I’m having issues. The first trailer for 12 Years a Slave has been released, and my issues are with my love Michael Fassbender. Fassy is playing a violent, Bible-quoting slave-owner. And Jesus, he looks really hot. That’s my issue. Is it wrong to want to see this movie and hate Fassy’s character but also want to get naked with ginger-bearded, Antebellum Fassbender? Anyway, this movie looks hella good.
I like that Brad Pitt is right up there at the beginning. I don’t know much about the story, but Brad’s beard making me wonder if he’s playing an anti-slavery Quaker. And Fassbender… Jesus. I need to stop being so attracted to a slave owner. Chiwetel Ejiofor is Solomon, and I think the chances are pretty good that Chewy is going to get some major nominations for this role.
Sadly, we don’t get to hear Benedict Cumberbatch speak!! We do get a glimpse of Cumby and his curls towards the end. And it’s nice to see Paul Dano too – even though he seems to be playing some kind of freak again. Sigh… I want to see this.
Ejiofor looks really exceptional. Haven’t been too interested in movies this year, but definitely looking forward to this one!
Agreed. I’m less interested in the “stars”.
Oh comeon, wheres Lupita Nyongo at? Wheres the love for the girls??
I’m sure I’ll love her too, just not enough of her in the trailer! And Sarah Paulson, too, who was amazing in AHS: Asylum
Can i just say as a Kenyan i am mighty proud to see Lupita Nyong’o starring alongside such great names….this is going to be a big big deal here just you wait 🙂
And Alfre Woodard! I love her.
I adore Alfre Woodard. She has amazing talent.
hear hear!
the first time i watched Chiwetel ever was Kinky Boots. and now i watch every possible movie with him as i can and he has never failed me on screen yet.
He’s very good, even when he’s in godawful movies like 2012.
He was excellent in “Salt”. He played the FBI agent chasing Angelina Jolie.
I’ve been excited for months. Chiwetel looks so intense. Ms. Nyong’o is steppin’ up with the big dogs. I know her from MTVs Shuga and her doc on Albinos. She’s a serious talent with brains and beauty.
I know it must have been hard for my honey Fass…the whole cast. But Steven is known to create a great atmosphere on set. I’m sure everybody did a groap hug and yoga everyday 🙂
I agree about Ejiofor. I can’t even watch the trailer on my computer, but I can tell from the images he will give a powerful performance. He radiates a kind of emotional anchor. They are still images, but I just feel my eyes are drawn to his gravity. Like the image with the violin…I can’t even look at Cumby. I bet Ejiofor will own every scene he is in.
You nailed this, Tiffany. In every picture my eyes are drawn to him. He has such an expressive face. “Gravity” is a great way of describing whatever his “it” is. That and just being incredibly handsome.
I don’t know how to pronounce his name but I agree that he is a brilliant and brilliantly-underappreciated actor. Wow.
*fans self feverishly*
Oh, I so want to see this film. Topically AND for swoontastic reasons. I love Chiwetel.
so as a non-american, i thought the trailer looked absolutely boring and since i enjoyed the hell out of Django Unchained, this movie looks the boring, serious version of that movie.
anyway, is the story that this movie was based on some kind of a literature ?? everybody is talking about this movie and i’m like.. hmm o___o???
Seems like you missed the part of the trailer where it says it’s based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, so I’ll just leave this here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Northup
Not literature, but a true story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Northup
Well, it’s actually based on a true story and, I hate to admit that I wasn’t blown away by the trailer either.
I hadn’t heard of it either (also non-American). But it sounds interesting.
Is it worth reading? It’s not my usual fare, but I did enjoy Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl … is it like that?
I’m a non-American as well and I think I’m going to love the film! The trailer is great, very emotional. Can’t wait to see it.
I also think it’s about time to see more films about slavery.
As long as they have it historically correct in the people of Spain were the ORIGINAL people to travel to Africa and enslave them I’m down for more.
@Dommy Dearest- And? What does that have to do with anything? I guess those two movies about Elizabeth I should have talked about the Crusades and Richard I of England too. Right? The facts still are that the economy and infrastructure of America was built on the backs of slaves. There are stories about the insidious form of AMERICAN slavery that have every right to be told. Period. End of story. If someone wants to tell a story about slavery in Brazil or Haiti, fine, still doesn’t diminish the f*cked up shit that America did to slaves and to black people. Kay?
mia wtf how is she disrespecting black people i get pretty annoyed to like people just over look how other nations were treating black people like racism is an inherently american thing im pretty sick of these slave movies most are boring and pretty generic oh and as a black person livin in California a lot of Hispanics are racist to blacks too” dont disrespect them mkay” what an asshole thing to say
@Dommy: Actually it wasn’t the Spanish, it was the Portuguese.
Dommy dearest/ icallitlikeiseeit/ you sound like the same effing person- First of all, learn to read and some reading comprehension. Try to f*cking understand what you read before you have the nerve to respond, kay? I didn’t say you/dommydearest was disrespecting black people, I said that stories of AMERICAN slavery have every single right to be told AS IS. PERIOD. Morever, that it doesn’t make any motherf*cking sense to talk about how slavery was started by the Spanish in the Carribean or about slavery in South American or Carribean, because it’s not even goddamned relevant to this story about the insidious form of American slavery where in the 1800’s, after HUNDREDS of years of AMERICAN slavery, a FREE BLACK AMERICAN man was kidnapped from one part of AMERICA and sold into slavery in another part of AMERICA. Besides the fact that discussing slavery in other parts of the world doesn’t and WON’T EVER even DIMINISH or LESSEN the fucked up sh*t that America has done to black people and slaves. Learn to read. Kay, boo boo?
@IcallitlikeIseeit- And you might want to read a book or five about why many white/native american/black Hispanics are racist towards and have internalized self hatred regarding blacks. It didn’t just come out of a vacuum. But again that has nothing to do with this particular motherf*cking movie about 1800’s AMERICAN slavery, racism, and racist laws perpetrated by American whites. For everything this man went through, his “boring slavery story” doesn’t have any right be diminished by likes of you. I’d love to see you say the true story of someone who came out of a concentration camp was boring. Kay? I bet you wouldn’t because you would automatically know what ignorant, hateful garbage you would look like. Too bad you can’t recognize how you look now. And I wouldn’t be calling anyone else an asshole as uneducated as you look about every single subject you have brought up. You need to look in the mirror if you want to see the asshole boo.
Django was rushed garbage with like 3 laughs. This is a serious movie. Why do you need to compare THAT to this movie. This is based on a true story. I know you want to laugh so put Django on repeat and be happy.
This is the 1st trailer. I’m still excited but I need to see a trailer with the original score.
Don’t bash Django! 😉
I think you can’t really compare these two films – like you said one is about a true story and the other is fiction. Also Tarantino’s style is very special and unique. You have to like Tarantino to appreciate his films.
That’s like comparing “Schindler’s List” with “Inglorious Basterds”. I’m sorry that the dignified, heroic, and courageous TRUE story of a man being kidnapped and sold into slavery seems boring to you, in comparison to a fictional action adventure film about slavery. What could have been done to make human bondage look more entertaining to you? ::Eyeroll::
O man this is gonna be good.
Wow. This looks awesome.
Great cast and it looks good. Kaiser will be first in line!
Oh God, I’m right there with you. That beautiful man…
Chewy, Bandersnatch and The Fass in one movie? I am seriously beginning to question my sexuality.
Aaahh! So amazing! The trailer made me cry. This feels like the Holy Grail of Steve McQueen – cannot wait.
I’m so mad that I can’t watch the trailer (at work) 🙁
I don’t usually watch slavery-related movies because they enrage me but I’ll see anything directed by McQueen—and with THIS cast? Hells yes!
I can’t see the video either, I’ll have to wait until I get home but I do plan to see this movie.
From the looks of it, they could just play this instead of the Oscars and hand all the awards straight to the cast afterwards. I adore Steve McQueen’s filmmaking, then add in the story and this cast – truly looking forward to this!
It looks pretty traumatic…and quality.
I feel the same way, Kitten. I WILL NEVER watch Django Unchained. I said I wouldn’t watch “The Help” and I did and it angried up the blood bit. I might have left the theater in a full blown rage, but it was one of those theaters where you get a full meal and well, you know…food.
Normally I avoid slavery themed movies (though I did see Django Unchained) but I have to see this! The trailer gave me goosebumps… And gingerbeard slave owner Fassbender is a little too hot for my liking also.
I don’t think you’re avoiding them too well… Django and this are some of the only slavery themed films released in recent years…
lol…I guess my avoidence is not like it used to be.
Paul Dano!!! One of the most underrated young actors today imo
On a side note: Period clothing looks so downright itchy and uncomfortable.
This, about Paul Dano. You are probably right about the clothing too…
Well, it probably was itchy…
OMG this looks so powerful but how can I love Fassy as a cruel slaveowner? My fan girl is having a moral vs sexual conflict here. Srsly though this film looks like it will blow the doors off at the oscars in 2014.
Definitely seems like Oscar-bait material. So I’m guessing fall (late fall) release?
Slow roll out starting October 18 so it can build interest. But this seems to have people already itching to give it awards and I so agree.
The poster just featuring Chiwitel is telling in that they plan on making sure HE is the center of the film and it is his story. They are having a special Simon Northrup day in up state NY (something they do annually) and this film will be featured. Great way to get it all started.
Solomon, not Simon. Oops, just got excited.
as he should be
This looks really good. Brad is smart. He knows how to really mix it up with his roles.
Brad’s main role in this is Producer. He is only in the film for about 15 minutes total. Very small role. But as Steve said the film would not have been made without him. I totally agree on his choices in front and behind the camera are great one. He doesn’t get the credit his filmography deserves..
I also glad that Chiwetel is getting the attention he deserves in the trailer. The focus had been on Fassbender at the beginning on all the blogs. To me this is a Chiwetel film and he should be front and center. The trailer does that.
I really hope the film does well audience wise and awards too. It will be a hard film to watch; because I think it really is true to life. It really looks good. And that is a really excellent trailer. It really gives you the scope of the film.
Beautifully done. I
Oh yeah, I know he’s mainly the producer, but this looks interesting and the cast looks great. The small role Brad is playing is completely different from any previous role. Like he seems to always do. Which I think is very smart.
@toot.. I think we are on the same page.
This looks wonderful. It will be interesting to see the McQueen/Fassbender partnership again. Both of them, plus Ejiofor, will be up for Oscars, I hope.
Can’t wait to see this! The cast is exceptional and the trailer fired up my interest.
Watching this has renewed my disgust with Paula Deen and her longing for ‘the workers’ her grandfather ‘missed.’ Slavery was a huge tragedy that movies like this make me feel I can never even begin to understand. The Zimmerman verdict also reminds me that we still live in its effects and that the tragedy just took on a new face. I feel so sad I don’t know if I’d even be able to watch this movie, even though the acting looks amazing.
+1
The saddest part is that the Americans who SHOULD see this movie, likely never will.
So true
I agree. Sad, really.
Don’t bring the Zimmerman trial in here, please. Paula Deen is a blatant racist, while with Zimmerman, we’ll never know what truly happened between Zimmerman & Martin from the time of the initial sighting and the shooting. It’s insulting to the horrors of slavery to bring Zimmerman into this, IMO.
Where in her comment did Yasmina accuse Zimmerman of being a racist?
If you don’t think that Trayvon Martin’s death had anything to do with race, then I beg you to read this:
http://wearenottrayvonmartin.tumblr.com/
A boy died needlessly, let’s at least not let his death be in vain. It’s time to have some honesty and open communication about racism in America, not a time to be silent about it.
We know all too well what happened with Zimmerman. He got out of his car, after he was told by the police to stay in his car, and he shot an unarmed kid to death.
@Janet, technically it was a 911 dispatcher and they hold no real authority. But I do agree, if Zimmerman would have stayed in his car and never approached Trayvon then Trayvon would be alive today.
@ nymeria we know what happened with Zimmerman. there is evidence to prove what he did but there were 6 people that choose to ignore it and let him go free. Actually the horrors of slavery, as you stated have a lot to do with the Zimmerman case and many other issues in America. African Americans are STILL looked at and treated like 2nd class citizens even in 2013!
@theoriginalkitten I agree with you that it’s time for an honesty discussion about racism in America. It is something that people need to stop ignoring. I wasn’t interested in this movie before but I will be seeing it now.
Why is Brad Pitt piling it on with a thick southern accent, he’s playing a Canadian (Samuel bass)?!? Shades of argo?
Besides that looks like a great movie!
Maybe his character pretends to be southern.
LOL! Let’s hope! I don’t understand why people keep bringing their movies down to mediocrity by casting Pitt. He isn’t as good as he hypes himself. Someone upthread was religiously spouting off about how Pitt is such a great producer who “always” picks great projects. He produced The Time Traveler’s Wife and Eat, Pray, Love. Remember that. The man is a burn-out stoner who, like his girlfriend, can’t speak with an accent to save his life. He’s hit and miss at best, and honestly, I’m stunned they wanted him in this film. If his role is only 15 minutes long, I’d say they were probably both smart and incredibly gracious to cut it down to that.
@judy
Whoa, did Brad piss in your cheerios? If you don’t like him, fine, but that’s a little vicious for someone who you think is a bad actor.
Brad’s a good producer and actor.
Some films he’s produced are: The Departed, A Mighty Heart, The Assassination of Jesse James, Time Traveler’s Wife, Tree of Life, Moneyball, Kick-Ass, and the ones you said. He’s only been producing since 2006. What’s got your panties in a knot over him?
And by the way, you may not like Eat, Pray, Love (which I didn’t I thought it was boring) it made 204 and a half million dollars worldwide on a 60 million dollar budget.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=eatpraylove.htm
OMG! bitter much? He was wanted in this movie for a cameo, besides being a producer and bringing the filming to New Orleans (promotion for the city and work for people during the filming).
Looks really, really good. Yay for a non-remake movie!
Actually, I think they made for TV movie in Canada about this years and years ago (I remember it being on when I was a kid)???
You are likely thinking of the James Mink story – an even more unbelievable tale where a black slave escaped to canada, married a white woman. Their daughter “married” a white man and on their honeymoon crossed back into the US and sold her into slavery. James pretended to be a slave and his wife a slave owner, travelling auctions until they could buy their daughter back. The tv movie had Lou Gosett Jr I think.
Holy cow, TorontoE! That is an amazing story! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of it. I wonder if I could find the tv movie on Netflix…Louis Gossett Jr. is amazing.
So glad that Chiwetel and Michael B. Jordan are finally getting buzz after years of good work.
Hope film gets nominated I would love to see Brad (producer) &Angie at Oscars 2014Chewy has great buzz for nom
Fassy seems like a freak. You know, I wish movies would portray slave owners as rational, ordinary people…not pervy sadists. Portray one like Thomas Jefferson: just your ordinary, average racist. Perfectly acceptable for the times.
Maybe then people wouldn’t have such a hard time recognizing racism for what it is today. Because they wouldn’t be looking for it to wear a white hood or be spewing hatred. They’d be able to grasp the nuances, just a bit.
You make a great point but if you’re familiar with McQueen’s directorial style, he’s never been one for subtlety. He tends to dive right in with the emotional rawness.
In addition, I think McQueen is showing different sorts of slavemasters. The whole system of slavery was corrupt and evil, but there were some “nice” owners; Cumberbatch’s role is one of those. But whether people like it or not, there were some sadistic slaveowners who repeatedly raped and beat their slaves (sometimes to death) and thought nothing of it, because they considered their slaves to be property rather than human. The movie would not be true if it excluded that harsh reality.
Yeah just thinking of how Leo Dicaprio portrayed the slave owner in Django…how the owner is always so clearly morally corrupt, so easy to hate, you know? that’s the simple narrative. The hard one involves the sympathetic owner, of the sort that Paula Deen and her ilk try to make reference to.
I wouldn’t expect a British director to get it though since at such a great distance, it was easy for them to vilify American slave owners.
I just think we need narratives of slavery that are a little more complex. After 150+ years, you’d think we’d be ready for it.
Why would a British director not get it? Like the UK never had slavery? Come and see some of the genealogy shows on TV here, where black Britons go back to investigate their West Indian slave heritage. It just had an abolitionist movement earlier (which makes sense as it was the colonial power at the time). And it had a climate that didn’t have plantations – so the non-house slaves were all in the colonies, not on the mainland.
We also have the treatment meted out to other colonial peoples in our history that will inform film makers on this topic (see Indian sepoys for example, but many more). There were nice/paternalist and cruel/evil “masters” all over the British colonial world.
As Kitten says, McQueen is known for raw power, so you would expect to see extreme characters in his films. And it’s not as if there aren’t characters who take the paternalistic roles – that’s Cumby, isn’t it?
Sorry – I’ve gone talkative!
Plus, Britain has a long history of enslaving its own population. Peasants were literally owned by the gentry as serfs until after the Black Death (no freedom of movement, no right to own property) and workers could be sold with a business right up and into the Industrial Revolution. I think there is a VERY long and VERY nasty history of forced servitude in the UK.
I’m so excited about this movie.
It’s about time Chiwetel got long overdue recognition; he’ll be on the watch list for sure!
As for Fassy, I’m so attracted to him, especially with that beard-i know I will loathe him in this film.
I really want the emphasis on Chiwetel, nhf Cumberbatch tho.
I hope both chiwetel and fassbender gets some recognition for this. Especially chiwetel it’s been a long time coming and an Oscar mom can lift him up to the level of actors he deserves to be in. Also Steve McQueen is an excellent film maker and kudos to brad Pitt for producing this.
I will definitely see it because it’s based on a true story.
Another part is the one off between Fassbender and Cumberbatch.
I think Cumberbatch is more versatile as an actor and Fassbender relies too often on his concentrated smoldering stare, so it will be good to see them together in a movie.
Why are people comparing this film to ‘Django’? Besides the subject matter these films are apples and oranges. Spaghetti Western by Tarantino on one side, film based on actual events on the other.
I don’t like the trailer at all. The sob-tastic music, Brad Pitt’s weird accent, the painful melodrama.
It seems like obvious oscar bait, and is a little too heavy handed for me.
I get that it’s based on a true story, but so was The Blind Side, and I hated that movie.
It should be sob-tastic. Just imagine waking up one day and being told that you aren’t a person anymore, that you can be bought and sold at your owner’s whim….I’d be crying too. And sad to say, it still happens today.
+1
I’m not saying the subject shouldn’t be sad, I’m saying the trailer lacked subtlety in my opinion. I couldn’t feel the emotions because it was all too self-aware, too ‘oscar please’ for my liking.
@Gina
I understand. But I wonder if they’re going with Solomon’s mental/emotional state. He’s presumably in his thirties or forties, having been free all his life, and then forced into slavery….and being forced to deal with those changes like a slave. He is a slave. He has no feelings. That’s something heavy and overbearing to feel and know, that your life isn’t supposed to be like this. That you deserve and have the right to have a better life….everyone knows that except the people around you.
Some people enjoy true stories. Some people go to the movies to forget the true stories. Both can enjoy their experiences, but the Oscar’s are meant to honor the significant films of the year, and this story is hugely significant.
I don’t necessarily think it was made as “Oscar Bait” – I think it was made because Brad worked for it to be made. He wanted this story out there, the fact that it will receive critical recognition should be expected not because of Brad, but because of the material. Based on the plot summary a film with this subject matter would have to be awful, insensitive, and preposterous to be ignored by the award-givers.
Personally, I love historic films. And although there are many films about the Antebellum South, there are too few films in my opinion which aim to depict the realities of slavery from the perspective of an enslaved person.
I normally avoid “serious” films, but I’m dying to see Chiwetel in something and the rest of the cast looks amazing too.
This year’s Oscars are going to be incredible. We could see Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba (as Nelson Mandela) battling it out for Best Actor.
Agreed, and also Michael B Jordan for Fruitvale Station. This is a year when the Oscars are going to be dominated by black actors, and it’s about time.
Oh, I don’t think I can see this one. Movies about social injustice get me too upset. We see it all the time, everyday, I don’t need to watch our horrid histories amplified on the big screen as well.
Really? There will be depictions of social injustice, but unlike the news which we must watch in real time, we know how this story ends. This is the story of being human, of undergoing trials and tribulations, of facing Goliath, of surviving evil. It’s a story about the strength of the human spirit and about how far one small act of kindness can go. It will be a powerful story precisely because it will depict the ugliest institution in American history, an institution perpetuated by complacency and heard mentality; juxtaposed to triumphant spirit which enables a person to survive and endure the worst, and the incredible capacity that one kind act by one outsider to the “heard” can have to change the circumstances of another person’s life by doing the right and moral thing.
Interesting. But to me whoever put the trailer together did an ok job. I’m expecting the movie to be better than the trailer anyway.
I just want Chiwetel Ejiofor to get the recognition he so long deserved already. Yes yes, granted Fassbender is talented and McQueen brings the best acting game out of him so far but I stand by what I said, Chiwetel is far superior, and to whoever (can’t remember the name so apologies in advance) called me dismissive towards Fassbender in the last post about TYAS well… to me it’s the truth, Chiwetel >>>>>
Plus it would so amazing if McQueen and Ejiofor made that Fela Kuti film happen, as they have been talking about it for over 3 years now.
It was probably me, and I think you were and are way too dismissive of Fassbender. 🙂
That’s okay–not everybody likes the same thing. Preferences in actors can be really subjective. You don’t have to belittle somebody else to promote your favorite, however.
Oh I love Fassbender work, but he still has a long way to go to expand his genres, comedy, kinky, stage etc. and be excellent in all of them as he is so far in dramas. So when he will reach Chiwetel’s repertoire (and many other actors I consider superior btw but it’s about Chiwetel we are discussing here), then yes I can say let’s get to that sale level. In the meantime, nothing dismissive about what I’m saying by stating it, albeit you have the right to interpret it so.
And the [sad and ugly] truth is, had Chiwetel been White like his other contemporaries it would have been a different story hello in demand everywhere; and absolutely yes all actors are struggling, but add the race factor… buuut it’s another debate.
Anyway let’s say Chiwetel vs my other fave actor Gary Oldman well… Oldman >>>>
I love Fassy to bits, especially in film, but I gotsta agree. Chiwetel can do stage, big screen and small screen – and be top rate (and appropriate) in all three (a reason I also like Cumby). I think he’s just utterly fantastic.
Fassbender is great. But chiwetel is way more underrated. It’s has something to do with the range of leading man parts for black men. Fassbender is always gonna be at an advantage as their are simply more parts. I love them both but I’d like to see chiwetel get the recognition he deserves. He’s been on the scene for a long time, he won the prize of best newcomer on the london stage as far back as in 2000. fassbender and too an extent cumberbatch has an easier time in Hollywood.
No, I think this year it will be impossible for any white male role to compete with this performance. Truly, no matter what “range” of roles are available, this is an untold true story of a remarkable individual overcoming the most evil institution in American history. The potential depth of this character, these circumstances, and Solomon’s journey as a free man to a slave is tremendous. The fact that he was able to write his memoir himself, a literate man in a time where it was illegal to teach slaves to read; The fact that he eventually has a happy ending returning to the free black community in New York. There are just so many reasons this role is uniquely poignant, uniquely significant, and really uniquely undefeatable in an “Oscar Race.”
When Solomon speaks the line, “I don’t want to survive. I want to live.” I got the chills. That sentiment resonates with the human condition on such a fundamental level. It’s not enough to be surviving day to day, we all want to be living.
@ Thinker :
*Citizen Kane clap*
@Thinker: Almost every southern state had laws against teaching slaves how to read and write but Northup was born free in upstate New York where he learned to read and write as a child. And the laws in the south were often violated with impunity; slave-owners believed they could treat their property any way they wanted to. My great-great-grandfather, who was born a slave in Virginia sometime around 1807, was taught to read and write by the family that owned him, and he taught every one of his seven children to read and write as well.
@ Elodie
This year the Oscar is Chiwetel’s for the taking. Although there many be quantitatively more roles for white men, the quality level of those roles will not rise to the story of Solomon Northup. (Think of DiCraprio and his awful Wolf of Wallstreet – the quality level is zero)
I really can’t imagine a more powerful role, or a more important story will be told in the theaters this year. Honestly, it’s almost offensive to put DiCrap in the same category. As if a wealthy sleeze acting like a wealthy sleeze is anything to honor… At least Fassbender seems to have depth in the roles he selects.
@Thinker
Has there actually been legitimite Oscar buzz for Leo, because of the Wolf of Wallstreet? I would think that it’s residual because the man should’ve been nominated as Calvin Candie.
When I saw the trailer, it looked more comedic and funny than the serious stuff that Scorcesse does….like that new mafia movie he shot with De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer….I wouldn’t think that either film would be a contender in the Oscars, unless it was a technical award. They’re both fun movies with serious themes.
@ Janet.
Thank you for sharing your family history. Good for your ancestors for passing down that tradition, and their “owners” for behaving decently when the law did not require them to.
From what I have read however, after the end of the slave trade the demand for new slaves remained high, but the availability of slaves could not meet the demand. As a result, southern plantation owners became more desperate and turned to “slave catching” and breeding and other awful methods to maintain the workforce needed to run a plantation. Furthermore, slavery in Virginia, Maryland, North & South Carolina was of a different caliber than slavery in the “deep south” – ie Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In Virginia and the original 13 colonies, slave-owning families raised their white children on the plantations where their black slaves lived and worked. For many generations whites and blacks lived on the same land, worked toward the same purpose. Often there was a strong paternalistic sentiment that these “masters” had over their slaves by virtue of their deep ties to each other and to the land. The whites who settled those states were also more likely to have come from the British upper classes, and considered themselves Christian gentlemen. The mentality was that treating their slaves with dignity was a reflection on their own godliness and superiority in the social ranks. In the strict social hierarchy of the times, black house slaves (who directly interacted with the white master’s family in very personal and intimate ways) were considered more honourable, and accorded a higher social position than “white trash.” White trash was considered somewhere between a horse thief and a murderer.
However, in the Deep South, few white families lived out on their swampy plantations where malaria was a constant risk, preferring to spend more time jn the cities like New Orleans. Most of those deep south plantations were settled after the slave trade had ceased. However, their demands for cheap labor remained as high as any other plantations. Consequently, plantation owners in the Deep South were more likely to buy slaves from slave catchers, and to employ more abusive tactics to keep their slaves working. By all accounts that I’ve read, slavery in the Deep South was more abhorrent on every level than in the original 13.
@ Janet – my other post was so long but I wanted to add that in 1807 Thomas Jefferson was President. Every white family in Virginia knew that Mr. Jefferson had some very light skinned young “slave children” on his plantation, but it was not discussed openly because it would be aggregiously impolite. Jefferson allowed all those children to be educated and to learn skilled trades, and then to be freed. That was more the norm of Virginia slavery, there were certainly a number of slave-owning families with authentic affection for their slaves.
History knows about Sally and her children because of the incredible oral traditions passed down in enslaved families. That and Alexander Hamilton wrote a few pamplets regarding Jefferson’s scandalous beautiful concubine.
@Thinker: One has to wonder, though, if Jefferson freed his children by Sally Hemings, why didn’t he free their mother?
That paternalistic sentiment you spoke of usually didn’t extend to field slaves, who were treated just as badly as field hands in the deep south, especially on big plantations where the owner might have minimal contact with them and everything was left to the overseer. Field hands were never taught to read or write. House slaves were usually treated better.
My great-great-grandfather never knew when he was born; slave owners weren’t in the habit of writing down their slaves’ birthdays in the family bible. However, he determined his seven children would know when they were born so he wrote down all their birthdays in his family bible. My great-grandfather, the oldest of the seven, was born on May 20, 1840.
I can’t swoon at people portraying an actual real life story such as this. I enjoy McQueen’s work though even if I thought Hunger was a better movie than Shame. Pretty excited to see Ejiofor cast as the lead as well. He is so unfairly underrated.
As much as I love Fassbender and I do, I really do. I’m all about Chiwetel right now. He better get the recognition he deserves. He just better.
Stellar cast it looks like, including Alfre Woodard. Can’t wait to see this film.
I loved Roots, Django, but this..this is not capturing my interest for some reason. I’ll watch it but have a feeling it’s not going to meet my expectations.
The movie originally had a December release but word was so positive it was moved up. I saw some of the crew in Louisiana when they were filming, I grew up there and let me tell you it was hot! All the producers are with Pitt’s production company Plan B. You have to really admire Pitt, as Steve McQueen says, the movie would never have gotten made without him and the budget was only $20 million. Pitt plays a Canadian abolitionist who meets Solomon Northup in the 12th year and changes his life. The book is amazing. Growing up in the Deep South was an experience and I was one of the few openly had black friends (I grew up in a Very small town) and I had tears when I saw the trailer. Cannot wait for this movie!
Thanks for sharing!
Yes! Another movie that should do nothing but heal the race relations in our country and that is in no way manipulative or propagandizing. These movies about slavery truly help us love our fellow Americans. There’s nothing like opening up archaic 19th century wounds to promote love and peace.
Yeah, I mean, history, bearing witness…stupid, amirite? And movies are just so darned mean–THAT’s what’s holding the world back, oh! I just got it. If it’s uncomfortable, it shouldn’t be addressed, especially when things are going so GREAT right now!
Does it promote love and peace or does it promote hate and division. That’s the measuring stick.
How will we see our neighbor when leaving this movie regardless of their skin color? Will that be changed for the better or for the worse? An important question to ask yourself if you go see this movie.
Keep in mind also that an eye for an eye just leaves everyone blind in the end.
Finally I think the truth which needs to be “addressed” by our society is much different from the one you think.
Troubadour-a movie’s ability to convey a message is only as good as the audience’s ability to receive that message.
To put the burden of affecting social change solely on a movie without taking into consideration the viewer’s level of tolerance, empathy, impartiality and willingness to understand is unfair.
Will this movie suddenly make KKK members hug their fellow black citizens? Doubtful. Will the movie be thought-provoking to those of us who might need a refresher course about just how horrific slavery was? I hope so.
Movies are entertainment, plain and simple. They have the power to move people and the power to inform people, the power to sway people, but they have ZERO obligation to do so. They exist solely to tell a story.
My only hope is that some of the people I know who are so insistent on arguing that racism is dead and asking why black people can’t just “move on”, will see this movie and re-examine the atrocities that were committed against black Americans during a relatively recent time in American history.
Love and peace is not forged by forgetting the past. It is forged by remembering, honouring and learning from the past. You’d best remember that, particularly if you’re from one of those states that conveniently forgot periods of racial unrest that are only resurrected in history classes today thanks to Black History month.
Do recall, as well, that is is not ten years post Civil War. It is 150. We can look at the past without the emotions of that present state, and we would do well to remind ourselves of where our society came from.
I really hope you abandon your point of view vis a vis these sorts of stories which are not heard enough–CLEARLY–or we would have progressed further as a society than we have.
October can’t come soon enough!!! And I know this is so wrong, but I’m going to go ahead and say it: I’d be Fassy’s slave anyday….
This looks soooo good!
I’m sorry, but I find it an affront to all of these actors to fixate on the charisma or sexuality that they exuded in past works, especially when they are playing roles in this film that demonstrates betrayal, loss, degradation, cruelty and mental pathology. I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism, since this is a tough subject matter, but I hope the moisture stays at bay during the brutality.
If the actors do their job well (and I think they will), then I doubt anyone will be able to muster a ladyboner for the characters involved.
Lord jesus it’s a fire! Exceptional casting, can’t wait!
Chiwetel is absolutely one of my favorites, so glad he has such a strong vehicle for his talents this year. If Idris Elba knocks the Nelson Mandela performance out of the park I don’t know how to pick a favorite for awards season!
It’s only a matter of time before Chiwetel Ejiofor wins an Oscar because he is a brilliant actor. I have been a huge fan since first seeing him in Dirty Pretty Things.
Brad Pitt chose a very small role for himself as a Canadian abolitionist who got word back up North that Northup had been kidnapped and sold into slavery so that he could be ransomed and freed. His main role in this film is producer. I think he chose one of the few sympathetic roles in the movie.
I think he took a role in the film to make sure it got made period. Which is why it is small. But I applaud his work as a Producer, and the fact that he has kept his word and continues to bring filming projects back to NOLA..
I’m also wondering if he chose a sympathetic role out of regard for his children. I don’t think they would like seeing him in Fassbender’s role.
Could we please not disrespect Chiwetel Ejiofor by calling him Chewy???
People call him Chewy because he’s said that’s what his friends call him. It’s just a nickname.
Do you object to “Fassy” and “Cumby” as well?
The film I would love to see made is “A Thousand Miles To Freedom”, available on Gutenberg.com. It’s the true story of William and Ellen Craft, two married slaves who escaped sometime in the early 1850s. One of the stratagems the Crafts used to get away was for William (who was fair-shinned and fine-featured) to pose as a wheelchair bound white man, with Ellen posing as his attendant.
Sorry, I meant fair-SKINNED.
I grew up with two of Ellen Craft’s descendants. They were also descended by marriage from Sally Hemings. You’ve probably heard of her as well.
I wish they would make a legitimate film or mini series about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. I saw “An American Scandal”, someone removed it off of youtube. I liked it, although I don’t really know if they were in love. Sometimes I think Yes, because she did go back to America, despite being free in France, but then I think, well he was the master. It would be interesting to have another take on it.
I’ve had several discussions with different people about Sally Hemings’ relationship with Thomas Jefferson, and it usually boils down to: was it love or coercion? The bottom line is that Sally Hemings was in no position to say no. She was Jefferson’s property. He may have loved her and she may have loved him. It wasn’t unknown or all that uncommon for masters to fall in love with a beautiful female slave. But if he really loved her and cared about her, why didn’t he free her? Can you call it love if one of them can’t refuse? It’s a hard question to answer. I honestly don’t know.
What is really interesting is that it’s only been in the last decade or two that historians have accepted the fact of a relationship between Jefferson and Hemings at all. Miscegenation seems to have been the last great taboo in polite academic discussion. I read one best-selling bio of Jefferson in which the author flat-out denied that Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Sally Hemings or any other slave because, well, he was Thomas Jefferson after all, and Thomas Jefferson just wouldn’t do something like that.
🙄
@ Janet, Sally was like 14 or 15 when pedo Jefferson got her pregnant…I would say it was a “relationship” based on “nice” coerced “sex” instead of brutal rape suffered by other female slaves. He’s like the the type of man that “seduces” young girls into sexual relationships without actually physically forcing them….he was a perverted pig IMO.
That story has some ‘pee in your pants from anxiety moments’ doesn’t it? You wouldn’t believe it if it weren’t true.
Wow, I HAVE to see this one, it looks amazing, brought tears to my eyes……
Cant wait to see the movie just because Lupita Nyongi is in it. It will definitely be a huge deal for Kenya.
this should be interesting to see Chiwetel Ejiofor in such a role considering i’ve only seen him play a ‘heavy’. 😉
Okay now I can’t wait til this comes out. What an amazing cast. This is a must see.
Ugh cause Brad Pitt screams Oscar, right? Is Oprah in this?
Nevermind..
No Brad Pitt screams..
“Oh we are not sure we want to make this”
“Brad is involved”
“OK.. we’re in”
** amazing the things people reach for to make something negative
And it’s amazing the lengths at which Pitt’s fanbase will reach to believe that he’s unjustly persecuted. The man has a lot of sway and money. But his talent is most definitely limited. Don’t attack people for using all of their senses.
That sounds about right.
Not everything is Oprah/Tyler Perry/Spike Lee by extension and nor everything what they do is gold. Had any shown any interest into it, we would have probably heard about their involvement, but in the meantime, other people worked on the film so try to understand that.
The movie was made because of Brad Pitt yes, and he really pulled it through, because guess what, even with a household name he can get the red light (paging Steven Spielberg). He has a minor part in the movie, he stayed on the producer line mostly. So at least he shows interest into different things, unlike some who praise and say diversity of the industry and yet do nothing.. let’s page his buddy George Clooney perhaps? (shall we be reminded of that Oscar roundtable when he shut Viola Davis down and made it all about him?) And add to that Brad Pitt is also backing the Martin Luther King Jr. project. So yes even as a non fan, I say kudos to him for taking risks because even with influence it’s not easy to push some minorities projects under the spotlight, his allies could have shut him down for what one knows.
And if it can bring more light to Chiwetel Ejiofor since perhaps you have missed but most eyes are on him looking forward to his performance (and Fassbender’s) and Steve McQueen directing hence why Oscar potential if well promoted, then hell yes.
I’ve been waiting more and more for movies to come out on Netflix, HBO Go, or Amazon Prime. I don’t think I will be able to wait on this one.
The movie looks boring, but OMFG.. Fassy looks insanely hot in his period costume !!
I read the book in college and it was heartbreaking. This doesn’t look very good though. I hope it does justice to the book.
Must. See. This.
So a friend of mine is friend of a girl who is in the movie…her character gets raped by fassbender…and I’m sorry to say (this is a crude joke)..I was jealous. lol god he’s fine even when he’s playing a disgusting slave owner…I’m still attracted to him dammit and I’m black.
That being said it looks amazing…and a new slave story…for once…I love steve mcqueen
That is a crude “joke”…you probably should’ve said something like, “Although my friend gets raped by the Fassdong in the film, I am extremely jealous that she got to touch him/meet him”…I’d be jealous too. I would love to meet this entire cast. I’ve only see Chiewitl in ONE film…Love Actually….he’s hot. I wish I could see more of his films.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is a talented man. Just hearing him perform in a radio play on what used to be BBC Radio 7 (in Dionysus) was an event.
Let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be another ‘let’s tongue-bathe everyone in the slavery movie who isn’t black’, a la another recent film.
Ok, so many Brits making a movie about slavery in the US.
And I’m sure the moviemakers had the best intentions, but the delivery is sooo hammy and overwrought that it reads mostly as Oscar bait.
Which movie are you talking about?
This one?
…because if so, then I hope you’re not basing your opinion on a trailer, which are notoriously manipulative. Trailers have only a couple minutes to “sell” a movie to a widespread audience, they’re not necessarily an accurate gauge of what a movie is–they’re marketing material.
Let’s wait to judge until we see it, ok?
Fair point.
Let’s just say the trailer is actively discouraging me from seeing this movie… but you’re right, I’ll wait for the reviews.
It looks amazing! Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely moving in the trailer. And Paul Giamatti!!!! Had no idea he was in this movie. I’m not a fan of mix-n-match accents Fassy, but he was okay in the trailer. Brad Pitt’s kind of laughable in the trailer and wow Cumberbatch is in this? Interesting.
Yes, Oscar bait. But it honestly seems like a movie worthy of Oscars so no biggie. It’s a movie I may actually see in the theatre.
I really want to see this but I know I’m going ultra stabby afterwards.
I feel the same way – really want to see it but I know I’m going to be so angry and sad too. I’ll have to watch Hot Tub Time Machine afterwards just to improve my mood!
Apparently feedback from people who have seen the film is that the trailer is misleading and very Speilbergish in tone whereas the film is a very brutal hard hitting piece.
Paul Dano’s role is larger than Cumberbatch’s whose role is very small.
Thank god Cumberbitches role is small, couldn’t stand to watch that frogfishfaced guy for longer than necessary!
LOL!
amerikka is a country rooted in evil and it makes me sick that the boys/men in my family can be hunted down and killed for existing while no gets arrested if killed by a person who is not a person of color. I feel sick I am sick..
this movie is just showing the true history and nature of this hate filled vile violent despicable country ..God help me God help my people survive hell on earth.
A movie about the absolute evil of slavery is gut wrenching. Your pain and sorrow leaps off the page; violence and living with the fear of violence is sickening. This world is a tough place with atrocities that are happening right now, not just on the pages of history.
I cling to the hope that we can grow and that more and more of us will choose love over hate.
It’s the Operative! You can’t stop the signal 🙂
I admit, I haven’t read the article but I got super excited as I always thought Chiwetel Ejiofor is a fab actor.
(slinks away to actually read this now)
Try to watch Solomon Northups Odyssey- it was a TV movie of this story made by PBS. I watched it as a kid and it was insanely powerful.
It looks like it will be a hard watch, but it has a great cast so I will definitely check this out once it hits DVD.
I know, they should have made him fat greasy and foul looking, especially in the mouth area.
HOwever, the southern gentry of the day were mostly well-groomed, and probably “handsome” on the outside, albeit, ugly and horrific on the inside
Cant wait to see this
This looks good! Brad Pitt should know we Canadians dont speak with a southern drawl.
Well just looking at the trailer makes me want to cry. I can tell I’ll be boo-hooing and doing the ugly cry at the theatre. I have heard numerous stories about free blacks being kidnapped from non-slave states and sold into slavery, and I don’t know whats more horrific: knowing freedom (as much as a black man in America could have had at that point) and then being turned into a piece of property or being a slave your entire life and never experiencing basic human dignity. The worst part was that free or not, because Solomon Northup was a black man, he couldn’t even testify against his kidnappers in court and hold them legally responsible. SMH. This is why Paula Dumb had no right to make light of slavery and is nothing better then an evil twat for being nostalgic about slavery.