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Forum » Their America » Literary and Cinematic America » The Fascination of Slavery: Movies

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Author	Topic: The Fascination of Slavery: Movies

hannah.gil-
bert

Novice Their American
Posts: 9

The Fascination of Slavery: Movies
on: February 27, 2016, 14:24

There is something irksome about the amount of entertainment that stems from movies depicting slavery. Movies like "12 Years a Slave", "Django Unchained", "Amistad" and many others reveal the brutal life of Africa American slaves. "Django Unchained," a film notoriously noted as one of Quentin Tarantino's best productions, made 452.4 million dollars on its opening weekend in the theatres."12 Years a Slave" did extremely well at the Academy Awards, and won for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress and Actor in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, and many others. "Django Unchained" and "Amistad" also won and were nominated for a variety of awards.

Do not get me wrong, these awards are commendable. It is extremely challenging to win such acclamations. The issue I have is that these are congratulating the depiction of a violent and brutal life that was once feared by many. Although Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio both did amazing jobs in "Django Unchained", they glorified the power of African American slaves that did not factually exist. Many African Americans died in both transport and on the plantations, and these movies of heroism provide a deeper understanding of what we value as a species. The notion of an audience paying to see this horrific experience containing bloodshed is similar to the entertainment associated with the Gladiator spectacles in Rome. It appears that many people enjoy watching such brutalization because it allows for their own empowerment of the freedom that they in fact have. The texts that we have studied regarding African American inequality, i.e. "Going to Meet the Man" and "Invisible Man" depict such disturbing violence sequences that they were sometimes hard to read. These experiences would have been absolutely horrifying to those who were involved at the time, so why are we so fascinated with getting to witness it?

A.C.-
Charles

Experienced Their American
Posts: 19

Re: The Fascination of Slavery: Movies
on: March 19, 2016, 14:59

I think the fascination is partially associated with a desire of knowing something without actually experiencing it. In producing a film like "Django Unchained" or a story like "Going to Meet the Man", people become more aware of the painful struggles they endured. Although the glorified power within these sources may not be factually authentic, the violence most definitely bears close similarities. It is important that the violence-as horrifying as it is-is depicted with such vulgarity as the audience-who generally has never encountered such brutality-can properly understand the excruciating torments of the past. With this in mind, I would differ in claiming there is a similarity with these outlets and the Gladiator spectacles in Rome. The violence portrayed in "12 Years a Slave" and novels such as Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" are meant to portray the violence with an intent that the reader becomes aware of the situation and gains some level of understanding-they are attempting to tap into the didactic as well as the entertainment. As mentioned, the Gladiator spectacles do not have the same didactic quality, rather they predominately provide entertainment for people as it "allows for their own empowerment of the freedom that they in fact have it".

I would like to conclude by mentioning Lawrence Hill's "The Book of Negroes". Like the books and films mentioned, there is numerous scenes of violence and brutality. But I think Hill does an excellent job in his research to properly illustrate content which can correlate with factual possibilities

http://www.cbc.ca/bookofnegroes/

hannah.gil-
bert

Novice Their American
Posts: 9

Re: The Fascination of Slavery: Movies
on: March 25, 2016, 15:46

This is an extremely interesting perspective on the issue, and I agree with it. I do think that these forms allow for audiences to see what it was truly like living during a time of such violence. The differentiation you made between the Gladiator spectacles and the slavery movies is quite poignant as well.

I have also read "The Book of Negroes," and the scenes of brutality certainly do add to the accuracy of the experience that slaves would have undergone. I would argue that forms of literature such as "The Book of Negroes" and "Going to Meet the Man," offer a more authentic snapshot of the violence endured during these times. Movies do allow people to witness what it would have been like, so they are projecting the instances discussed in literature onto the screen. Furthermore, this can be connected to alternative forms of cinema and literature, such as Eli Weisel's "Night," "Schindler's List," and "The Boy in Striped Pajamas." Similarly to movies such as "Django Unchained" and "12 Years a Slave," these forms of art are also attempting to illustrate a historical moment in which the audience desires to know more about, due its level of outright maliciousness.

I have recently discovered that the sale of Django Unchained action figures took place shortly after the movie was released. It is stated that: "This week's release by National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) of six Django action-figure dolls, for sale on Amazon.com. Eight-inches high, with moveable limbs, fabric clothing and "authentic" weapons, age recommendation 18 years and older. The full set yours for $299.99. NECA has done the same for Kill Bill, Carrie and Friday the 13th. This is fanboy/girl stuff" (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/10/django-unchained-portrayal-slavery-flippant). I support your view that these movies are meant to provide a didactic quality, but the sale of dolls such as these does challenge the presence of such instructional value.

Brian-
Emmerson

Experienced Their American
Posts: 11

Re: The Fascination of Slavery: Movies
on: March 25, 2016, 17:23

As said before, I think the interest in seeing these events portrayed stems from a desire for realism, to see the truth. I'm reminded of Francisco Goya's "The Disasters of War" series in which he portrayed the horrors of war during the battles between the Spanish and the French. We may only have photographs to show what happened during the time of slavery, but photos are still images of moments and do not necessarily depict the way in which events unfold. Moving pictures meant to re-create and retell history help to answer questions and depict what that time was like.

In the case of Tarantino, slavery is more of a setting than a focus. It certainly has impact on the characters and contributes to the narrative, but I think the commentary takes a backseat. Tarantino is a fan of exploitation films, and he has made them before. Inglorious Basterds took the setting of Nazi Germany and told an alternative story with a lot of dialogue and violence. In that film, the heroine's backstory is built from the fact she is Jewish and escaped being massacred along with her family, and plots her revenge. Django in Django Unchained is a freed slave out to rescue his wife from slavery. The film does a good job portraying the grotesque horror of slavery with moments like the slave deathmatch, the dogs killing an escaped slave, and DiCaprio's meltdown, but I feel that the true focus of the movie is to provide an entertaining and gripping story that pays tribute to both westerns and exploitation films. The exploitation is evident with the stylized over-the-top violence, especially in scenes such as the household shootout where litres of blood just pour onto the set and flesh explodes into a red mist with every bullet hole.

Perhaps a film genre to look at would be the blaxploitation genre. I feel Django Unchained pays tribute to some of the western-themed films in the genre, like some of the films from the 70's starring Fred Williamson (who has collaborated with Tarantino). Films in this genre often centred on black protagonists and often highlighted race relations and teetered on the ridiculous. The films were seen as either empowering to racial identity or contributory to African American caricatures. Slavery was also a topic commonly portrayed in these films, especially the westerns.

Brayaden-
Fantin

Novice Their American
Posts: 8

Re: The Fascination of Slavery: Movies
on: April 8, 2016, 21:40

"scopophilia" is the love of a looking in a way that is negative. It is a repetition of shock value. It questions when it is okay to use images of violence in the media to scare people. We, as a society, are crafting a genre of horror where we feel pleasure from viewing these horrific things.

The fascination of slavery in Hollywood is, at times, disgusting and a major representation of ideas surrounding fetishization of African Americans and violent treatment against them. One may argue that slavery movies such as "Django Unchained" and "12 Years a Slave" promotes awareness and brings upon notions of white guilt. They inform of us our history and make us aware of important concerns that are still with us today. However, one could also argue that movies about slavery also promote more violence and a sense of complacency with it. Not only are the characters in these movies often misrepresented, but the violent and discriminatory actions made against them are normalized, and as a result, fetishized.

This is just a repetition of shock value--when does it not become okay to use violent images to shock people? I believe the answer is when we expect it and when it no longer shocks us. That seems to be the case in today's Hollywood representation of slavery.

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