The Last White Knight

The courtly older Southern gentleman expresses pleasure at seeing the off-screen interviewer again. But as he cheerfully describes his life philosophies, you might feel a jolt. This astonishingly forthright man is Delay de la Beckwith, Ku Klux Klan member “unto death” and son of Byron de la Beckwith, who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1963. Filmmaker Paul Saltzman, Beckwith's conversation partner, is no stranger to this man; Beckwith punched him in the nose when he was working to register black voters in 1965. Though their physical animosity has waned, neither has changed their attitude, and the two now engage in an extraordinarily “civil” dialogue. The film incorporates fascinating interviews with humanitarians including Harry Belafonte and Morgan Freeman; meanwhile, three current masked Klan members calmly explain their views. A brilliant look at racial hatred past and present, it is clear that Beckwith is anything but THE LAST WHITE KNIGHT. Note: Interviewees make extensive use of racial epithets. – B.B.