12 Years a Slave
Release: November 8, 2013; Directed by: Steve McQueen; Starring: Chiwitel Eieofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbacht, Paul Dano and Brad Pitt.
I think anyone who sees 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, will feel something regarding race within them. More than a cinematic review this post is more about my thoughts on race after seeing this film.
Throughout cinema it is frequent that we run into the issue of white patriarchal capitalism. In the film 12 Years a Slave(Steve McQueen 2013) we see a film adaptation of a distinguished African American man named Solomon Northup. Northup is a successful violinist and family man. Throughout Norhtup’s life journey he runs into obstacles racially and is eventually cast into slavery. Throughout the film we see that Northup has relationships with many different white men. These men can be put into three different groups: deceiving, crude and Christlike. It is not without great difficulty that Northup gains his freedom, he has to go through deceiving and crude men but throughout the film he is surviving until his freedom is “opportune”. In 12 Years a Slave freedom is not “opportune” without a white savior.
When Northup is traveling on a slave transport boat to his destination of slavery he becomes friends with two fellow slaves: Robert(Michael K. Williams) and Clemens Ray(Chris Chalk). They talk about overthrowing the white power on the boat and taking it for themselves to gain freedom. They decide not to. When one of the women on the boat is waken up in the middle of the night by a white man Robert is also awake. He stands up to the mans sexual intentions and tries to intervene, he is stabbed and dies. This shows the power of the white, even on water and the helplessness of the slaves to even help each other at crucial times. Another example of this is the beatings that go on. Throughout the film slaves are beaten brutally. In one instance Northup is lynched by his overseer Tibeats(Paul Dano) and two other men. The men are chased off at gun point, however, Northup remains hanging by the neck and struggles to survive by staying on his tippy toes. He is left like this all afternoon while the slaves walk by unable to help him. He is then cut free by his master(Benedict Cumberbacht). In this instance, his white savior.
In the Bible Jesus Christ is the prophesied savior of the world. It states that he came to redeem the world of its sins and to atone for the physical and spiritual pains of all mankind, black and white. To pass the time in the field the slaves sing songs together. These songs are very passionate and heartfelt most of the time. And almost all of them are gospel songs pertaining to stories of the Bible or about their faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps subconsciously the slaves are singing and pleading all day for their white redeemer to come and save them. Although they know that it is unlikely that Jesus Christ will come down and personally save them they all know that it is only through a Christlike white man that they can gain their freedom and therefore their happiness.
Northup encounters many different white men in the journey through life that we see. He encounters some good men but mostly bad. The bad can be narrowed into the categories of deceiving and cruel, most times both. There are many instances where the slaves are treated like outright animals. Solomon is whipped on all fours at one point inferring he is no better than livestock and Mr. Freeman(Paul Giamatti), a slave auctioneer, sells the slaves to their masters by telling them the positive characteristics of each one. Northup knows what a cruel and deceiving man looks like. So when a white savior would come around, if ever, a slave would probably recognize it. And, in due time, the white savior comes along and Northup recognizes it. Northup’s final place of slave residency is under the command of the maniacal Edwin Epps(Michael Fassbender). He is working alongside white Canadian Mr. Bass one day when Epps offers him a drink and a break. Bass chuckles and continues to work. Epps then asks Bass what he is laughing at. Bass replies that he was chuckling at the fact that Epps had offered him hospitality but completely ignored his slave Northup. Bass proceeds to tell him about his beliefs on slavery. He tells hims that God will judge him one day for the wrongs he has committed and all men are created equal, black and white. Northup immediately recognizes his white savior who is played none other than Brad Pitt. Bass goes to great risk to bring the scandal against Northup to light and eventually Northup is saved.
12 Years a Slave is the story of the struggles of African Americans in early America and the freedom of Solomon Northup. He was taken unfairly to a hellish world he’d never known. Northup's freedom was surely "opportune" the moment Bass, who coincidentally is also a carpenter, was introduced to the story. The door to his freedom opened because his white savior had arrived.
Because of the bravery and heroics of men such as Solomon Northup we are able to talk freely about race and all races are provided with the same liberties and opportunities as everyone else.
