10 slavery movies that will make you think

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

"Amistad", "Lincoln", "Django Unchained" and other films about one of the most nightmarish phenomena in history.

1. Amistad

• USA, 1997.
• Historical drama.
• Duration: 155 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The year is 1839. Rebellion breaks out on the Spanish ship "Amistad", which transported black slaves. The rebels brutalize the crew and take over the ship. Unfamiliar with navigation, they try to return to their homeland, but instead find themselves off the coast of Long Island.

Now they must be tried, and if they lose, the prisoners face extradition to the Spanish government and subsequent execution. There seems to be no chance. Nevertheless, a young ambitious lawyer Roger Baldwin is taken to defend the fugitives.

The film by the great Steven Spielberg is great both artistically and technically. But the picture was not lucky: in the same year, James Cameron's "Titanic" was released, which took away from "Amistad" not only potential awards, but also the attention of the audience.

This is an occasion to immediately correct the historical injustice and devote 2.5 hours to a wonderful tape. Moreover, the cast is excellent: Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman and Stellan Skarsgard.

2. Manderley

• Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, USA, 2005.
• Drama.
• Duration: 139 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Girl Grace travels with her father. Along the way, they come across the Manderley plantation, where black slaves work - although slavery in America has long been abolished. The heroine remains to help the sufferers, but it turns out to be not so easy.

This film, along with Dogville, was supposed to be part of a trilogy called USA - Land of Opportunities. In it, the genius of outrageous Lars von Trier raises the controversial topic of fear of change. Slavery is truly a terrible phenomenon, but sometimes, according to the director, the oppressed themselves are not yet ready for freedom.

3. Amazing lightness

• USA, UK, 2006.
• Historical drama, melodrama, biography.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

England, 18th century. An ambitious politician, William Wilberforce, at the very beginning of his career, decides to devote himself to the fight against slave traders. But the years go by, and he gradually loses his enthusiasm, strength and health.

Everything changes when fate brings him to the young Barbara Spooner. Love inspires the hero to fight on, and together they found a movement destined to change history.

Wilberforce's extraordinary biography is noteworthy in itself. But the film is worth watching not only for overall development, but also for the performance of Ioan Griffith, Benedict Cumberbatch and Albert Finney.

4. Slavery

• Germany, USA, Mexico, 2007.
• Thriller, drama, crime.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

A thirteen-year-old girl is kidnapped by traffickers. Her teenage brother intends to save his sister at all costs. On the way, he meets an American police officer whose daughter was similarly stolen.

A very realistic and tense picture touches upon the topic of modern slavery, which is painful for the 21st century. The worst thing is that the film was filmed based on real events: it was based on the "Girls Next Door" described in The Girls Next Door article from The New York Times.

5. Lincoln

• USA, India, 2012.
• Historical drama, military, biography.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

USA, 1865th year. President Abraham Lincoln is simultaneously trying to outlaw slavery and end the Civil War. Tasks seem impossible, in addition, the politician is haunted by difficulties in his personal life.

In popular culture, Lincoln is usually portrayed as infallible and noble as possible. But Steven Spielberg dared to show another, more human side of the man. This approach allowed the genius actor Daniel Day-Lewis to use his skills to the fullest and create an amazing, bright and powerful image on the screen.

6. Django Unchained

• USA, 2012.
• Western, action, drama, comedy.
• Duration: 165 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

An eccentric bounty hunter, Dr. Schultz, takes on the fugitive slave Django as his assistant. The couple first catches the escaped criminals, and then also decides to save Django's wife from the ruthless planter.

The master of provocation, Quentin Tarantino, has proven that it is possible to make an inspiring slavery film even if the black people in it are abused at least 110 times. Het n-woord valt 110 keer in Django Unchained. It is enough to put Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx on horses and send them on a journey under the hot sun of the alternative Wild West.

7.12 years of slavery

• USA, UK, 2013.
• Historical drama, biography.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

About 20 years remain before the abolition of slavery in the United States. Despite this fact, the black violinist Solomon Northup is a free, respected person in society, he has a wife and two beautiful children. But one day the hero is kidnapped by two men and handed over to the authorities as an escaped slave. Now Solomon will have to face all the horrors of bondage, but no matter how bad his affairs are, he does not lose hope of liberation.

Watching this dark film is even more difficult if you know that the picture is based on the biography of a real person. The cinema has received countless awards and even became a kind of genre standard. Since the release of "12 Years of Slavery", any tape filmed on the topic of oppression of black people has been compared with this work.

8. Birth of a nation

• USA, Canada, 2016.
• Historical drama, biography.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

The self-proclaimed prophet Nat Turner from childhood was sure that some important mission was prepared for him. And one day he receives a divine sign for the beginning of a cruel and merciless struggle against the white slave owners.

We can say that the director (he is also a screenwriter and performer of the main role) Nate Parker blew up the film world with his debut. The film was received very warmly at the Sundance Festival. Although many critics saw the problem in the fact that fair-skinned in the plot are presented as absolute evil.

The title of the tape, by the way, ironically refers to the "Birth of a Nation" of the same name in 1915. It was filmed by the outstanding director of the era, David Griffith. But because of the controversial content, they try to remember this picture less often. Not only was it, in fact, racist propaganda, but also the black characters there were played by white actors in makeup.

9. Harriet

• China, USA, 2019.
• Historical drama, biography.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The tape tells about the escape of the slave Minty and her rise as America's greatest heroine. Thanks to the courage and ingenuity of the girl, who took the name Harriet for herself, hundreds of black slaves were freed.

This is the first and so far the only feature film about the life of the legendary Harriet Tubman. Moreover, the project was gathering dust on the shelf for a very long time: it took it seven years to finally appear on the screens.

10. Antebellum

• USA, 2020.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 7.

Black writer and activist Veronica Henley is mysteriously caught in the American Civil War. Now she needs to figure out what is happening and get out of the nightmare.

The support of the producers of such hits as "Get Out" and "We" did not help the film: the critics crushed it mercilessly. It must be admitted: against the background of the aforementioned works, "Antebellum" really looks faded. The authors were too carried away by savoring the horrors of slavery and completely forgot about the intrigue. But the tape can be kept in mind in case you really like the films of Jordan Peel and want to see something similar.