Film Essay
Both the movies Glory and 12 Years a Slave depict the harshness and horrible struggles from
two different sides of the effects of slavery. Glory a movie following the 54th Regiment fighting in
the Civil War, was described as the “first serious American movie about the Civil War in years” (nytimes ) and a “beautifully acted and pageant-like movie”
(nytimes .) 12 Years a Slave describes
the brutality that a free black man faces when he is thrown into slavery. Each
of these movies sheds light on what slavery was like from the perspective of
both a white man and a black man and though both were accounted in books, the
movies only further the knowledge and learning about what it was to be a slave.
These movies further the cause that it is possible to develop great analytical
skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching
movies in a critical way, and doing some research.
To look at the 54th Regiment, you see a
contrast of free and escaped slaves fighting for themselves, not for the values
of the white men whom they are given orders from. In the motion picture Glory, there were some falsities, but
the movie as a whole was, “mostly historically accurate.” (James Berardinelli
reelreviews ) Through thorough research and analyzing sources, I was able to
find the few historical inaccuracies in Glory,
and I was able to conclude that Glory has more historical inaccuracies character-wise
because if the actors played their role as harsh as the regiment workers and
authoritative figures actually were, then people would have nightmares of
disgust. It was only through watching this movie and reading critical reviews and
data that I was able to come to this decision and without seeing the movie
firsthand I would have no idea of these historical mistakes. Despite the few
inaccuracies during the course of the film, the director’s messages was still
clear, that slavery was imminent; to inform that even if you are working
alongside bias white men, enslaved men can still strive and achieve, and
although few of the black men were already free from slavery, both the black
and white died together and free. The message was made crystal clear only
through the last scenes in the movie where the music is low and calming and all
members, including the white commanding members, were buried close together,
signifying that we are all equal in the end. Without watching this movie I’d be
left wondering about multiple aspects of the 54th Regiment and
questioning the togetherness of the battalion.
Another impacting cinematic masterpiece about the sorrows
of slavery and the prejudice each man faced was highly crucial in 12 Years a Slave. It is said that “Ridley’s
script reduces the evils of slavery to a concept that isn’t challenging (…)” so
that all audiences can see directly and witness actual accounts from a black
man, Solomon Northup. The script from 12 Years a Slave comes almost directly
from the book published by Solomon, a free black man who was captured and
brought into slavery, therefore further exemplifying that this actually
happened and these are the terrors that slaves dealt with until the day they
were born until the day that they died. Seeing this as a moving picture
amplifies the terrors and the masterpiece brought in a worldwide audience and
over thirty awards because it influenced audiences so. Every good or light interpretation
of slavery is blown away with this movie because it, “holds nothing back in
show of suffering.” (Susan Wloszczyna) The work of art which is 12 Years a Slave portrays a time and expansive era in its gorgeous long shots of the open outdoors and extensive scenes
of Solomon reflecting on his past life and what he has become through slavery. When
Solomon hurts, you hurt, when Solomon cries, you cry (maybe on the inside, but
the effect is still there) and when Solomon gets whipped by his masters, you
want to feel his agony and you are disheartened by the fact that, this is real.
The realism of slavery in this movie leaves a chilling effect when you realize
that this did happen, and not just to Solomon, but to hundreds of people, so
even if you were a free black person with papers to prove it, you could still
be stripped of your freedom at any time and place. It is understood that, “[t] he
film is pain , transformed into real art, useful art, art that triggers empathy
and understanding.” (Matt Zoller Seitz) Every person sitting and watching 12 Years a Slave is able to see the hurt
in every slave’s eyes and though they might not have been enslaved, the movie
12 Years a Slave does an extraordinary job in the storytelling of ‘what if’. It
is through cinematography, music, and fantastic cameramen that the movie is
able to make such a powerful impact on the person watching, and this would not
be the same if you just read the book.
So in the words of the director of Glory, Ed Zwick, “They have beginnings, middles, and ends. They
have obstacles and objectives, and they’re about people.” Slavery was still
widely viewed as acceptable during the Civil War and when Solomon was enslaved,
and it therefore is necessary to learn through sources other than books and
articles, because they can only further your learning on the subject at hand,
that slavery was imminent. None of these conclusions and none of this analysis
could have been possible had it not been for exploring real events,
circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies in a critical way, and
doing some research. Movies are essential to the visual learners of the world,
and could never be believed as, “not possible to improve your thinking skills
or learn anything of value from watching movies.”
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Critics
/ Reviews / Awards /
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Cost
to make / Success at the box office
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Historical
Accuracy
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Filmmakers’
goals, intentions
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