Blaine: “12 Years a Slave” is a film of strong feeling and emotional one where it looked so real. I was hearing really good things about "12 Years a Slave" and because it was doing so well, it was brought back in theaters. I didn’t think I was going to be able to see it because of the delays and then the film was pulled out of the theaters again, but thankfully it was still playing at AMC Highlands Ranch 24 and I took my dad to see it with me. "12 Years a Slave" is based off an autobiographical book with the same name and the book is about the true story of what happened to Solomon Northup, a man born free who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Plot
Solomon Northup a talented violinist, born a free man gets poisoned while at dinner and when he wakes up, he is chained up and is sold into slavery. For the next twelve years he is treated like a slave and his new identity is Plat. He encounters all kinds of different people through his years. Some of them notice that there is something different about him compared to other slaves.
Solomon has already tried to explain that he is not a slave at first, but nobody believes him. Solomon does what he can to survive by pretending to be something he is not. Solomon’s first owner is Master Ford, a kind christian man who is very good to Solomon. Solomon gets in trouble with one Ford's chief carpenter, Tibeats and he spreads the word that he wants Solomon dead, so Ford transfers ownership of Solomon to someone else.
Solomon’s new master is more cruel and dangerous person known as Mr. Epps. Solomon finds Mr. Epps to be very cruel and mean. He treats his slaves poorly and inflicts a lot of pain on them. While helping construct a gazebo with a Canadian laborer named Samuel Bass, Solomon over hears his conversation to Mr. Epps about the slaves having rights. Bass is a man of justice and before he leaves Solomon tells him his story and Bass is moved by it. Bass helps Solomon by informing one of his friends in the North. Days later Mr. Parker, a friend of Solomon’s shows up on Epps’ property to bring Solomon home where he reunited with his wife and now adult children.
Blaine: I know what slavery is, but what I didn’t know before I saw “12 Years a Slave” is that there were black people who were born free who didn’t have to be tortured in that time. I felt there was more to know about that time period that there is. African Americans who do work and are tortured, there was also African Americans who were free and did as they pleased. I have noticed in movies like “Lincoln” and “Django Unchained” there were African people who dressed in nice clothes like the white people, but I never bothered to know the history of the blacks.
What Steve McQueen did by turning the book, “12 Years a Slave" into a movie as vicious, violent, visionary, powerful and so real as this. Steve knew a 100% what he wanted and how he wanted this movie to look and a passion for it. There hasn’t been a movie about slavery that is realistic or as dramatic as “12 Years a Slave”.
Solomon Northup wrote every detail of what happened to him from his kidnapping to returning to his rescue and he had a sharp memory to recall just about everything he could remember.
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performance in “12 Years a Salve” is just breathtaking because he shows so much drama on his face and watching him in this film I believe he is Solmon Northup. He shows that Solomon is afraid, but is also a strong person who does what he can to stay sane and smart enough to get himself out of situations where he could get killed. What amazes me the most about his performance is the emotional expression in his eyes when they are teary like scene after Brad Pitt’s character is gone, it cuts to a day or two later and Solomon is awaiting for someone to show up and save him from this nightmare. And then there’s the ending when he stares at the faces of the people he loves the most in the world that he has not seen in twelve years.
Benedict Cumberbatch's character Ford is a nice guy and a man of God, but I also think he's a fool because he wouldn't listen to Solomon when he said he wasn't a slave and he could have at least listened to Solomon's story. Ford said he was trying to save Solomon’s life by avoiding getting killed. And transferring him to someone who is worse to take charge of slaves and brings a lot of pain is not the brightest idea.
Edwin Epps played by Michael Fassbender, is a very cruel and messed up person. This is the third Steve McQueen movie Michael Fassbender has been in only his lead position has gone to Chiwetel Ejiofor for this film and he has become the supporting actor. I’m a big fan of Michael’s and his performance as Mr. Epps is so amazing, but at the same time I really hate this character because of how cruel he is. The expression Michael shows on his face is serious and what it does is show the audience how dangerous he is. He stares at his slaves with that look and it feels like he wants to either insert a lot of pain on them or just murder them. Michael also shown insane looks through his performance and a lot of anger.
The unlikable characters of “12 Years a Slave” are Mr. Epps and his wife, Mistress Epps. There’s also Brown and Hamilton the people who poisoned Solomon and just put him on the bed to be found and then locked up. They avoided prosecution after Solomon returned to New York and they got away with it. James Burch, the slave pen owner. Tibetan, Ford’s chief carpenter is a whiny person who hates blacks especially Solomon very much. And then there’s Armsby for being untrustworthy.
My dad had a feeling Armsby was going to rat Solomon out to Epps. He burns the letter feeling he has closed hope. But then Brad Pitt’s character, Bass comes along and after Solomon overhears him talking to Mr. Epps that he believes slavery is evil and that the black are human beings just like the white. And after Patsy gets a terrible lashing, that’s when Solomon feels he has had enough of being a slave and has no choice, but to trust again. My dad said Solomon took a lot of risks trusting the second person for help. Bass did what Ford didn’t do for Solomon and that is listen to the full story of who Solomon really is. Ford was trusting and he kept his word to Solomon by writing to Solomon’s friends in the North to inform them what had happened to Solomon Northup and that he is in trouble. Ford is the only person who truly helped Solomon Northup out of Clemens, Ford and Armsby were no help at all to make Solomon a free man again.
It’s unfair the way Patsy is treated by getting in trouble for no reason especially when her back gets a brutal whipping just for wanting a bar of soap. I noticed that the scene where Patsy is being whipped lasted five minutes with out cutting to a different shot. Steve McQueen told his editor, Joe Walker that it was going to be all in one shot and the cinematographer, Sean Bobbitt follows the characters, Solomon, Epps, Patsy and Mrs. Epps.
My thoughts of what Mr. Parker felt when he showed up at Epps’ property was shocked to see his good friend, Solomon Northup after he has been missing all these years. Disgusted that someone would do this to him and angry seeing that he has been in the hands of a mad man after meeting Mr. Epps.
“12 Years a Slave” made me show more interest in more movies about slavery and what else there is to know. My rating on “12 Years a Slave” is five out of five stars.
Music
Steve McQueen was very lucky that his dream project got a music score composed by Hans Zimmer, who has done music scores for other popular movies like "The Thin Red Line", "The Lion King", "The Dark Knight Trilogy" and many others.
Awards
“12 Years a Slave” won for Best Picture Awards at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, The BAFTAs and the Independent Spirit Awards. The film won 2 other Oscars as well for Best Supporting Actress Lupita Nyong’o and Best Adapted screenplay. Seeing Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performance in “12 Years a Slave” made me wish there was a tie for best actor between him and Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club” because both performances are spectacular and it’s hard to choose which one is the best. Chiwetel did however win a BAFTA for best leading actor. “12 Years a Slave” was also nominated for best directing: Steve McQueen, best editing, best production design, best costume design and best supporting actor: Michael Fassbender.
