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Let me count them. Because I’m that bored. For the sake of argument, let’s use 1915 (the release of the original ‘Birth of a Nation’) as one bookend. And ‘12 Years a Slave” as the other bookend. Let’s count, all this pain:
‘Amistad’ (1997)
Are we counting TV too?? Ah hell. Why not.
‘Queen’ (1993)
‘Amazing Grace’ (2006). Never even heard of this one. It was only released in the U.K. Sure you all kicked down the door to watch this pain porn
Now I saw this one. It was so painful. So painful that when I reference it people still ask me “what’s that??” “Belle” (2013)
“Beloved” (1998). The film that so few of us watched that it sent Oprah into depression and made her ask her chef for macaroni and cheese for breakfast every morning (true story, by the way. Talk about painful.)
Ah. Nate Parker’s “Birth of a Nation” (2016). The film everyone said was needed and a one Tyler Perry’s “Boo: A Madea Halloween”. Guess it’s painful now
“The Book of Negroes” (2015). I think maybe @Lenardthagod and myself and like 4 other people live tweeted this when it was on.
“D’Jango Unchained” (2012). Correct me if I’m wrong, wasn’t this a #1 film, met with cries and demands of this same exact movie with plans for a sequel where we meet Jamie Foxx’s and Kerry Washington’s kids? Painful.
“Glory” (1989). An excellent film if i say so myself. Denzel deserves the Oscar for this. Not that low light, joyful, uplifting film he won for named “Training Day”
By the way, we’re at the “G”’s already. And haven’t even Hit 20 films. Spoiler alert: when we get to the “R”’s, Alex Haley gave you TWO “Roots” for TWICE THE PAIN! Who knew!!!!
Onward press we march, to more pain.
“Gone With the Wind” (1936). The film about American slavery which showed...no slavery. Painful. The horror. The sheer TERROR!!!
“Jefferson in Paris” (1995) Oh look!! A rom-com take on the brutal rape-enslavement of Sally Hemmings. It plays on Lifetime every Black History Month. It’s heavy lifting in this movie man. /sarcasm
“The Legend of Nigger Charley” (1972). I’ve personally never seen it, but it’s acclaimed in film circles as one of the best films in the Blaxplotation era (you know that era of films that sought to uplift us). It’s about slaves who successfully run away. That’s some pain
“Lincoln” (2012) I saw it twice. I thought it was riveting. No slaves were beat in it though, so the pain you’re seeking may be elsewhere.
“Mandingo” (1975). Ah, we’ve made it to the film that capitalized on and spawned further sexual deviant stereotypes about heterosexual Black male slaves as bucks and breeders. The movie is trash. Saw it once, walked out of the class at the last 20 minutes
Roots (1977) Not a film, but an epic television miniseries that over 150 million Americans watched in its original 8-day run. My Mom describes it as one of those “you remember where you were the first time you saw it”type events. Many credit the pain as their intro to our history
“Roots: The Next Generation” (1979) Because Dr. Alex Haley said the pain 2 years earlier wasn’t enough, he gave you a part 2!!!
“Roots: The Gift” (1989) No one saw this pain. No really, no one did. By 1989, youth culture was into hip hop and break dancing. Films about organized crime and rom-coms ruled the scene. It was critically panned and Dr. Haley all but gave up on telling his family’s story
So then came what was the 4th installment of his family’s story (or pain, as we call it). “Queen” (1993) (I linked it earlier because it’s given name was “Alex Haley’s Queen”. This was considered Haley Berry’a breakout role. https://twitter.com/seabethree/status/975237704869916672?s=21
So you know how you have those books outside of your book ends? This is “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, a 1903 adaptions I’ve read UTC enough times that I could read it to line for line. I think Eliza’s escape is harrowing and riveting. Some call it pain. *shrug*
“A Woman Called Moses” (1978) this & Miss Jane Pittman are what critics call Cicely Tyson’s 1-2 punch. Harriet is about to be on the face of money. Hope it’s not too painful for you to spend.
Saw bits and pieces of this one. But the guest entry comes from @FelineFeminine “Anne Rice’s Feast of All Saints” (2001) https://twitter.com/felinefeminine/status/975245076103335937?s=21
Shall we count? And please feel free to add to what I’ve missed.
20 films. Then adding our bookends - “Birth of a Nation” (1915) - which isn’t even a “slave movie” but okay. And “12 Years A Slave”. 22 Hollywood productions. Twenty...two...
Oh my god!!! I forgot one!! My favorite!!!
WGN’s “Underground” (2016). I think @_Rickii_ and I watched this together along with about 15 other people on the TL. This was when the “too many slave movies” narrative started.
So for the sake of argument let’s round up to 25 and say I wake up with 5 mentions of 5 I forgot. So, let’s say 30. There are 30 Batman movies alone. There are 30 WWII/Holocaust/1940’s Europe period pieces a decade. There are 30 films in the MCU alone.
But, pain.
via @CarmillaLusta - “Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal” (2000). I’ve never saw this one but I imagine it’s yet another romanticization of the enslavement-rape of Sally Hemmings
via @DarbzVibin - “Sankofa” directed by Haile Gerima (1993) It's an amazing film. I think if you appreciate Underground then you can appreciate this.
I believe we’re up to 29 films. There are 29 Cinderella films alone
. Disney is about to make 29 live action remakes of all their classics in the next 10 years, alone. But we’ve had “enough” “slave films”.
. Disney is about to make 29 live action remakes of all their classics in the next 10 years, alone. But we’ve had “enough” “slave films”.
Anyway,that crew of “enough” I don’t trust unless they have some other redeeming quality. 30 movies in a 100 years of cinema. If there are more, please just @ me with a poster and release date; this is a running thread. Documentaries are also welcome, same rules (poster and year)
via @LearnedHand - “The Klansman” (1974) “Moving on. Here's one for you: The Klansman. I actually saw this at the drive-in as a kid.”
Again:
Slavery/Old South (1600’s-1865)
[pop-out of the “Antebellum South” can be made for 1800-1861]
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
Jim Crow Era (1877-1954)
[pop-out of the experiences in “The North”or “The Great Migration 1910-1930 & 1941-1970]
Civil Rights/New South (1954-1968)
Slavery/Old South (1600’s-1865)
[pop-out of the “Antebellum South” can be made for 1800-1861]
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
Jim Crow Era (1877-1954)
[pop-out of the experiences in “The North”or “The Great Migration 1910-1930 & 1941-1970]
Civil Rights/New South (1954-1968)
If we’re going to get into those other eras (which films have touched on) then they are going to need other threads, which I don’t mind doing.
via @LearnedHand “Free State of Jones” (2016)
via @LearnedHand “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1971)
via @Free_Mason_Jar “Beulah Land” (1980)
via @Free_Mason_Jar “North & South” (1985, 1986, and 1994)
via @HoopeFiasco “Brother Future” (1991)
via @undecidedtd “The Abolitionists” (2013)
via @undecidedtd again - “Mercy Street” (2016-2017, a PBS series)
via @UrSocialite "Gods and Generals" (2003). There's a weird moment when a house slave dressed up "fine" to protect her mistresses' house from the Union soldiers. Other than that it's about Stonewall Jackson (his statue was just taken down in Baltimore)
