Some people even think that,12 years a slavecloser to a documentary. Last year Hollywood honoredArgo,is also a movie with content very close to a real event: the mission to rescue 6 American hostages kidnapped in Iran. Oscar 2014,12 years a slaveis a continuation of that trend.
The 134-minute film follows almost every detail of the autobiography of the same name, telling the story of the unjust, tear-filled life of Solomon Northup (played by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free African-American man, a carpenter, talented in playing the violin, living in New York, with a wife and 2 children, suddenly one day was tricked, then kidnapped and sold to plantation owners in the South, Louisiana state, USA. From a free man, just because of a little carelessness, after one night Northup was turned into a slave. He was sold from one owner to another, without being allowed to defend himself. The harsh laws of the US at that time allowed white owners to treat their black slaves like animals, nothing more, nothing less, beating them savagely, ready to kill them at any time for any "ridiculous" reason. After 12 years of exile, Northup was fortunate to meet a kind-hearted white man of Canadian descent, Bass (played by Brad Pitt), who, thanks to his kindness, freed him. However, his fellow countrymen, the “black animals” at that time, were still living in slavery…
The issue of slavery, racial discrimination, and discriminatory policies against people of color, especially black Africans, was a painful wound in American society for nearly two centuries (from the 17th to the late 19th). A country that, in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, pledged: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But it was not until the year 1865, when the Civil War ended, that this painful wound was finally healed in America. To achieve this miracle, many people contributed, but black people in America certainly cannot forget the greatest contribution of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. During his short term, from the day he officially took office (March 4, 1861) to the day he was assassinated (April 14, 1865), Lincoln persistently pursued his humane and progressive policies to the end. For him, the existence of the slave trade right in a country that was known as the paradise of the world, was a great achievement. The road, like America, is a pain, a disgrace that needs to be erased soon. The film by black director Steve McQueen was honored at the prestigious Oscar 2014 ceremony, first of all for that reason.
Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o in a scene (source: internet)
Hollywood slavery isn't limited to Steve McQueen films. More recently, we've seen films likeThe Helpby director Tate Taylor,Django Unchainedby director Quentin Tarantino,Abraham Lincolndirected by Steven Spielberg, and several other films. However, it was not until12 years a slaveby Steve McQueen, a black director who makes films about people of his own skin color, viewers can learn about such a painful reality about the status and inequality of black people in the modern world. In an interview about the opportunity to come up with this film, Steve McQueen said: “I read this book, and I was completely stunned […]. The witness of slavery basically made me have the passion to turn this book into a film.”12 years a slaveThe success of the first step was the script. Screenwriter John Ridley, the author of the film's script, was very interested in this topic right after the first meeting with director Steve McQueen at the Creative Artists Agency Company at the film's premiere.Hunger2008, by him. The authenticity of the film is shown right from the form of the original work. In literature, autobiography is considered a type of work written about the truth. The book is not long (315 pages in the Vietnamese translation published by Women's Publishing House in June 2014), and is "naked" in every detail. How to make a fictional film based on such a nakedly true story without giving the viewer the feeling of watching a documentary? That was a big challenge for this young British filmmaker who is not yet famous. However, perhaps because he is a person of color like the main character Northup in the work, Steve McQueen's advantage is very clear. With the encouragement and support of producer Brad Pitt, a very famous white actor with liberal ideas, Steve McQueen finally chose a realistic and simple way of making films. That choice helped him access the story told in the original work most fully. And thanks to that, it touched the hearts of the audience.
The talented cinematographer Sean Bobbitt also played an important role in creating realistic frames that touched the hearts of viewers. The film was shot on 35 ml film with a ratio of 2.35:1, presenting before the eyes of viewers wide, open frames of the vast plantations of the South, Louisiana, USA in the mid-19th century. Contrasting with it are close-ups of the poor, dark, sad faces of the "animals - people" a century and a half ago. The cast, most of whom are not "superstars", but contributed especially to the success of this film. And also thanks to the extremely realistic acting. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, the film's protagonist, with his blank, vacant look in almost every scene (except when he's not kidnapped yet, living with his wife and two children), is absolutely brilliant in his role. He would have been an Oscar-worthy actor in the film, if not for the excellent supporting performance of Lupita Nyong'o (of Kenyan descent).
Boss Epps (played by actor Michael Fassbender) and Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) (Photo: internet)
Let's analyze some elements that show the acting talent of the three actors in the three most important roles of the film: Northup, Parsey and Epps. The role of Northup from the beginning to the end of the film shows his natural role. From the moment he fell into the trap of two human traffickers with the promise of a high salary as a musician in a circus, this free man was never treated as a human being. The unreasonable and harsh laws of America at that time were so unjust that it was unbelievable. A man who was free, after just one night woke up to find himself a slave. He was not allowed to admit that he was free. The initial beatings made him afraid to open his mouth. In the film, we sometimes see this brave man dare to stand up against the oppressive power (the scene where he fought against the foreman Jon Tibeats), but that was rare. The rest, throughout the nearly 134 minutes of the film, we only see scenes of injustice and injustice happening to this poor man. The scene of his back being deeply scarred; the scene of him being hung from a tree, luckily not suffocating because his toes touched the ground, while the slaves around him, although they loved him very much, just stood there watching like ghosts, no one dared to risk saving their friend in the same situation, making us understand how harsh the rules of the white masters were. The audience's hearts swelled with indignation. The same goes for the character Patsey. She was not only a slave who only knew how to work hard to make a profit for her master, but was also turned into a sexual tool, satisfying the desires of the lewd and cruel master Epps. The scene of Patsey being beaten by Epps's jealous wife at any time, the scene of her being stripped naked, tied to a tree and mercilessly whipped with a whip, to the point that after the beating, people could no longer recognize her thin, dark back. It was no different from a puddle of red mud after a hard day's work. At one point, unable to bear the physical and mental pain, Patsey came to Northup at night and begged him to kill her to forget the pain. The role of boss Epps (played by actor Michael Fassbender) was truly terrifying. Just seeing him appear, observing his face carefully, witnessing his treatment of the slaves in the house, especially the scene where he personally held a whip and mercilessly whipped the maid Patsey, whom he still sexually exploited in every fit of lust, the viewer could not help but shudder. Few people could believe that it was ever a reality...
The crew of 12 Years a Slave won the Best Picture award at the 2014 Oscars
12 years a slavecan be considered a model of the classic Hollywood 3-act structure, far different from the "blockbuster" films of recent years. Without special effects, without too much investment (only about 20 million USD), the film still "earned" a lot of money from viewers, just by telling a very simple story (in just the first 5 months after its release, the film earned about 160 million USD). According to the film crew, to ensure the authenticity of the story, regarding the costumes, the designer collaborated with the Western Costume Design Company to create nearly 1,000 costume designs for the actors. The set designer had to spend a lot of effort collecting many samples of land at three plantations in the South, Louisiana, where the characters in the film appear, to choose the most suitable model to match the costumes. Regarding the dialogue, to restore the way of speaking of the slave owners and slaves a century and a half ago, the filmmakers had to struggle a lot, meet many people, record many dialogues, to choose the most suitable dialogue. Actress Lupita Nyong'o, a Kenyan, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, studied acting at Yale, also contributed significantly to the success of the film. This is probably a lesson for Vietnamese cinema - a cinema that is still poor and lacks many modern equipment. Therefore, our country's cinema can completely choose a realistic and simple way of making films to create works that touch the hearts of viewers. Of course, to achieve that, it also requires the talent of the people involved and an "open mechanism" for artists to freely create.
Author:Tran Hinh
Newer news
Older news
