and john ridley, and sampa, coming up in just a moment. critics to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> i am pleased and other than hadded to welcome john ridley to this program. the executive producer of three projects, a min iseries, gorilla debuted. and the feature documentary, let let it fall." opens in l.a. and new york, and you can catch it next friday on abc, when it makes a television premier, i am out of breath. before our cop verization, right now, let it fall, los angeles, 1982-92. >> he is not protesting, it sigh riot. >> any be that wasn't black wa getting their [ bleep ] kicked. >> it was one of those days, passion was -- it wasn't handed out to other races. >> i was in the boxing gym this morning. telling my guys you were coming on the program tonight. you can almost feel, sense the shock from the guys in the gym. when i reminded him it is the 25th anniversary. hard to process it was 25 years ago. how did you feel digging into this 25 years later? >> it was odd. 25 years, this is not just history, it is anci

. >> he was, pretty much, the same john ridley. getting dressed up except for the academy awards. other than that, that's john. but the conversation was brilliant. we got so much response to him, because he has this way in conversation of almost being poetic. he almost talks like he riteswr. i want to run and write down what he said because there is eight one liners that are so great. >> i know, when john comes up, i like to hit record on my phone. he is a genius. he is smart and thoughtful. he talks like he already wrote down the answer. >> which leads me to ask, after three years of working with him, very intense subjects that you tackle every season, what has been your take away from that? what are you learning about the world, about life, about yourself. i don't want to color the question too much. it seems to me if you're doing work that is that real and so real, you know year after year. there must be changing you in some sort of way. >> isn't that great? i think it is impacting me in a lot of ways. the interconnectivity of u

. >> reporter: how this happened in the city of angels is the story that oscar winner john ridley takes on with his new documentary "let it fall." >> based on my experiences, my upbringing, every aspect of it makes me angry. >> reporter: the beating of rodney king by four white police officers pushed the city to the brink. then when the officers were found not guilty on charges of assault and excessive use of force, the city exploded in violence. that was april 29th, 1992. but ridley's film begins ten years earlier. >> this was not something that happened because of one incident, because of one issue, and did not affect just one community. >> in the early '80s, the street gangs started to connect with the drug dealers. >> we are determined to take back the streets of los angeles. >> "operation hammer" was a free ticket to go out there and do overly aggressive police work. >> reporter: an untreated wound was festering. aggressive policing tactics stoking resentment. koreans and latinos packed in with blacks, a melting pot about to boil over. the flame was turned up just months before the

and john ridley, and sampa, coming up in just a moment.

. >> tomorrow night, abc is premiering a documentary by oscar winning writer, john ridley, takes on the story behind the los angeles riots. we're up aall "nightline" with abc's byron pitts. >> the beating of rodney king by four white police officers pushed the city to the brink. then when the officers were found not guilty, charges of assault and excessive use of force. the city exploded in violence. that was april 29th. 1992. but ridley's film begins ten years earlier. this was not something that happened because of one incident, one issue. did not affect just one community. >> in the early 80s, the street gang start to connect with a drug dealers. and it was a free ticket to go out there and do overly aggressive police work. >> an festering. aggressive policing tactics, koreans and latinos packed in with blacks, a melting pot about to boil over. the flame was turned up when months before the rodney king verdict, a korean-american grocer, shot and killed a 15-year-old black girl. she was convicted of manslaughter and a white judge let her off without any prison time. >> the message tha

. ♪ ♪ i left my heart in san francisco ♪ ♪ >> you am tavis smiley, join me for an interview of john ridleywe will see you then. steves: prague's old town square, once just another farmers market, is now the heart of the city, but today, the commerce is clearly tourism. the fanciful gothic tyn church soars over everything as if to remind tourists lots of religious history took place right here. back in the 15th century, when some christians were beginning to struggle against roman catholic dominance, this was prague's leading hussite church. hussites were followers of jan hus, whose statue graces the square. he was a local preacher who got in trouble with the vatican a hundred years before martin luther and the reformation. the chalice is a symbol of hus and his followers, who believed everyone, not just priests, should be able to partake in the eucharist, or holy communion. these days, huge crowds gather at the 15th-century astronomical clock back on the old town square. the dials seem to tell you everything you could possibly want to know. it tells the phases of the moon, sunset, current

. ♪ ♪ i left my heart in san francisco ♪ ♪ >> you am tavis smiley, join me for an interview of john ridleywe will see you then. steves: salzburg's cathedral, constructed in the early 1600s, was one of the first grand baroque buildings north of the alps. it's sunday morning. the 10:00 mass is famous for its music, and today it's mozart. enter the cathedral, and you're immersed in pure baroque grandeur. ♪ dona nobis ♪ ♪ nobis pacem ♪ since it was built in only about 15 years, the church boasts particularly harmonious art and architecture. in good baroque style, the art is symbolic, cohesive, and theatrical, creating a kind of festival procession that leads to the resurrected christ triumphing high above the altar. ♪ nobis ♪ ♪ dona nobis ♪ ♪ nobis pacem ♪ ♪ pacem ♪ music and the visual art complement each other. the organ loft fills the church with glorious sounds as mozart, 250 years after his birth, is still powering worship with his musical genius. ♪ nobis ♪ ♪ nobis pacem ♪ ♪ nobis ♪ ♪ pacem ♪ - today on america's test kitchen, dan cooks ultimate charcoal-grilled steaks, adam reviews steak

and i did think that john ridley fictionalized bits and pieces of it.ution, here?" >> seth: yeah. >> in 1971 england? but of course it's john ridley, so i wanted to actually ask him about, verify the authenticity of some of the details but i also wanted to ask him more and tell me where i could get more information on this. seemingly there's a whole part of uk history that we've skipped. and it's -- for me at least, you know, with what's happening in the world right now, it's very timely. >> seth: it is. it is. >> yeah. >> seth: with everything going on with activism, this is, yeah, incredibly well-timed. >> yeah. >> seth: there is a lot of sort of violence in this as well. you have gun play. >> mm-hmm. >> seth: i think gun play is the correct term for it. >> yeah, i would say that's it. >> seth: you look very -- >> happy with it. >> seth: yeah, you look great. [ laughter ] you look thrilled. like, were you -- have you done any work with guns before? because you're just -- you're a natural. >> thank you so much, you're so kind, you're so kind. i think e

. >> award winning director john ridley takes us through the scenes that played out and the personal stories of those directly involved in his documentary called "let it fall." >> here's abc news reporter with a look back. >> reporter: 25 years after the looting. >> this is utter lawlessness. >> reporter: the violence, you see no officers here at all. those five destructive days in los angeles that claimed the lives of more than 50 people. >> a lot of unrest. >> reporter: oscar winner john ridley and abc lincoln square productions revisit the riots in the documentary "let it fall." >> it's a movement, a rebellion, riot, gorilla warfare. we're talking about human beings that were involved. >> reporter: the uprising started in south central l.a. 1992 rjs just hours after the rodney king verdict broadcast on live tv. >> not guilty. >> reporter: outrage to a jury acquitting the four officers charged with assault and excessive force against king. but ridley begins the film ten years earlier, showing the long festering frustrations between races. >> the harmony of the races. >> reporter: a

now, the focus of a documentary "let it fall," by director john ridley. >> we are determined to take los angeles. >> reporter: he shows how there was a powder keg of unrest. the notorious beating of rodney king by four police officers who were acquitted was the final straw. but there were those two stood up. what kept you from being one of those guys throwing bricks? >> that's not who i am. >> reporter: people like donald jones, who rescued a chinese immigrant from an angry mob. did you know you could have been a victim as well? >> very, very mindful. >> reporter: he regrets he couldn't save anyone. >> terrible. there is no police >> reporter: what was going through your head, your heart? >> that -- i wish that i was there. >> reporter: 25 years later, it still gets to you. >> yeah. >> reporter: why? why? >> because i would want someone to do that for me. >> reporter: a quarter-century later, the wounds still fresh. byron pitts, abc news, los angeles. >> thanks so much for watching. i'm tom llamas. i hope to see you right back here tomorrow. for david and all of us here, good night.

it felt like two really intense independent films i shot back to back, especially working with john ridleycreenwriter. >> and direct three of the six episodes as well. i now understood why actors love television. you get this extra time to go deeper into your characters, which sometimes it can be rush, run, rush, in a film. >> rose: she tells ken in episode one, "i have to be with someone who wants to do things," as to why she is no locker with him. >> uh-huh. i think she does not know how to be neutral or quiet in the face of injustice. and that, you know, as we go on with the episodes, we'll find out that her father -- >> who was in prison, was he not? >> a political prisoner in india. so she's really fighting for her right and her right to be in england and work. >> rose: is she prepared for the life of a political radical? >> i don't think so. i think she in her mind she knows and she's determined to stand up for what she believes in. but as i was filming the series, i thought about it, and i go, "there's so much of this that she did not even foresee coming her way, but she baifl went

. >> reporter: now, the focus of a documentary "let it fall," by director john ridley. >> this was notd because of one incident or issue, and didn't affect just one community. >> we are determined to take back the streets of los angeles. >> reporter: he shows how there was a powder keg of unrest. the notorious beating of rodney king by four white police officers who were acquitted was the final spark. but as entire neighborhoods descended into lawless violence, there was those two stood up. what kept you from being one of those guys throwing bricks? >> that's not who i am. >> reporter: people like donald jones, who rescued a chinese immigrant from an angry mob. were you mindful that you could have been a victim as well? >> very, very mindful. >> reporter: that the mob could have attacked you. >> yeah. >> reporter: he regrets he couldn't save anyone. >> terrible.there is no police . they will not enter the area. >> reporter: what was going through your head, your heart? >> that -- i wish that i was there. >> reporter: 25 years later, it still gets to you. >> yeah. >> reporter: why? why?

it felt like intense movies back to back, especially working with someone like john ridley, who directedx episodes. i kind of feel like this -- with this particular one, i understand why actors love television. you get this extra time to go deeper into your characters. sometimes it can be rush, rush, rush in films. charlie: she tells ken, she wants to be somewhat who does things, for why she doesn't want to be with him. freida: i think she does not know how to be neutral or quiet in the face of injustice. as you go on, you will find out that it comes to the father as well. charlie: a prisoner? freida: political president in india. she is fighting for her right in england -- i don't know how much you know about the immigration not but by the way it is repealed even today. people who came from the colonies, mainly from african and asia, where under the threat of being deported. she is really fighting for her right to be in england and work. charlie: what is her relationship with her boyfriend, marcus? freida: market does things. she was to be with people who do things. i think he is the mo

>> thank you, ginger. >>> and we're here now with john ridley.d director behind "12 years a slave." he's back with a documentary called "let it fall." it's about the l.a. riots 25 years ago when the police officers who beat rodney king were acquitted. let's take a look. >> where are you going? i said, i'm going to save that man's life. who told you that? i think god. he told me three or four times to go save him. i was on a mission. i don't know why god picked me. but he chose me. chose me. >> and usually when -- thank you, john, thank you for joining me. >> absolutely. >> usually when you see something like this, it's told from the sight of a historian or a talking head. you wanted to hear from the real people. >> we have about 25 different individuals. the story begins. it seems like a collection of people talk about families, circumstances, backgrounds. we begin to understand that almost every individual that we hear from was intimately involved in an event that led to this uprising. it's a story of perspectives. people. communities. a person

filming a tv show because it felt intense independent films shot back-to-back especially i shot with john ridley. >> rose: who wrote the screen write. >> who directed many of the episodes as well. but i feel like this particular one i am, i now understood why actors love television. you get in extra time to go deeper into your characters, which sometimes it can be rush, rush, rush in a film. >> rose: she tells ken in episode one, i have to be with someone who wants to do things as to why she is no longer with him. >> uh-huh. i think she does not know how no be neutral or quiet in the face of injustice, and that, you know, as we go on the episodes we will find out that it really comes from the father as well. >> rose: who is in prison, was he not? >> a political prisoner in india and she really is actually, you know, fighting for her right in england to be a part of, you know, i don't know if you know b, how much you know about the immigration act but according to the 1971 immigration act, which by the way is not yet repealed even today, people who came from the colonies, so mainly from the count

. >>> oscar winning director john ridley is here live, with a powerful new project. there. >>> it's a couples quiz. >> you've got your own, is this love or deep in hate. >> are they together or not? that's comfortable long time. i don't want to buy new furniture every couple of years. it's custom made so you know it's good quality. i'm just speechless because it's perfect. announcer: washington politicians are at it again with another disastrous health care repeal bill that raises costs and cuts coverage for millions. and their latest plan is worse than ever.. affordable coverage for maternity care, cancer treatment, substance abuse treatment, and preexisting conditions would no longer be gauranteed. the plan threatens care for seniors and the disabled... and imposes a massive age tax for people over 50. tell congressman costello - don't repeal our health care. >>> i knew i was doing this. [ cheers and applause ] in 1947, jackie robinson broke baseball's color barrier. becoming the first black player in the major leagues. now the jackie robinson foundation is opening

john jon stewart was the yoda of cable news. well, bill o'reilly was the-- and i want to be daisey ridley, can i be daisey ridley, please. -- i think about the sits, there is much anger on the dark side. >> you are either going to stop talking or i will cut your microoff. >> cut his mic. >> cut his mick off. >> shut up, shut up. >> you don't know anything. >> because they have a right to be in this country. >> their entitlement. >> what do you want to yell for. >> because you're lying. >> what is it your faulted, oh no, millions of dollars, it wasn't your fault, come on, you could you ard say the truth. >> what do you mean cow ard. >> you are a cow ds ard. >> trevor: damn, i dob know if he ever should have had a tv show but i do know he would have fit right in in that imaginary black restaurant, i will tell you that much. he would have been perfect. you're the cow ard, you're the cow ad, where is my food, bleemp [bleep] i will do it live! so it is sad to say but fairwell extremely old friend. but before you go, bill o'reilly, one last time, please, why don't you play us out. >> it is just running around trying to jazz people up, i

john, r2-d2 or bb-8? >> bb-8. >> better pilot, rey on han solo? >> han solo. >> the villain you would most like to kill. >> emperor palpatine. >> biggest jokester on set? >> daisy ridleydley. yes. >> most likely to break character while shooting a scene. >> benicio. >> really? benicio del toro, who has a part in the latest installment. finn will have a unique experience. he'll go off with one of the new characters, rose, that you'll see. they may or may not have a romance. but 40 years. the broad appeal. is your little guy into it? >> not yet. but -- he has, darth vader and r2-d2 bath toys. so -- he's -- he's starting. >> planting it. >> planting the the seeds early. >> as lucas said, it's for 12-year-olds. we all feel it. >> and 2-year-olds. >>> stick around. "pop news" is next. >> and 2-year-olds. >>> stick around. pop news is next. you don't let anything keep you sidelined. that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you. (bark) at petsmart we love all pets. like this little guy, sam. he eats blue wilderness, it's protein rich, grain-free a