--a movie review by Michael L. Johnson
I squeezed in to see 12 Years a Slave at the Majestic Theater in Silver Spring at a 9:00 p.m.
show last night. Literally, every seat was taken. I love that
feeling, and the one that came before it, of waiting in a long line
with the expectation of seeing a great film. I wasn't disappointed.
(Incidentally, if you are planning to see this movie, which I highly
recommend, I strongly suggest you either order your tickets online,
or get to the movie house early to cop them. This film is a hit, and
the chances of it being "sold out," if you wait to get
tickets close to show-time, is great.)
Synopsis: Solomon Northup, was a free
black man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into
slavery. He worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12
years before his release. The film 12 Years a Slave s a
fictionalized adaptation of his 1853 autobiography (by the same
name), and it is, quite frankly, remarkable.
The Good: The movie was written by John
Ridley, directed by Steve McQueen, and produced in part by Brad Pitt,
who has a small but important role in the story. (Big respect to
Pitt, who always seems to use his celebrity to aid the interest of
doing good.) It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (as Northup), Michael
Fassbender (as Edwin Epps, a cruel plantation owner), Lupita Nyong'o
(as Patsey, a slave on the Epps plantation) and many others, in a
stellar cast. All of their performances are Oscar worthy. Nyong'o, a
Kenyan actress and filmmaker, who makes her film debut in this
picture, steals the show.
Arguably, Hollywood has only produced
two cinematic works that come close to depicting the horrors of
slavery. The first episode of Alex Haley's "Roots" was one,
and now 12 Years a Slave is another. Nothing else comes
close. This movie is so honest, and so believable on the subject of
slavery, that it really hits home. As a black man, that was
especially true for me. What both Ridley and McQueen have done is to
bring a very real glimpse of the holocaust of slavery to the big
screen.
I could not help but be haunted by my
ancestors' suffering as I watched 12 Years... As a
student of history, the feeling I got in the witness of this film was
similar to the hurt that strikes me when I think of what Jewish
people endured at the hands of the Nazis. The historic parallels
between the two atrocities are significant, specifically when it
comes to the casual practice of murder.
Facilitators of chattel slavery
represent America's Nazi party, and the killing fields of plantations
were my ancestors' gas chambers. That any human being could inflict
an evil as evil as slavery upon another human being is a fact that
astounds me. Another fact that staggers me is that it has taken
almost 40 years (since Roots) for Hollywood to make a
film that (halfway) accurately offers a window into the holocaust of
slavery. (Then again, I am not surprised. I know where I live. They
gave Quentin Tarantino an Oscar for his Amos and Andy/ Django
Unchained script.)
Make no mistake about it. 12 Years a Slave is the best picture of 2013, and it should win an
Oscar as such. It's acting performances are thunderously good, and
should sweep on that front (particularly Lupita Nyong'o's work).
However, whether that happens or not, it already has my vote. As an
aside, I must show respect once again to Lee Daniels for The
Butler. It is also a great film. However, 12 Years a Slave is better.
The most important question: Is it a
good film? Yes. 12 Years a Slave is better than good. It is a historic achievement in movie-making, a film that honestly depicts the horrors of chattel slavery, written and directed by black people. That is a rare occurrence in Hollywood. The film carries the weight and power of a Schindler's List. If you get a chance to see it, tears will likely fall, as
mind did.
The Bad: This movie should be playing
in wider release. At this writing, it is only playing at three
theaters in the DMV. Shameful.
The Rating: On a scale of 1 to 5 where
5 is the most high, 5 is my rating, all day long.
--MLJ
Director: Steve McQueen
No comments:
Post a Comment