12 Years A Slave

[john thomson]

Saw this in Braehead yesterday. Glad I watched this but I could not handle a second viewing. My summing up would be in the following words. Normality, Misery dancing, Misery, Singing, Inhumanity, Harrowing,Redemption.
I still can't get over the rather large woman two rows down stuffing her face with popcorn during the whipping scene. The Irony.

[ladams888]

Saw this last night in Wimbledon. Even though I found it very uncomfortable viewing, I was completely immersed into the movie. Chiwetel Ejiofor (I have finally learned how to pronounce his name) was incredible. I never realised so much could be said by silence. It was really good to see more British actors in this amazingly moving film – Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender. It was good to see Quvenzhané Wallis again (Beasts of the Southern Wild) albeit in a small role. Solomon was the lucky one, who because of a chance meeting with Bass (beautifully played by Brad Pitt) managed to get back to his family. I left the auditorium in tears thinking of the hundreds never made it back – it was as if they had simply disappeared from the face of the earth.

Just before seeing this film, I read an interview with Steve McQueen which, amongst other things, mentioned “The Second World War lasted five years and there are hundreds and hundreds of films about the Second World War and the Holocaust. Slavery lasted 400 years and there are less than 20 films about slavery”. Well, Mr McQueen, I think, in this film, you have just made the definitive film on slavery. So many people made their fortunes because of the slave trade –.even now there are still very wealthy people who have inherited from their forebears whose wealth came about because of slavery, even though it has long since been abolished. I think they need to look long and hard as to where their wealth came from.

I would definitely recommend. 10/10 from me.

[valda]

I didn't know how to react at my screening, someone yelled very loudly "Get off him"/"Get off her" during the beatings.
Some punters yelled "Shout the **** up", but I can empathize with how that person felt.

Where did you see it? I used to be haunted by 2 elderly West Indian women who constantly shouted out during the film, espicially scary films

[midian]

i found a free copy of the book on google. it is well past copyright and shoud be available from lots of sources but this one is in epub and a few other format as well as available to read on the web.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_AW_ ... 22&f=false

[rawsalsa]

“The Second World War lasted five years and there are hundreds and hundreds of films about the Second World War and the Holocaust. Slavery lasted 400 years and there are less than 20 films about slavery”. Well, Mr McQueen, I think, in this film, you have just made the definitive film on slavery. So many people made their fortunes because of the slave trade –.even now there are still very wealthy people who have inherited from their forebears whose wealth came about because of slavery, even though it has long since been abolished. I think they need to look long and hard as to where their wealth came from.

I couldn't agree more.

[chelle1973]

i found a free copy of the book on google. it is well past copyright and shoud be available from lots of sources but this one is in epub and a few other format as well as available to read on the web.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_AW_ ... 22&f=false

The book was available on Amazon for 49p, I read it on my kindle every night! Cant beat a freebie though.

[Shabnam]

Definitely a great film.

[rawsalsa]

Well I absolutely loved it, though I didn't exactly enjoy it. McQueen's directorial style is about as assured as it's possible to get. This is a film that grasps the nettle of what slavery 'is' - forcing you to confront the potential slave or slavemaster within each of us. It's about as good as cinema is possible to be. Here's my full thoughts.

http://www.londoncitynights.com/2014/01 ... steve.html

★★★★★

I love your incredibly insightful review.

[Diane65]

Well I absolutely loved it, though I didn't exactly enjoy it. McQueen's directorial style is about as assured as it's possible to get. This is a film that grasps the nettle of what slavery 'is' - forcing you to confront the potential slave or slavemaster within each of us. It's about as good as cinema is possible to be. Here's my full thoughts.

http://www.londoncitynights.com/2014/01 ... steve.html

★★★★★

I love your incredibly insightful review.

I'm in total awe of your perfect review. I did have a tear in my eye when Brad Pitt's character brought some hope but I did feel hatred towards all white people of that time while watching it - I don't even understand why on earth you would do it to another human being and I'm sure that there were a lot of good white people around too at the time (I am white by the way). As Baty says there is still a lot of bigotry around today which is so sad. 9/10 for the portrayal not for my enjoyment.

[akh43]

Well I absolutely loved it, though I didn't exactly enjoy it. McQueen's directorial style is about as assured as it's possible to get. This is a film that grasps the nettle of what slavery 'is' - forcing you to confront the potential slave or slavemaster within each of us. It's about as good as cinema is possible to be. Here's my full thoughts.

http://www.londoncitynights.com/2014/01 ... steve.html

★★★★★

I love your incredibly insightful review.

Great review of powerful and thought provoking movie - 9/10 from me.