MOVIE REVIEW
“12 Years A Slave”
Submitted by-
Name: Akanksha Konwar
Roll no.: 22/HIS/03
Paper: History of USA
The narrative begins with Solomon Northup already a slave and working
on a plantation's sugar cane. The narrative is then transported back in
time to a previous point in Solomon's life, when he accepts a job offer
from two white men to play violin in a circus while living in New York with
his wife and kids. The three are soon having a civilised night out in
Washington, cementing their friendship with copious amounts of food
and wine, as well as an unspoken belief in a common humanity, if only
on Solomon's part. However, this fiction is dispelled when Solomon
wakes up the following morning shackled and learns that he has been
sold. He is then handed off to different masters after that. Based on
Solomon Northup's 19th-century memoir, which screenwriter John Ridley
adapted for this film, 12 Years a Slave tells the story of an educated
carpenter, musician, and family man from New York State who was
abducted and sold into slavery in the south in 1841—a surprisingly
typical occurrence. The new "Platt" becomes the property of plantation
owner Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose comparatively kind and
sympathetic demeanour betrays his slaver status. Ford strips the
renamed "Platt" of his past, identity, and even (in the eyes of the law) his
humanity. However, after angering cruel farmhand Tibeats (Paul Dano),
"Platt" is sold down the river to Epps (Michael Fassbender), a raging
psychopath whose apparent obsession with slave girl Patsey (Lupita
Nyong'o) is uncontrollable.
After being assaulted for asserting his freedom in Washington, D.C.,
Northup spent the following 12 years not telling a single person—slave
or owner—his true past. Finally, he told Samuel Bass, a white carpenter
and Canadian abolitionist who worked at the Epps plantation, his story
(to build the Edwin Epps House). Bass wrote messages to Northup's
wife and friends in Saratoga at tremendous personal risk to himself. After
receiving one of the letters, Parker, a white shopkeeper, contacted Henry
B. Northup, a white lawyer and politician whose family had imprisoned
and released Solomon Northup's father and with whom Solomon had a
lifelong association. Henry got in touch with the state of New York. The
Governor designated Henry Northup as an agent to fly to Louisiana and
cooperate with law enforcement to free Solomon since the state had
established a statute in 1840 providing financial resources for the rescue
of citizens abducted and sold into slavery. Once in Louisiana, Henry
Northup recruited John P. Waddill, a local attorney in the Avoyelles
Parish, to help get Solomon Northup released from prison. [9] Solomon
was located and released from the plantation after a number of
administrative procedures and searches were carried out. Later, Northup
attempted to sue the men who had sold him into slavery but was
unsuccessful. He met up with his family in New York after his return.
In conclusion, the historical lessons in the film 12 Years a Slave are
many. It is based on the memoirs of the actual Solomon Northup, who
was kidnapped in New York and sold into slavery in Louisiana. The
Fugitive Slave Act, racism and discrimination at the period, as well as the
horrifying experiences of African and African American slaves in the
United States are all clearly depicted in the movie. Solomon Northup
endured 12 years of physical and mental abuse, including whippings and
the threat of death. But he made it through, and he was able to tell his
tale to the rest of the world.
