12 Years a Slave
Posted by Itheliving 11 years, 10 months ago to Movies
12 Years a Slave / Rated R for sex, nudity, whippings, beatings, kidnapping and then more beatings.
12 Years a Slave covers a period of 12 years. The movie lasts just over 2 hours which means they have only about 10 minutes a year or 50 seconds a month to tell the story. This means the events must be compressed or a lot of material is left out. Since movie makers trot out the subject of slavery in the USofA, and the always horrid mistreatment of one group of people by another, approximately every 12 years, it’s that time again.
Examples of this theme include the landmark TV series Roots in 1977. 12YAS was previously also a made for TV film in 1984 with Avery Brooks (Star Trek Deep Space 9) in the title role. Steven Spielberg returned to this theme with Amistad in 1997. If you have seen any of the above you know pretty much what you are in for. Again. If you don’t require another reason to suffer through a tale of men’s inhumanity to man you may think you have no reason to see this version of 12YAS. You are wrong.
In what will be a film with lots of Oscar nominations director Steve McQueen has crafted a fine movie that is almost totally performance driven. The character on whom the film is based was born Solomon Northup in 1808. He was a free man living in NY state. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery where he remained for a period of, you guessed it. The actual character eventually freed returned to NY and was an active abolitionist. He produced the memoir on which this story is based in 1853. Sometime after 1857 he faded into the mists of history. His ultimate fate is not known at this time.
Englishman Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the lead. He is a vet actor and even appeared in Spielberg’s Amistad. Oscar nomination insured. Also look for a nod to actress Lupita Nyong’o as a slave girl named Patsey. In the 12 year enslavement Northup passed from owner to owner. Among the group some seem more humane than others. Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan in Star Trek and Sherlock in the BBC production) is on the better side. Michael Fassbender is the worst. Audience members are hoping for a tree to break and land on his miserable head. Paul Giamatti, also now in Saving Mr. Banks is an evil slave dealer. Actor Paul Dano plays a trashy slave boss. In a twist of fate PD who was recently the main prisoner in the film Prisoners and is graphically beaten and tortured in that film ends up getting more of the same in 12YAS. Brad Pitt shows up late in the film as a Canadian doing manual labor but who also ends up a Saint to Northup.
The film features a dark toned score by Hans Zimmer. It sounds a lot like John Williams somber themes for Amistad and Lincoln. The entire film was shot in an around New Orleans, LA. As a drama it is one of the best movies of 2013. If you plan on seeing it take my warnings seriously. The beatings, whippings and other physical torture are graphic and disgusting.
Don’t be surprised if 12YAS receives 12 Oscar nominations. If it wins it will take approximately just over 12 hours to get the awarding done. It’s the Oscars after all.
Rated 3.5 out of 4.0 reasons to suspect another film of this type in 2023 give or take.
12 Years a Slave covers a period of 12 years. The movie lasts just over 2 hours which means they have only about 10 minutes a year or 50 seconds a month to tell the story. This means the events must be compressed or a lot of material is left out. Since movie makers trot out the subject of slavery in the USofA, and the always horrid mistreatment of one group of people by another, approximately every 12 years, it’s that time again.
Examples of this theme include the landmark TV series Roots in 1977. 12YAS was previously also a made for TV film in 1984 with Avery Brooks (Star Trek Deep Space 9) in the title role. Steven Spielberg returned to this theme with Amistad in 1997. If you have seen any of the above you know pretty much what you are in for. Again. If you don’t require another reason to suffer through a tale of men’s inhumanity to man you may think you have no reason to see this version of 12YAS. You are wrong.
In what will be a film with lots of Oscar nominations director Steve McQueen has crafted a fine movie that is almost totally performance driven. The character on whom the film is based was born Solomon Northup in 1808. He was a free man living in NY state. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery where he remained for a period of, you guessed it. The actual character eventually freed returned to NY and was an active abolitionist. He produced the memoir on which this story is based in 1853. Sometime after 1857 he faded into the mists of history. His ultimate fate is not known at this time.
Englishman Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the lead. He is a vet actor and even appeared in Spielberg’s Amistad. Oscar nomination insured. Also look for a nod to actress Lupita Nyong’o as a slave girl named Patsey. In the 12 year enslavement Northup passed from owner to owner. Among the group some seem more humane than others. Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan in Star Trek and Sherlock in the BBC production) is on the better side. Michael Fassbender is the worst. Audience members are hoping for a tree to break and land on his miserable head. Paul Giamatti, also now in Saving Mr. Banks is an evil slave dealer. Actor Paul Dano plays a trashy slave boss. In a twist of fate PD who was recently the main prisoner in the film Prisoners and is graphically beaten and tortured in that film ends up getting more of the same in 12YAS. Brad Pitt shows up late in the film as a Canadian doing manual labor but who also ends up a Saint to Northup.
The film features a dark toned score by Hans Zimmer. It sounds a lot like John Williams somber themes for Amistad and Lincoln. The entire film was shot in an around New Orleans, LA. As a drama it is one of the best movies of 2013. If you plan on seeing it take my warnings seriously. The beatings, whippings and other physical torture are graphic and disgusting.
Don’t be surprised if 12YAS receives 12 Oscar nominations. If it wins it will take approximately just over 12 hours to get the awarding done. It’s the Oscars after all.
Rated 3.5 out of 4.0 reasons to suspect another film of this type in 2023 give or take.
will do the sequel.