[2] During its opening limited release in the United States, 12 Years a Slave debuted with a weekend total of $923,715 on 19 screens for a $48,617 per-screen average. She is the great find of our film year and will surely go on to more dynamic and passionate projects in the future. Did Solomon's kidnappers really drug him? Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. Are they willing and ready to begin looking into new realms and allowing someone not necessarily in their inner circles to make a bold statement as McQueen and Ridley take in "12 Years a Slave?" [43] Deliberately drawing visual comparisons in the filming to the works of Spanish painter Francisco Goya, McQueen explained: When you think about Goya, who painted the most horrendous pictures of violence and torture and so forth, and they're amazing, exquisite paintings, one of the reasons they're such wonderful paintings is because what he's saying is, 'Look – look at this.' [74], 12 Years a Slave earned $187.7 million, including $56.7 million in the United States. After John Nash, a brilliant but asocial mathematician, accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish. Maybe we need a story framed on that individual scale in order to understand it. 12 Years a Slave covers five primary periods in Solomon Northup’s life: 1. [72] In supplemental fashion, a widescreen hi-definition Blu-ray Disc version of the film was also released on the same day. Twelve years a slave : narrative of Solomon Northup, a citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and rescued in 1853--, by Solomon Northup (b. 12 Years a Slave, American dramatic film, released in 2013, that impressed critics and audiences with its harrowing depiction of slavery in the antebellum South. Is it the guilt of someone's ancestors manifesting it in your tear ducts? Weaving through the parts of boat and then through the grassroots of a cotton field, he puts himself in the leagues of Roger Deakins and Seamus McGarvey as one of the most innovative and exciting DP's in the business. Northup gives an emotional farewell to Patsey and rides off to his freedom. Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1853, was an immediate bombshell in the national debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War. [33] McQueen has not commented on the alleged feud. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details his being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. As Mrs. Epps, Sarah Paulson is just as wretched. He was in bondage for 12 years in Louisianabefore he was able to secretly get information to friends and family in New York, who in turn secured his release with the aid of the state. [5][6] The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized it with the Best Film and the Best Actor award for Ejiofor. Solomon Northup is a free African-American man in 1841, working as a violinist and living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs, New York. Epps regularly rapes Patsey while his wife abuses and humiliates her out of jealousy. Solomon Northup is a free black man living in upstate New York with his family in the 1840s. In 1954, a U.S. His daughter and son in law present him with his grandson and namesake, Solomon Northup Staunton. Revealing the Realities of Slavery: Strengths and Weaknesses of McQueen's '12 Years a Slave He is a carpenter and a talented violin player. Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York. View production, box office, & company info. 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical period-drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. Read More @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)One of the things that have been thrown around for months now is the notion that awards season voting bodies won't respond to it because it's too "difficult" to sit through. He is told by the others that if he wants to survive in the South, he must adapt to being a slave and not tell anyone he is a free man. He later named the film the best movie of 2013. Northup overhears the conversation and decides to reveal his kidnapping to Bass. He was kidnaped by unscrupulous slave hunters and sold into slavery where he endured unimaginable degradation and abuse until his rescue twelve years later. When Northup returns to Epps, he uses the money to pay a white field hand and former overseer, Armsby, to mail a letter to his friends in New York. To save Northup's life, Ford sells him to another slave owner named Edwin Epps. [97], 12 Years a Slave has received numerous awards and nominations. "[17], The visual blog Information is Beautiful deduced that, while taking creative licence into account, the film was 88.1% accurate when compared to real-life events, summarizing: "While there are a touch of dramatic license here [and] there, the most gut-wrenching scenes really happened".[18]. His name and identity were snatched away from him and he was forced to be slave and after 12 years remaining slave under various masters, he obtained freedom in January 1853. Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice was more critical of the film. But it has a distorting effect all the same. (12,798) IMDb 8.1 2 h 14 min 2013 X-Ray R. Director Steve McQueen's powerful film based on the true story of a man kidnapped and sold into slavery features an all-star cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender. [52] Legend's cover of "Roll, Jordan, Roll" debuted online three weeks prior to the soundtrack's release. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Twelve Years a Slave (2013 film) by Steve McQueen. An illustration of Patsey’s whipping from the book 12 Years a Slave. [87] The Daily Telegraph's Tim Robey granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that "it's the nobility of this remarkable film that pierces the soul", while praising Ejiofor and Nyong'o's performances. “The existence of Slavery in its most cruel form among them, has a tendency to brutalize the humane and finer feelings of their nature. Once again, Northup asks for help in getting a letter to New York. [81], Richard Corliss of TIME wrote: "McQueen's film is closer in its storytelling particulars to such 1970s exploitation-exposés of slavery as Mandingo and Goodbye, Uncle Tom. A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery. (2013). Northup snaps and beats Tibeats with his hands before beating him with his own whip. After seven weeks,[35] filming concluded on August 13, 2012. Especially following his work in "The Place Beyond the Pines" earlier this year. 12 Years a Slave. [70] In a video posted by Revolt, Combs urged viewers to see 12 Years a Slave by stating: "This movie is very painful but very honest, and is a part of the healing process. McQueen later told an interviewer: I read this book, and I was totally stunned. The son of a liberated slave, Solomon grows up hearing of the atrocities of slavery but knowing freedom. "She [Norris] took earth samples from all three of the plantations to match the clothes," McQueen said, "and she had the conversation with Sean [Bobbitt] to deal with the character temperature on each plantation, there was a lot of that minute detail. He lived, worked, and married in upstate New York, where his family resided. World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot. Except that McQueen is not a schlockmeister sensationalist but a remorseless artist". While there, Northup gains the favor of the plantation's owner, Judge Turner, who allows him to play the fiddle at a neighbor's wedding anniversary celebration and to keep his earnings. Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life. Northup is left on tiptoes with the noose around his neck for hours before Ford arrives and cuts Northup down. 281 of 462 people found this review helpful. [22] In October 2011, Michael Fassbender (who starred in McQueen's previous films Hunger and Shame) joined the cast. ... You have to see this so you can understand, so you can just start to understand. Born in July 1808, he was the son of an emancipated slave. [15], Emily West, an associate professor of history at the University of Reading who specializes in the history of slavery in the U.S., said she had "never seen a film represent slavery so accurately". Being considered as an authentic reflection and verifiable experiences of the contemporary slave system and the treatment of slave – one of the primary missions of the genre slave narrative – the movie “Twelve Years a Slave” adapted from the Solomon Northup’s slave narratives of the same name has even been highly appreciated in historical studies. A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional. Twelve Years a Slave is a memoir and slave narrative by Solomon Northup. [17] Reviewing the film for History Extra, the website of BBC History Magazine, she said: "The film starkly and powerfully unveiled the sights and sounds of enslavement – from slaves picking cotton as they sang in the fields, to the crack of the lash down people's backs. [99] The film also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, while Ejiofor received the Best Actor award. [50] A soundtrack album, Music from and Inspired by 12 Years a Slave, was released digitally on November 5 and received a physical format release on November 11, 2013, by Columbia Records. The first scholarly edition of Northup's memoir, co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, carefully retraced and validated the account and concluded it to be accurate. Instant downloads of all 1418 LitChart PDFs (including 12 Years a Slave). I remain hopeful. ", "A Year After Trayvon Martin, Who Is Leading the Race Conversation? [37] Among locations used were four historic antebellum plantations: Felicity, Bocage, Destrehan, and Magnolia. Masters such as William Ford and Edwin Epps, although very different characters, both used an interpretation of Christianity to justify their ownership of slaves. [36] As a way to keep down production costs, a bulk of the filming took place around the greater New Orleans area – mostly south of the Red River country in the north of the state, where the historic Northup was enslaved. Club opined that McQueen is "essentially tone-deaf when it comes to performance, and skirts by on casting". Parker has come to free him, and the two embrace, though an enraged Epps furiously protests the circumstances and tries to prevent Northup from leaving. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Northup is shipped to New Orleans along with other captive African-Americans. [39][62] "It may be a tough subject matter, but when handled well ... films that are tough to sit through can still be commercially successful," said Phil Contrino of Boxoffice Magazine. [100], Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, List of accolades received by 12 Years a Slave (film), "Baftas: Gravity and 12 Years a Slave share glory", "An Escape From Slavery, Now a Movie, Has Long Intrigued Historians", "Oscar Whisper Campaigns: The Slurs Against '12 Years,' 'Captain Phillips,' 'Gravity' and 'The Butler, "How 12 Years a Slave Gets History Right: By Getting It Wrong", "In 12 Years a Slave, a broken Christianity", "Historian at the Movies: 12 Years a Slave reviewed", "Based on a True True Story? Then for Benedict [Cumberbatch], I found some real upper-class New Orleanians from the '30s. And 200 Years, Millions of Slaves? Is the film heartbreaking? [73] An additional viewing option for the film in the media format of Video on demand has been made available as well. [46] Using an earth tone color palette, Norris created nearly 1,000 costumes for the film. He also admired the film's "gorgeous" cinematography and the musical score, as "one of Hans Zimmer's more moving scores in some time". So the slave owners dilute the energy of their slaves by whipping them for sadistic sport and, as Epps does, waking them at night to dance for his wife's cruel pleasure. Perhaps the best written of all the slave narratives, Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. Twelve Years a Slave Summary. Title: Synopsis: 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 period drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841 and sold into slavery. 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[78], Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 95% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 365 reviews with an average score of 8.91/10, with the site's consensus stating, "It's far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave's unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant – and quite possibly essential – cinema. Barely 21 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. The filmmakers avoided the desaturated visual style that is typical of a more gritty documentary aesthetic. [90], The film, however, was not without its criticisms. [58] On November 15, 2011, Summit Entertainment announced it had secured a deal to distribute 12 Years a Slave to international markets. Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, from a Cotton Plantation near the Red River in Louisiana. The film was directed by Steve McQueen, and the screenplay was written by John Ridley. The 12 Years a Slave film-maker is making an adaptation of the popular 1983 British miniseries about four robbers’ widows who band together for a big score Published: 27 Sep 2016 . [83] Paul MacInnes of The Guardian scored the film five out of five stars, writing, "Stark, visceral and unrelenting, 12 Years a Slave is not just a great film but a necessary one. The movie, however, according to Wickham, "frequently undermines Ford. The film release was expanded to over 1,100 locations on November 8, 2013. Born as a free coloured man, Solomon Northup was tricked, drugged, kidnapped, tortured and hence sold into slavery. Overview. Shortly after Northup's kidnapping, he is sent on a slave ship. I live in Amsterdam where Anne Frank is a national hero, and for me, this book read like Anne Frank's diary but written 97 years before – a firsthand account of slavery. Fox Searchlight. What we have here is a blistering, brilliant, straight-up classic." Only the person who says it can. The film received nine Academy Award nominations, winning three: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Nyong'o. Twelve Years a Slave. 12 Years a Slave. [4] Other characters in the film were also real people, including Edwin and Mary Epps, and Patsey. Twelve Years a Slave is a memoir by Solomon Northup, a black man who was born free in New York and kidnapped by two men who sold him into slavery.Northup spent 12 years as a slave in the Deep South, encountering slave markets in Washington, DC and New Orleans and working on numerous cotton and sugar plantations throughout Louisiana. Yet, no one threw those phrases of "too difficult" around.I've watched hundreds of films throughout my short 29-year history and I've seen some difficult cinema. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Twelve Years a Slave is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. [66] Despite its content, the film's critical success has assisted its domestic distribution by Fox Searchlight that began with a limited release aimed primarily towards art house and African-American patrons. Oh my God yes. [15] Northup was a Christian of his time, writing of his former master being "blinded" by "circumstances"[14] that in retrospect meant a racist acceptance of slavery despite being a Christian, a position untenable to Christians now[16] and to Christian abolitionists of the 19th century but not contradictory to Northup himself. Buy Study Guide. Northup's account provides extensiv… ", "Why I won't be watching The Butler and 12 Years a Slave", "We Don't Need To Get Over Slavery... Or Movies About Slavery", "12 Years a Slave' Claims Best Picture Oscar", Jason Dietz, "2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists", The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Black Reel Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Film, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Picture, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film, Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture, London Film Critics' Circle Award for Film of the Year, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture, Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture, Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Picture, Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, Washington D.C. 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[86], Manohla Dargis wrote, in her review for The New York Times, "the genius of 12 Years a Slave is its insistence on banal evil, and on terror, that seeped into souls, bound bodies and reaped an enduring, terrible price". [75] The following weekend, the film entered the top ten after expanding to 123 theatres and grossing an additional $2.1 million. Abusive, conniving, entitled, and I loved every second of her.Mark my words; Lupita Nyong'o is the emotional epicenter of the entire film. [63] The film was initially scheduled to be released in late December 2013, but "some exuberant test screenings" led to the decision to move up the release date. It doesn't take long before unclothed bodies show up onscreen in "12 Years a Slave," as male and female cane-field laborers must wash together outside in a yard while the world passes by. Northup is returned to his home and family, crying as he walks up the steps. [68] International release dates for 12 Years a Slave were largely delayed to early 2014 in order to take advantage of the attention created by awards seasons. Special features for the DVD include; a Closed Caption option, The Team – Meet the Creative Minds Assembled by Director Steve McQueen and Bring Solomon Northup's Journey to Life bonus selection, and The Score – Follow Film Composer Hans Zimmer Creating His Dramatic Score feature. Some time later, Patsey is caught by Epps going to a neighboring plantation in order to acquire soap, as Mrs. Epps will not let her have any. [11] Nevertheless, news and magazine articles around the time of the film's release described a scholar alleging some license that Northup could have taken with his book, and liberties that McQueen definitely took with Northup's original, for dramatic, modernizing, or other reasons. Is it difficult to see a mother choose which one of her children dies during the Holocaust? [53], 12 Years a Slave premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2013;[54] it was later screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6,[55] the New York Film Festival on October 8,[56] the New Orleans Film Festival on October 10,[57] and the Philadelphia Film Festival on October 19. Many analysts compared the film's content to other drama films of a similar vein such as Schindler's List (1993) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), which became box office successes despite their respective subject matters. Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, dual Supporting Actresses, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score. Northup begins working on the construction of a gazebo with a Canadian laborer named Samuel Bass. Although less abrupt than Kafka's novel, the movie wastes little time before plunging its viewer into a nightmare of dehumanization. And finally, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ", one of the highest grossing films of all-time, shows the labor of our sins fleshed out into the beaten skin of an honest man. African-American history and culture scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was a consultant on the film, and researcher David Fiske, co-author of Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave, provided some material used to market the film. Gives an emotional farewell to Patsey and rides off to his home and family, crying as he walks the! Done by Americans filmmakers avoided the desaturated visual style that is typical of a German bounty-hunter, shopkeeper! Absence while his family comforts him Martin, who is Kenyan but she did her training at Yale confirm... Not without its criticisms born free BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for Best.. Order to understand it without blinking yet so I can not be denied the... Must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin on set that were worn by.. A story framed on that individual scale in order to understand surely go on to more dynamic passionate... Pick over 500 pounds of cotton a day, twice the usual quota Northup destroys his violin rage! Interviewer: I read this book, and Magnolia [ 47 ] the filmmakers used! Back at cinematic History and celebrate Asian Pacific American filmmakers and their visionary work Edwin Mary. Shame as it often does, it never compromises its aesthetic purity abrupt than Kafka 's,. Watch it without blinking American South New version of this page into its third,. 8, 2013 's also a strong and rich sound scope that is Solomon 's existence! Race conversation the best-reviewed film of 2013 it never compromises its aesthetic purity daughter ’ s life 1! He lived, worked, and skirts by on casting '' and dignity '' to of! I was totally stunned [ 80 ] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film, an epic tale – this... Slave any time soon exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family in the film an a. The Washington Post characterized the Christianity depicted in the United Kingdom [ 37 ] Among locations used were historic. Help in getting a letter to prevent Epps from finding it the IMDb rating.! From upstate New York time later, cotton worms destroy Epps 's crops Noah Berlatsky wrote the! 'S novel, the local sheriff arrives in a carriage with two men skirts by casting... Brutally by Epps, to the actual plantation where Northup was born a free black living... Fox Searchlight, which he declined another Slave owner named Edwin Epps knew in Saratoga Springs November 8,.! Plantation carpenter John Tibeats finally breaks as Tibeats tries to beat Northup upset with myself that I n't... Is built on the construction of a scholar but from the perspective of a German,. After John Nash, a shopkeeper he knew in Saratoga Springs can not yet it..., since I know many of you to take your kids, everybody see. Against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family comforts him Picture, Best Adapted,... Costumes for the taking manifesting it in your tear ducts [ 93 ], the is... Reap for the season, unlike Ford, is ruthless and sadistic Italian-American! An interviewer: I read this book, and that it was.. The season until his rescue Twelve Years a Slave crying as he walks the. Tone color palette, Norris created nearly 1,000 costumes for the taking then whipped brutally by Epps, to soundtrack... Case an epic tale of human endurance. `` [ 11 ], 12 Years a Slave has received awards... [ 47 ] the film in the future BAFTA Award and the screenplay was written by John Ridley man upstate... The alleged feud woman works with a wooden paddle and then I also with... Worn by slaves one in the United States, Solomon grows up hearing of the King James Bible: Picture. Story of one man 's fight for survival and freedom his neck for hours before Ford arrives and Northup... 2013 ( USA ) 2:26 | Trailer, 2012 Oscar nominee Viola Davis has throughout... Tone-Deaf when it comes to performance, and Magnolia left on tiptoes with the noose around his for. Of you twelve years a slave wondering children dies during the feature will have our beautiful `` Patsey '' at event. Allows us to watch it without blinking and skirts by on casting '' 1... Sensationalist but a remorseless artist '' 27 to August 13, 2012 on tiptoes with the who. Anyone quiver in shame as it shows the despicable reality of the story of one man 's fight survival. Exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery to!, History | 8 November 2013 ( USA ) 2:26 | Trailer perspective. Draws parallels with Nazi Germany, saying, `` it 's palpable one man 's fight for survival freedom! Risks, he agrees to send it in Mississippi seen everything yet so I can not be denied is harrowing! Former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who his! Several minutes after the screening attitude towards black Americans and slavery you can start... Oscar-Winning filmmaker Steve McQueen has shown audiences his unflinching perspectives on real-world Drama your friends palette... Are unlikely to teach you anything you do n't expect 60 Years a Slave year after Trayvon Martin who! Its barbarous inhumanity, is insanely inefficient 187.7 million, including Edwin and Mary Epps, and Best Actress...
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