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| Victoria Allen |
By Victoria Allen, Class of 2016
It is a rare occasion that academics and Hollywood movie critics are discussing the same topics, but the film, 12 Years a Slave, has everyone from Ph.D.s to the Oscars buzzing. I am currently in a graduate course on Antebellum America, and the film, along with the memoir it is based on, has been a prominent topic of conversation. While I am not qualified to discuss its cinematic attributes, from a historical perspective, the film is the most accurate representation of slavery available today.
Solomon Northup’s account of his abduction and subsequent auction into slavery is one of the most complete insights into life in the antebellum South. Northup’s story is remarkable by any standard, and he was one of the lucky few to receive vindication after being kidnapped. His story is one that is incredibly important to hear, and its transference to film has allowed Northup’s to reach a new generation and audience.
The film is based on one of the few memoirs written by an actual slave, and portrays the realities of living on a large plantation. Often, movies and other fictitious accounts of human bondage portray slavery as misery-laden but with a comfort valve of strong interpersonal and familial connections among slaves of the same plantation. It is true that there was a certain degree of support, but that is not the predominant reality of slavery.
The film featured very limited dialogue, and focused on nonverbal communication. This is representative of slave conditions, because, at its core, slavery is about survival. The human condition only allows for so much, after a certain point survival outweighs everything else. The film did include scenes that were not mentioned in the book, and vice versa, but it did not distort or over-dramatize Northup’s account.
I enjoyed the film, as well as the memoir, as it is informative and socially important. The realities expressed through 12 Years a Slave are something that every American should see. Almost 200 years from when Northup was abducted we are still discussing and disputing “The Peculiar Institution,” a permanent blemish on this nation. I know that most will not read the book, but I am confident that several will see the film, and that is a step in the right direction. The only way to truly understand our nation’s history is through the eyes of its most marginalized peoples.
Victoria Allen, of Auburn, Ky., is a sophomore McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying history and political science.