From the films Glory (1989) and Twelve Years a Slave (2013), the history of slavery is brilliantly
taught through real events that shaped the course of history and surpired the
world. Rather than teaching the distorted and glamorized lessons of earlier
films such as Gone With the Wind and
glorifying the Old South, Glory and 12 Years a Slave, paint the real, gritty
pictures of American slavery in a critical way. Fictional movies such as these
can supply the basis from which analytical skills can be developed, as real
events and attitudes are depicted through out each.
With
a budget of fifty to seventy million dollars, Glory successfully depicts the role of black soldiers in the
American Civil War and explores the deeper emotions behind equality and freedom.
Making a profit of thirty to seventy million dollars, Glory was extremely successful, teaching righteous lessons with
true events from the all black 54th regiment in the Civil War. James
McPherson from New Republic states: “It is not only the first feature film to
treat the role of black soldiers in the American Civil War, it is also the most
powerful and historically accurate movie about that war ever made.” From
watching a movie, more knowledge about the Civil War can be gained from reading
textbooks alone. This activity provides an engaging and informative experience.
Instead of teaching the corrupt lessons of the past, Glory teaches a memorable lesson. The movie expertly captured the
same sense of equality that Abraham Lincoln wanted to enforce at the time.
However many of the scenes from the movie were altered versions of the truth as
McPherson says: “The filmmaker used the material of history selectively […]
even forging what is sometimes called the poetic truth.” This being true, the
underlying meanings of the film are accurate and allow for the critical
examination of racist ideas. Even though some events of history are altered,
this movie’s dramatic themes easily surpass any of its historical flaws. When
asked about the film, Vincent Canby of the New York Times said: “Although Glory employs devices of fiction […] it
seems to serve as a documentary.” The movie was brilliantly acted by a superior
cast consisting of Mathew Broderick who “gives his most mature and controlled
performance to date” and Denzel Washington who won an Oscar for his performance
as best supporting actor in 1989. This movie can be expected to teach the
truths about the Civil War in a deep and meaningful way. Glory truly captures the hardship of black soldiers fighting in the
Civil War well, and the movie serves to illuminate this time in history. Glory furthers its success as it was
highly acclaimed by critics. Glory is
a film that serves to correct corrupt lessons about African Americans through
the struggles and realizations of the 54th regiment, and this film
could easily develop analytical skills in a class. Just as Glory strongly exposes corruption and develops an understanding of
critical skills by using real events form history, 12 Years a Slave achieves the same goals.
From
a budget of twenty million dollars, 12
Years a Slave reaches a new level of historical accuracy, but manages to
contain emotional and impacting themes about slavery at the same time. Director
Steve McQueen desired to explain the story of a free black man, Solomon
Northup, who was kidnapped and forced into slavery from twelve painful years.
McQueen says: “the book became my passion to adapt into a film.” Where Glory served to correct harsh
stereotypes created by earlier film and taught by the public, 12 Years a Slave aims to show the
resilience of humanity and prove that there is always hope even in the darkest
of experiences. Through historical events taken from Solomon’s book, McQueen
does just that. When asked what McQueen was most impressed by in the true story
he responded: “He [Solomon] can hold onto his faith in humanity. […] That was
hugely inspiring to me. […] I wanted to deal with an […] American who had gone
through that ordeal.” David Denby of The New Yorker describes the film as “the
greatest feature film ever made about American slavery.” 12 Years a Slave expertly captures the mental and physical struggle
between slaves and white masters and its superb acting by every character
allows for this success. 12 Years a Slave
won an Oscar for Best Motion Picture and Best Writing in 2013. Using a 1968
republication of Solomon’s book, the film accurately teaches history. Film
producer John Ridley was quoted saying he preferred “sticking to the facts”.
Like Glory, some scenes were modified
to express certain points, but the movie allows for the development of
analytical skills. Each character is complex enough to be dissected, and the
story is deep enough to pull truth from. Through both horrific scenes of
torture to heartbreaking scenes of loss, the attitudes of American slaves
before the Civil War can be taught.
The
film Glory and 12 Years a Slave both teach the truths of history and dive deeply
into the adversity experienced by black people during and before the Civil War.
Whether through the historically accurate story of Solomon Northup or from the
54th regiment fighting against inequality and racism, films are able
to teach history and develop analytical skills in a much deeper, more
meaningful, and more engaging way than other forms of education.
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