I remember sitting in a movie
theater watching the movie 12 Years a
Slave. I was overcome with emotions as I watched Solomon Northup played by
Chiwetel Ejiofor go through his ordeal of being a free man who was drugged,
kidnapped and sold into slavery.
While the 2016 The Birth of a Nation did not have as emotional effect on me as 12
Years a Slave did. The movie was well done with its strong acting, bold imagery
and realistic violence.
The Birth of a Nation takes its name from the 1915 D.W Griffith movie called The Birth of a Nation. Griffith’s The
Birth of a Nation presented lots of racism towards African-Americans and
promoted the violence and hateful tactics of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Birth of a Nation tells the story of Nat Turner, a slave who led a rebellion
in 1831 that left almost 60 white Virginians dead. In retaliation, 200 blacks
were killed by whites.
Many people go to the movies for
entertainment and movies that have slavery as the main theme are definitely not
entertainment.
The Birth of a Nation was not entertaining film but was a learning, eye-opening
and heart tearing experience.
Nate Parker who starred as Nat
Turner pulled triple duty on the movie as the co-writer, producer and director.
He was very convincing as Turner as he goes from slave-preacher to
revolutionist.
The movie begins with an African
ceremony where a young Nat (Tony
Espinoza) is recognized as having a certain foretold powers of wisdom, courage
and vision because he has ”the holy marks” (3 mole in a straight line down his
chest.)
Nat grew up on the Turner
plantation where he plays hide and seek with the owner's son Sam as kids. He
would steal books from a chair on the porch to teach himself to read.
In a strange twist of fate, Sam's
mother Elizabeth played Penelope Ann Miller finds out that Nat can read.
Instead of some sort of punishment, she starts to tutor him in reading the
Bible.
Years later after living in the
Turner's main house, Nat is sent to work in the cotton fields as he became a
preacher for the Turner plantation slaves. Occasionally, he would go with Sam
played by Armie Hammer to get supplies.
On one trip, Nat observes a slave
auction involving a young woman. He persuades Sam to purchase the woman named
Cherry played my Aja Naomi King for Sam’s sister on the plantation.
One of the endearing moments in the
movie is watching Nat and Cherry fall in love.
Later, Nat is rented out for a
price as a preacher to slaves at other plantations to encourage their loyalty
to the plantation owners.
At one plantation, Nat sees a slave
being force-fed by knocking out his teeth.
The Birth of a Nation shows some quick graphic shots of what slaves endured.
Parker did excellent job as a
director and as an actor transforming Nat from a slave–preacher to a
revolutionist.
From the whip lashing that Nat
received by baptizing a white man to the gang rape of Cherry by slave hunters
and the sad death of his grandmother, he is pushed to do something about the
injustice inflicted on slaves. All of this, led to the rebellion.
In some historical biographical
movies, a few directors have taken some
creative liberties with a person’s story that may or not happened. We as an
audience have to take Parker’s vision with one eye open and with both ears
listening.
The Birth of a Nation is well done and acted with nods going to Gabrielle Union,
Mark Boone Junior and Jackie Earle Hurley.
The movie gives a realistic look at
the aftermath of the rebellion with blacks being hung in trees with a haunting
soundtrack.
The scene with Nat being hung has a
Braveheart, the award winning movie
by Mel Gibson about Scottish hero William Wallace, feeling to it but he says
nothing.
The Birth of a Nation is type of movie that may not lift you but will make you
want to take a stand and possibly do something if you see injustice.
Links Here is a link to a DGA (Directors Guild of America) Screening Interview with Nate Parker. This is very good as Nate explains the making of the The Birth of a Nation.
https://soundcloud.com/thedirectorscut/episode-38-the-birth-of-a-nation-with-nate-parker-and-jeffrey-byrd
The Birth of a Nation Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIlUerVomDE
Links Here is a link to a DGA (Directors Guild of America) Screening Interview with Nate Parker. This is very good as Nate explains the making of the The Birth of a Nation.
https://soundcloud.com/thedirectorscut/episode-38-the-birth-of-a-nation-with-nate-parker-and-jeffrey-byrd
The Birth of a Nation Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIlUerVomDE
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