Film has been the most influential medium in the presentation of the history of slavery to the general public.
The American film industry has had a complex relationship with slavery, and until recent decades often avoided the topic. Films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Gone with the Wind (1939) became controversial because they gave a favorable depiction and helped shift the Lost Cause Myth into a mainstream idea.
For decades Hollywood has attempted to address the issue of slavery. For the most part, films have represented the period of enslavement in a manner that reflected society's comfort level with the issue at the time. Director D. W. Griffith's 1915 silent drama, Birth of a Nation, for instance, depicted African Americans (white actors in black face) better off as slaves. Griffith's movie showed the institution of slavery "civilizing" blacks.
More than two decades after Birth of a Nation, the portrayal of African Americans in films had changed only a little. 1939 saw the release of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed movies, Gone with the Wind. Producer David O. Selznick believed he was serving the black community with respect - he made sure the novel's positive portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan was eliminated from the film, for example. But Gone with the Wind nevertheless treated the enslaved as relatively happy, loyal servants, a depiction that continued to reflect America's segregated society.
Nearly forty years later, one of Hollywood's most meaningful attempts to portray the period of enslavement came in 1977 with the television blockbuster mini-series, Roots. Based on Alex Haley's 1976 best-selling book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, the mini-series was groundbreaking on many levels. And Roots marked the first time America witnessed slavery portrayed in detail.
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Along with the scenes of transporting, selling, and trading men and women, were scenes showing the brutality African Americans often suffered at the hands of slave owners. The depictions of abuse and cruelty were limited, of course, by the medium and by what American society would accept at the time. In keeping with the series' marketing campaign, the show focused heavily on the family's ultimate triumphs.
Fast forward three-plus decades - American society is undeniably changed. African Americans are regularly featured in movies and television shows. Drawing critical acclaim today is the movie 12 Years a Slave. Unlike prior motion pictures and television shows, 12 Years does not retreat from the brutality many blacks endured.
The film, however, is not only drawing praise from critics - it recently received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture - but enjoying audience appreciation, as well. This, then, is an exciting time for the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Among its many virtues, the Smithsonian is a great legitimizer with a long tradition of providing venues for Americans to examine their shared history.
America today needs this discussion and I believe it is ready for it, a sentiment undergirded by a belief in the public's ability to deal with and care about the issue. The great strength of history, and African American history, is its ability to draw inspiration from even the worst of times.
Before I close, I want to recommend four insightful narratives written by African Americans during this period of American history. The first is Solomon Northup's book, 12 Years a Slave. Next is Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs. One of the first books to describe the sexual abuse and torment that female slaves endured, Incidents became one of the most influential works of its time.
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Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, by Harriet Wilson, is believed to be the first novel published by an African American in North America. Though fictionalized, Wilson's book is based on her life growing up in indentured servitude in New Hampshire.
An analysis of the historical presentation of slavery and racial stereotypes is necessary to better understand the faults in American memory. From the earliest film versions of the “happy plantation” slaves of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1903 to Gone with the Wind (1939) and its romanticism of slavery, to The Foxes of Harrow (1947), the first film based on a novel by an African-American writer, Frank Yerby, to Haile Gerima's haunting independent film Sankofa (1993) and Steve McQueen’s Academy Award-winning historically accurate remake of Twelve Years a Slave (2013), based on Solomon Northrup’s bestselling memoir, first beautifully adapted by Gordon Parks for PBS in 1984 and released as Solomon Northrup’s Odyssey, the “peculiar institution”of slavery, has been the focus and/or backdrop of numerous feature and television miniseries film adaptations.
LaGuardia Community College is building a collection of slavery-themed films many based on historically significant books to help support studies in American history and misrepresentations in popular culture.
Black history is an essential part of global history, filled with stories of resilience, struggle, triumph, and cultural innovation. This curated list of movies and miniseries spans centuries, from the brutal realities of slavery and the fight for freedom to the Civil Rights Movement, Black excellence in sports, education, and innovation, and beyond.
Here are some notable films and miniseries that address the topic of slavery:
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Notable Films About Slavery
- Adanggaman (2000): In West Africa during the late 17th century, King Adanggaman leads a war against his neighboring tribes, ordering his soldiers to torch enemy villages, kill the elderly and capture the healthy tribesmen to sell to the European slave traders. When his village falls prey to one of Adanggaman's attacks, Ossei manages to escape, but his family is murdered except for his captured mother. Chasing after the soldiers in an effort to free her, Ossei is befriended by a fierce warrior named Naka.
- Amistad (1997): Based on a true story, the movie chronicles the incredible journey of a group of enslaved Africans who overtake their captor's ship and attempt to return to their beloved homeland. When the ship, La Amistad, is seized, these captives are brought to the United States where they are charged with murder and await their fate in prison. A battle ensues that captures the attention of the entire nation, confronting the very foundation of the American justice system. But for the men and women on trial, it is simply a fight for the basic right of all mankind.
- Beloved (1998): Based on Toni Morrison's 1987 novel of the same name, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandie Newton.
- Burn! (1969): An agent provocateur is sent to the fictional island of Queimada, a Portuguese colony in the Caribbean to replace the Portuguese administration by a formally sovereign state controlled by white latifundists friendly to Great Britain.
- Django Unchained (2012): "Django, a former slave turned hired gun, heads back to the plantation to free his wife, Broomhilda, from the tyrannical plantation owner Calvin Candie, with the help of a German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz)."
- Drum (1976): The film, a sequel to Mandingo, features a black slave who falls in love with a plantation owner's daughter.
- Enslavement: The Fanny Kemble Story (2000): The film depicts the story of British actress and abolitionist Fanny Kemble, who becomes horrified by the treatment of her husband's enslaved people.
- Mandingo (1975): A shocking look at plantation life in the Deep South. Mede is a slave whose master, Hammond Maxwell, intends on keeping him as a prizefighter.
- Queen (1993): The remarkable history of Alex Haley’s paternal side. Queen is the daughter of a slave and a plantation owner. During the turbulent decades of the antebellum South, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and beyond, she searches for a home in the two cultures and at times is shunned by both.
- Roots (1977): An adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots, in which he traces his family’s history from the mid-18th century when one of his ancestors was captured and sold into slavery.
- Solomon Northup's Odyssey (1984): From the autobiography My twelve years as a slave by Solomon Northup.
- The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974): Based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines.
- The Last Supper (1976): The Last Supper (La última cena in Spanish) was a 1976 film directed by Cuban Tomás Gutiérrez Alea about the teaching of Christianity to slaves in Cuba and emphasizes the role of ritual and revolt.
- The Viking (1928): "...an oddly entertaining film that became something of a minor hit and was included in the top grossing films of 1937...The story deals with the attempts of the captain (Baxter) of a "slaver" to give up the slave trade."
- Twelve Years a Slave (2013): The film is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C.
These films offer a glimpse into the lives of those who were enslaved and the struggles they faced. They serve as a reminder of the importance of remembering and learning from the past.
12 Years a Slave movie poster, a powerful depiction of slavery.
12 YEARS A SLAVE | 'The Cast' Featurette
The continuing lack of Oscar nominations for African American filmmakers and films who choose themes unrelated to slavery, servitude and poverty points to an enduring problem of representation and a lack of diversity in American popular culture.
Here is a table summarizing some of the films mentioned:
| Film Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Birth of a Nation | 1915 | Controversial film that depicted African Americans as better off as slaves. |
| Gone with the Wind | 1939 | Romanticized depiction of slavery with relatively happy, loyal servants. |
| Roots | 1977 | Groundbreaking mini-series that portrayed slavery in detail. |
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 | Historically accurate depiction of the brutality of slavery. |
| Amistad | 1997 | Based on the true story of enslaved Africans who revolted on a ship. |
These films are essential for understanding the history and legacy of slavery, and for promoting a more inclusive and accurate representation of African American experiences.
Map of major slave trade routes across the Atlantic.
