Liddy Malone
Film Essay
In the exhilarating glory days of elementary and middle school, there was no greater joy to my classmates and I than when a teacher rolled in an ancient, enormous television on a tall, black cart. “We’re watching a movie!” we whispered excitedly to each other. It was a treat, and we were excused from the usual schedule of worksheet after worksheet. However, even then, it was not a day off. Even fictitious movies about the historical time periods we were studying gave us a better understanding of the topic. This phenomenon applies to us even more as post-pubescent high school students; as we grow more mature, we can glean even more understanding from films. Using a critical attitude and a bit of outside research, a viewer can watch a movie and learn plenty about events and time periods of the past. For example, because of the films Glory and 12 Years a Slave, our history class became more familiar with the African American struggle during slavery and the Civil War. This is thanks to the visual element of learning that movies bring to the table.
Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, was made in 1989. It was a popular film, grossing $26,830,000 in the United states with a budget of about $18,000,000, according to IMDb. It also received a plethora of awards. The New York Times article by Vincent Canby lists several, including Denzel Washington’s award from Hollywood Foreign Press for Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role in a Motion Picture. James Berardinelli expresses in his ReelViews review of the movie that, because of its acknowledgement of African Americans involved as soldiers during the Civil War, Glory is incredibly unique. This is one reason for its popularity. It tells the true story of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, which was the first black regiment in the Civil War. An argument barely has to be made that watching a well-made motion picture about a true story, especially one that sheds light on a time of history that is rarely punctuated, is beneficial to the education of viewers.
As Vincent Canby notes, Glory is based on two different books- “Lay This Laurel” by Lauren Kirstein and “One Gallant Rush” by Peter Buchard. It is also based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Shaw, who leads the regiment in the movie. Canby applauds how the characters excellently serve their purpose of setting the scene, accurately portraying the history behind it. He also praises the great depiction of the 54th attacking Fort Wagner, saying it “...comes as close to anything [he’s] ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality…” Many students, such as myself, are visual learners. Watching this movie “capture” the nature of Civil War battles helps me picture and understand the true feeling of the war at least as much, if not more, than my history book can.
12 Years a Slave helps me visualize the life of a slave in much of the same way. Even more popular than Glory, this film, as I learned from Box Office Mojo, grossed $187,733,202 worldwide. Britannica Academic notes how gripping it is to both its audience and critics because, like Glory, it sheds a unique light on the time period. It explores the cruelty of slavery. It follows one character, Solomon Northup (whose narrative in 1853 actually gives this film its story), but gives deep insight into the struggles of slaves and their horrific conditions in general. I can vouch for this description; this film allowed me to feel like I was there with Solomon. Its vivid images made my understanding of the horrors of that time much clearer.
Catherine Shoard’s article from The Guardian expounds upon the motivations of director, Steve McQueen. He wanted to create strong visual imagery of slavery. He stated, “When you see the ins and outs of it, it does something different. And if that starts a conversation- wonderful, excellent.” Here, he is speaking about the emotional, rather than intellectual, thought inspired by seeing the harsh slave conditions, rather than reading about them. As my jaw dropped several times while viewing the movie, I agree that he succeeded in making an excellent visual representation.
Without watching these movies, my knowledge of slavery and the Civil War would be much more narrow. While studying the cold hard facts is undoubtedly important, a visual element, like a movie, that goes along with any subject matter is an excellent supplement. It truly allows a more complete understanding, because it forces the viewer to see it for him or herself. Though a history book can have paintings, those are just snapshots. In contrast, a motion picture can truly provide “the whole picture.”My image: visual leaning.
Sources
Glory (1989) from the New York Times by Vincent Canby, December 14, 1989
Glory director Edward Zwick discusses motivations behind the film, by Michelle P. Perry, The Tech, MIT newspaper, 1990
12 Years a Slave awards article from Encyclopaedia Britannica Academic, 2015
‘12 Years a Slave’: An essential story, well told at last, by critic Steven Rea, The Inquirer, Philly.com, October 25, 2013
Steve McQueen on 12 Years a Slave: ‘It’s not About sugarcoating history,’ The Guardian, by Catherine Shoard, September 7, 2013
How 12 Years a Slave Gets History Right: By Getting It Wrong, The Atlantic, October 28, 2013, Noah Berlatsky
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