BY: Wiley Davis
In a subject that has related to
many of the things we have studied in class, a movie that focuses on slavery,
“12 Years a Slave.” The movie was recently awarded an Oscar for best picture. Also
one of the movie’s stars, Lupita Nyong’o was award an Oscar for Best Supporting
Actress. The award was merely a capstone on a run of recent successes for
Nyong’o. Nyong’o has taken the world by storm during the award season for both
her work on the screen as well as off. Nyong’o has stood out for her extremely
dark skin tone and short hair, characteristics that defy many of the societally
set standards of beauty. Her ascension to stardom has caused many of these
stereotypes to be challenged as many view her as gorgeous. During her time in
the spotlight, she has done a lot to challenge these standards and emphasize
that her color is no issue. In one interview, Lupita went so far as to say that
she used to pray to be another color, but eventually realized her own beauty.
I did get the opportunity to see
“12 Years a Slave” while it was in theatres. The movie provided an extremely
realistic view of slavery. The film did not shy away from graphic depictions of
the beating, savagery, and rape that happened during the time. The fact that
the movie was based on the true memoirs of Solmon Northup was also intriguing
to me. It reminded me of the slave narratives that we are reading and what
these narratives would look like if they were to be turned into a film.
Depiction of the real Solmon Northup:
Personally, I was not that fond of
“12 Years a Slave” mainly due to the fact that I do not enjoy slave movies in
general. However, I did pay to see this film in theatres because I believe that
films like this should continue to be made because otherwise people will forget
how gruesome and terrible slavery really was. On the other hand, I would like
to see Black art recognized for films or works that do not simply embody the
Black struggle. For example, I want to see the Black Hollywood community make a
Static Shock movie. This would enable the world to see Black actors in a lead
role as well as subtle influence of Black culture without overwhelming viewers
of other races with stories of our struggle. There is more to our Blackness
than just slavery and the Civil Rights movement, so while seeing “12 Years a
Slave” being awarded on the national scene is nice, I desire more.
Links
Very well done film. Based on a true story, and chronicles the painful experiences of slaves during an embarrassing period in our history...particularly the experience of one kidnapped, and wrongly treated, free black man. The movie was highly graphic graphic butt really moving.
ReplyDeleteI had to turn it off the first time I watched it - It was a very graphic recount of those hard times. I'm glad to see the movie and actors get the awards that it truly deserved. Solid Blog WIley!
ReplyDeleteI never really wanted to see this movie because I believe that as an African-American who is aware of my history, I don't need to see a movie that depicts the graphic and heinous nature of slavery (yes, I've seen Roots.) However, after it won an Oscar, I do feel like I should see it in order to participate in conversations about it. I really like what Lupita Nyong'o is doing with girls and self-esteem issues, perceptions of beauty, etc. I think she is an amazing human-being and role model for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI haven't finished watching it all the way through but from what I have watch Great Movie base on a true story of our history and how we were treated as individuals.
ReplyDeleteI never wanted to watch this movie, but it was an amazing moment in African American History. A African American woman winning an award in a predominantly white Award show. Mrs Nyong' is a great role model for people to look up too. Her speech was great and she did deserve the award.
ReplyDeleteDocumenting the black struggle can surely get controversial. I think it is important to show people how we got to the point where we are now, so that we don't forget where we came from.
ReplyDeleteThe film was very graphic for me. It's hard to find that median between being realistic and being overly graphic.
Great Post! I'm really interested in watching the movie!
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent film and I'm glad it is getting the recognition that it deserves. I watched it the other day, and even though at times it was difficult to watch, it is an accurate depiction of our history as slaves. Winning an Oscar is an excellent achievement and this was a great post.
ReplyDeleteWiley, I appreciate your desire to see more variety in mainstream black casted films. Recently, we have seen multiple mainstream films come into theatres based off of the black man's struggle (i.e., Django, 12 Years A Slave, The Butler) It is imperative that we get a more holistic view of the history of blacks. There is definitely more to black history than civil rights, slavery, violence, and drugs. When we are able to make movies based on characters such as "Static Shock" popular films, that will be a sign of true industry progression.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very intriguing because i have not yet seen the movie but due to this post I might have to. I for one do not believe in slave movies either because that was a time in history that most people do not ever want to see again and people are exploiting slavery to make money. I just feel like it has been made so commercial for the wrong reason, just my opinion.
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