History Blog H: Film Essay

Karen Carter

The effect of movies in United States history is greatly required to visual learners as well as the analytical approach to events that have occurred throughout the civil war. As I walk into this mid sized 11th grade history class, I am surrounded by the real circumstances that the United States as a whole has had to face. Many don’t realize, that to have a firm understand of the Civil War and slavery in the United States, you must have a visual understanding of many events such as the award winning movies 12 Years a Slave and Glory. A rational aspect of understanding these two movies as a whole is almost as an equation. You must have a plot times the sum of understanding to two parts historical accuracy and very believable actors. This equation will create a critical argument that will leave you with an analytical understanding. They are each shown through two very different lenses, and two very different aspects of plot, but all come together as one meaning in the end: cruel and harsh slavery existed.

12 Years a Slave is based off of a very successful nonfiction book written by Solomon Northup in 1852. It portrays everything a freed slave would work for, but when two, never brought to justice, kidnappers decide to sell him to make a profit without even giving him the chance to prove he is a freed slave. He is imprisoned in this injustice for twelve years, being whipped, trying to get in touch with him family, and very intelligently covering up his education. I find this movie is based upon the inevitable choice of hunger verses shame. Fighting starvation, but also feeling ashamed of not being back home with his family. Solomon Northrup states, “This is no fiction, no exaggeration. If I have failed in anything, it has been in presenting to the reader too prominently the bright side of the picture.” His point was that their is no bright side of the picture, he was having no say in anything that was said and done about his life. It was all left to rot in his “masters” hands. The director of the movie, Steve McQueen, wanted to make this movie a movie of “truth on screen,” with many climaxes that give the “erection of the book,” an absolute perfect picture of Solomon's life. He relates many points throughout the movie as “little gifts” and smalls rewards in life. The New York times reviews this movie as “the one that finally makes it impossible for American cinema to continue to sell the ugly lies it’s been hawking for more than a century.” With very high historical accuracy and evidence, it flourished with “breakaway hit status.

The movie Glory is based upon the actual life of black soldiers in the 54th Massachusetts led by a white leader, Colonel Shaw, treats the soldiers empathetically to try and prepare them for what is to come. For example, during the raid on Fort Wagner, we see ravish between the turing points, and where the movie reaches it’s absolute peak. Fort Wagner is shown thoroughly within hand-to-hand combat previewing savagery, ruthlessness, and the barbaric state that the civil war was known for. The same amounts of soldiers were killed and injured in great scope or range at large. They were acclimatized and led into a line of fire easily, and proudly. It not only shows a large amount of historical accuracy, James Bergardinelli shows gratitude towards it as “one of the best movies ever made about the American Civil War.” It shows many different points of view and a sense of symmetry through many different chains of command, that I believe make this movie fantastic evidence of the 54th Massachusetts during the Civil War. The New York Times believes that the movie is more about the outlook and the historical occasion, than the stories of the character. The opening day ticket sales were very low, only $63,661 while it cost around $18 million to make. It won many awards through the Hollywood Foreign Press Association including Denzel Washington’s best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture.

Therefore, with the aspects of historical accuracy, the film makers wanting to create an understanding of history, and fantastic actors, our equation is finally balanced. I learned many values of understanding the Civil War and Slavery. I saw many real circumstances, and critically opened my mind to explore the aspects of United States History. I believe that you can develop and learn many things through watching movies as long as historical accuracy is portrayed, and they have many supporting examples of evidence.