine Films. Schroeder grew up by Cape Canaveral and her grandparents worked at NASA, where she also interned as a teenager, and as a result saw the project as a perfect fit for herself.[6] Levantine Films produced the film with Peter Chernin's Chernin Entertainment. Fox 2000 Pictures acquired the film rights, and Theodore Melfi signed on to direct.[5] After coming aboard, Melfi revised Schroeder's script, and in particular focused on balancing the home lives of the three protagonists with their careers at NASA.[6] After the film's development was announced, actresses considered to play the black female roles included Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Taraji P. Henson.[5]

text: Chernin and Jenno Topping produced, along with Gigliotti and Melfi.[7] On February 10, 2016, Fox cast Henson to play the lead role of mathematician Katherine Goble Johnson. On February 17, Spencer was selected to play Dorothy Vaughan, one of the three lead mathematicians at NASA.[8] On March 1, 2016, Kevin Costner was cast in the film to play the fictional head of the space program.[9] Singer Janelle Monáe signed on to play the third lead mathematician, Mary Jackson.[10] Later the same month, Kirsten Dunst, Glen Powell, and Mahershala Ali were cast in the film: Powell to play astronaut John Glenn,[11] and Ali as Johnson's love interest.[12][13]

text: Principal photography began in March 2016 on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.[14] Filming also took place at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.[15] On April 1, 2016, Jim Parsons was cast in the film to play the head engineer of the Space Task Group at NASA, Paul Stafford.[11] In April 2016, Pharrell Williams came on board as a producer on the film. He also wrote original songs and handled the music department and soundtrack of the film, with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch.[16] Morehouse College mathematics professor Rudy L. Horne was brought in to be the on-set mathematician.

text: Historical accuracy[edit]

text: The film, set at NASA in 1961, depicts segregated facilities such as the West Area Computing unit, where an all-black group of female mathematicians were originally required to use separate dining and bathroom facilities. However, in reality, Dorothy Vaughan was promoted to supervisor of West Computing in 1949, becoming the first black supervisor at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and one of the few female supervisors. In 1958, when NACA made the transition to NASA, segregated facilities, including the West Computing office, were abolished. Dorothy Vaughan and many of the former West Computers transferred to the new Analysis and Computation Division (ACD), a racially and gender-integrated group.[17]

text: Mary Jackson was the one who had to find her own way to a colored bathroom, which did exist on the East Side.[18] Katherine (then Goble) was originally unaware that the East Side bathrooms were segregated, and used the unlabeled "whites-only" bathrooms for years before anyone complained.[19] She ignored the complaint, and the issue was dropped.[20] In an interview with WHRO-TV, Katherine Johnson played down the feeling of segregation. "I didn't feel the segregation at NASA, because everybody there was doing research. You had a mission and you worked on it, and it was important to you to do your job...and play bridge at lunch. I didn't feel any segregation. I knew it was there, but I didn't feel it."[21]

text: Mary Jackson did not have to get a court order to attend night classes at the whites-only high school. She asked the city of Hampton for an exception, and it was granted. The school turned out to be run down and dilapidated, a hidden cost of running two parallel school systems.[22] She completed her engineering courses and earned a promotion to engineer in 1958.[23]

text: Katherine Goble/Johnson carpooled with Eunice Smith, a nine-year West End computer veteran at the time Katherine joined NACA. Smith was her neighbor and friend from sorority and church choir.[24] The three Goble children were teenagers at the time of Katherine's marriage to Jim Johnson.[25]

text: Katherine Goble/Johnson was assigned to the Flight Research Division in 1953, a move that soon became permanent. When the Space Task Group was created in 1958, engineers from the Flight Research Division formed the core of the Group, and Katherine moved along with them. She coauthored a research report in 1960, the first time a woman in the Flight Research Division had received credit as an author of a research report.[26]

text: Katherine gained access to editorial meetings as of 1958 simply through persistence, not because one particular meeting was critical.[27][28]

text: The Space Task Group was led by Robert Gilruth, not the fictional character Al Harrison, who was created to simplify a more complex management structure.

text: The scene where Harrison smashes the Colored Ladies Room sign never happened, as in real life Katherine refused to walk the extra distance to use the colored bathroom and, in her words, "just went to the White one".[29] Harrison also lets her into Mission Control to witness the launch. Neither scene happened in real life, and screenwriter Theodore Melfi said he saw no problem with adding the scenes, "There needs to be white people who do the right thing, there needs to be black people who do the right thing, and someone does the right thing. And so who cares who does the right thing, as long as the right thing is achieved?" Dexter Thomas of Vice News criticized Melfi's additions as creating the white savior trope, "In this case, it means that a white person doesn't have to think about the possibility that, were they around back in the 1960s South, they might have been one of the bad ones."[30] The Atlantic's Megan Garber said that the film's "narrative trajectory" involved "thematic elements of the white savior".[31] Melfi said he found "hurtful" the "accusations of a 'white savior' storyline", saying, "It was very upsetting to me because I am at a place where I've lived my life colorless and I grew up in Brooklyn. I walked to school with people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and that’s how I've lived my life. So it's very upsetting that we still have to have this conversation. I get upset when I hear 'black film,' and so does Taraji P. Henson... It's just a film. And if we keep labeling something 'a black film,' or 'a white film'— basically it's modern day segregation. We're all humans. Any human can tell any human’s story. I don't want to have this conversation about black film or white film anymore. I wanna have conversations about film."

text: The Huffington Post's Zeba Blay said of Melfi's frustration, "His frustration is also a perfect example of how, when it comes to open dialogue about depictions of people of color on screen, it behooves white people (especially those who position themselves as 'allies') to listen... the inclusion of the bathroom scene doesn’t make Melfi a bad filmmaker, or a bad person, or a racist. But his suggestion that a feel-good scene like that was needed for the marketability and overall appeal of the film speaks to the fact that Hollywood at large still has a long way to go in telling black stories, no matter how many strides have been made."[32]

text: The fictional characters Vivian Mitchell and Paul Stafford are composites of several team members, and reflect common social views and attitudes of the time. Karl Zielinski is based on Mary Jackson's mentor, Kazimierz "Kaz" Czarnecki.[33]

text: John Glenn, who was about a decade older than depicted at the time of launch, did ask specifically for Johnson[34] to verify the IBM calculations, although she had several days before the launch date to complete the process.[35]

text: The author Margot Lee Shetterly has agreed that there are differences between her book and the movie, but found that to be understandable.

text: For better or for worse, there is history, there is the book and then there's the movie. Timelines had to be conflated and [there were] composite characters, and for most people [who have seen the movie] have already taken that as the literal fact. ... You might get the indication in the movie that these were the only people doing those jobs, when in reality we know they worked in teams, and those teams had other teams. There were sections, branches, divisions, and they all went up to a director. There were so many people required to make this happen. ... It would be great for people to understand that there were so many more people. Even though Katherine Johnson, in this role, was a hero, there were so many others that were required to do other kinds of tests and checks to make [Glenn's] mission come to fruition. But I understand you can't make a movie with 300 characters. It is simply not possible.[36]

text: John Glenn's flight was not terminated early as incorrectly stated in the movie's closing subtitles. The MA-6 mission was planned for three orbits and landed at the expected time. The press kit published before launch states that "The Mercury Operations Director may elect a one, two or three orbit mission." [37] The post mission report also shows that retrofire was scheduled to occur on the third orbit. [38] Scott Carpenter's subsequent flight in May was also scheduled and flew for three orbits, and Walter Schirra's planned six orbit flight in October required extensive modifications to the Mercury capsule's life support system to allow him to fly a nine-hour mission.[39] The phrase "go for at least seven orbits" that is in the mission transcript refers to the fact that the Atlas booster had placed Glenn's capsule into an orbit that would be stable for at least seven orbits, not that he had permission to stay up that long.

text: The Mercury Control Center was located at Cape Canaveral, Florida, not at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. The orbit plots displayed in the front of the room incorrectly show a six orbit mission, which did not happen until Walter Schirra's MA-8 mission in October 1962. The movie also incorrectly shows NASA flight controllers monitoring live telemetry from the Soviet Vostok launch, which the Soviet Union would not have been sharing with NASA in 1961.

text: Katherine Johnson's Technical Note D-233, co-written with T.H. Skopinski, can be found on the NASA Technical Reports Server. [40]

text: Release[edit]

text: The film began a limited release on December 25, 2016, before a wide release on January 6, 2017.[41][42]

text: Charity screenings[edit]

text: After Hidden Figures was released on December 25, 2016, certain charities, institutions and independent businesses who regard the film as relevant to the cause of improving youth awareness in education and careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, organized free screenings of the film in order to spread the message of the film's subject matter.[43][44] A collaborative effort between Western New York STEM Hub, AT&T and the Girl Scouts of the USA allowed more than 200 Buffalo Public School students, Girl Scouts and teachers to see the film. WBFO's Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley stated the event was designed to help encourage a new generation of women to consider STEM careers. Research indicates that by the year 2020, there will be 2.4 millon unfilled STEM jobs.[45]

text: Also, the film's principal actors (Henson, Spencer, Monáe and Parsons), director (Melfi), producer/musical creator (Williams), and other non-profit outside groups have offered free screenings to Hidden Figures at several cinema locations around the world. Some of the screenings were open to all-comers, while others were arranged to benefit girls, women and the underprivileged. The campaign began as individual activism by Spencer, and made a total of more than 1,500 seats for Hidden Figures available, free of charge, to poor individuals and families. The end result was seven more screenings for people who otherwise might not have been able to afford to see the 20th Century Fox film - in Atlanta (sponsored by Monáe), in Washington, D.C. (sponsored by Henson), in Chicago (also Henson), in Houston (by Parsons), in Hazelwood, Missouri (by Melfi and actress/co-producer Kimberly Quinn), and in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia (both sponsored by Williams).[46]

text: In February 2017, AMC Theatres and 21st Century Fox announced that free screenings of Hidden Figures would take place in celebration of Black History Month in up to 14 select U.S. cities (including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami). The statement described the February charity screenings as building broader awareness of the film's true story of black women mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race.[47] 21st Century Fox and AMC Theatres also invited schools, community groups and non-profit organizations to apply for additional special screenings to be held in their towns. "As we celebrate Black History Month and look ahead to Women's History Month in March, this story of empowerment and perseverance is more relevant than ever," said Liba Rubenstein, 21st Century Fox's Senior Vice President of Social Impact, "We at 21CF were inspired by the grassroots movement to bring this film to audiences that wouldn't otherwise be able to see it - audiences that might include future innovators and barrier-breakers - and we wanted to support and extend that movement".[48]

text: Philanthropic non-profit outside groups and other local efforts by individuals have offered free screenings of Hidden Figures by using crowdfunding platforms on the Internet, that allow people to raise money for free film screening events.[49][50] Dozens of other GoFundMe free screening campaigns have appeared since the film's general release, all by people wanting to raise money to pay for students to see the film.[49]

text: Merchandising[edit]

text: Following the 2017 Lego Ideas Contest, Denmark-based toy maker The Lego Group announced that will manufacture a fan-designed Women of NASA figurine set of five female scientists, engineers and astronauts, as based on real women who have worked for the NASA Space Agency. The minifigures set includes Katherine Johnson; as well as computer scientist Margaret Hamilton; astronaut, physicist and educator Sally Ride; astronomer Nancy Grace Roman; and astronaut and physician Mae Jemison (who is also African American). The Women of NASA set is scheduled to be available by late 2017 or early 2018.[51][52]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Hidden Figures was released on Digital HD on March 28, 2017 and Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and DVD on April 11, 2017.[53] The film debuted at No. 3 on the home video sales chart.[54]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Hidden Figures grossed $169.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $66.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $235.9 million, against a production budget of $25 million.[3] Domestically, Hidden Figures was the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee at the 89th Academy Awards.[55] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $95.55 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it one of the top twenty most profitable release of 2016.[56]

text: During its limited release in 25 theaters from December 25, 2016 to January 5, 2017, the film grossed $3 million.[57] In North America, Hidden Figures had its expansion alongside the opening of Underworld: Blood Wars and the wide expansions of Lion and A Monster Calls. It was expected to gross around $20 million from 2,471 theaters in its opening weekend, with the studio projecting a more conservative $15–17 million debut.[58] It made $1.2 million from Thursday night previews and $7.6 million on its first day. Initially, projections had the film grossing $21.8 million in its opening weekend, finishing second behind Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($22 million). Final figures revealed the film tallied a weekend total of $22.8 million, beating Rogue One's $21.9 million.[59] In its second weekend, the film grossed $20.5 million (for a four-day MLK Weekend total of $27.5 million), again topping the box office.[60]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 258 reviews, with an average score of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "In heartwarming, crowd-pleasing fashion, Hidden Figures celebrates overlooked—and crucial—contributions from a pivotal moment in American history."[61] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[62] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale,[63] one of fewer than 60 films in the history of the service to receive such a score.[59]

text: Simon Thompson of IGN gave the film a rating of 9/10, writing, "Hidden Figures fills in an all too forgotten, or simply too widely unknown, blank in US history in a classy, engaging, entertaining and hugely fulfilling way. Superb performances across the board and a fascinating story alone make Hidden Figures a solid, an accomplished and deftly executed movie that entertains, engages and earns your time, money and attention."[64] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe wrote, "the film’s made with more heart than art and more skill than subtlety, and it works primarily because of the women that it portrays and the actresses who portray them. Best of all, you come out of the movie knowing who Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson are, and so do your daughters and sons."[65]

text: Clayton Davis of Awards Circuit gave the film 3.5 stars, saying "Precisely marketed as terrific adult entertainment for the Christmas season, Hidden Figures is a faithful and truly beautiful portrait of our country’s consistent gloss over the racial tensions that have divided and continue to plague the fabric our existence. Lavishly engaging from start to finish, Hidden Figures may be able to catch the most inopportune movie-goer off guard and cause them to fall for its undeniable and classic storytelling. The film is not to be missed."[66]

text: Other reviews criticized the film for its fictional embellishments and conventional, feel-good style. Tim Grierson, writing for Screen International, states that "Hidden Figures is almost patronisingly earnest in its depiction of sexism and racism. An air of do-gooder self-satisfaction hovers over the proceedings",[67] while Jesse Hassenger at The A.V. Club comments that "lack of surprise is in this movie’s bones."[68] Eric John of IndieWire argues that the film "trivializes history; as a hagiographic tribute to its brilliant protagonists, it doesn’t dig into the essence of their struggles"[69] and similarly, Paul Byrnes concludes that "When a film purports to be selling history, we're entitled to ask where the history went, even if it offers a good time instead."[70]

text: Accolades[edit]