12 Years a Slave
Watching a film about the evil that was slavery is very
difficult. Writing about such a film is no better. 12 Years a Slave is a very
good movie. All aspects of the film – acting, direction, script, editing,
music, sets, costumes and sound are superlative. In a less dynamic year, not packed
with a half dozen really fine films, this is the kind of film that could sweep
all the awards. As it is, producers of this film will still have plenty to
celebrate when award season is over.
The film is based on a true story about a free black man
living a pleasant life with a house, wife and children, running into some swindlers who drug him and then turn him
over to slave traders in Washington DC years before the Civil War. Thus viewers
are treated to a view of slavery from the point of view of someone dropped into
a nightmarish world of endless toil and torture.
The difficulty in experiencing all this comes from the
knowledge that this is our legacy – an ugly scar on the history of our people
whose founding documents promised equality for all. This was driven home in my
consciousness as recently as 2009 when President Obama’s arrival in the White
House prompted many to point out the irony that the president’s new home, along
with the other buildings in our capital,
had been built with slave labor.
Participation in Christian observances was considered an moral requirement of slave holders -- the prevailing thought was that enslaving heathens was sinful.
I am comforted somewhat by the fact that there were many people of
that time, black and white, who lead the way in abolishing this sin. From that
we can take great pride, although the promise of equality would not begin to be
realized until my lifetime. It’s a fight each generation much wage.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Adepero Oduye are really good as the
slaves. They painfully convey torture and what they endure is surely some of
the most violent acts I’ve ever seen on film. Michael Fassbender gets special
attention as a sadistic, deranged slave owner. His character is sure to end up
on top of lists of great movie villains going forward.
Troubling as 12 Years a Slave is, it’s a film everyone
should see at some point and for that I’m giving it four Wilders.
Our Obscure Film of Significance for the Week: Not sure if I’ve
mentioned this one before, but Chiwetel Ejiofor has a part in Children of Men, which
is not only one of the all-time great scifi films, it’s unusual in that it’s a
British scifi film – a country not known for great scifi nor great wines.
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