Slavery and the Making of America Review

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(More customer reviews)I have watched and re-watched this series on PBS, and with each episode I always go away having learned something. The researchers and writers were thorough, the re-enactments are well-played*, and the tempo of each segment is appropriate. Morgan Freeman is the perfect choice for a narrator (even better than Whoopie Goldberg in Unchained Memories); he speaks like a wise, maturing uncle versed in the intricacies of a long, unpleasant family history.
My favorite segments are those on David Walker's call to resistance; a certain Miss Freeman, who successfully sued for her freedom; and Col. Tye's band of 18th century guerilla warriors.
*Such re-enactments, when accurately presented, are essential to helping viewers understand the realities of the era, as there are so few photographs and no moving pictures in existence from this lengthy period in American history. (As the narrator says, "America was a slave-holding society longer than it has been a 'free' society.")

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SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA is a landmark, four-part series that examines the history of slavery in the United States and the integral role it played in shaping the new country's development.
Breaking with conventional documentary production approaches, the series producers, PBS's Thirteen/WNET New York, have used dramatic re-enactments to take viewers back in time and deep into the slave experience. Much of the story is presented from a unique vantage point - through the eyes of the enslaved.
As factually represented in this series, American slavery evolved from a loosely defined labor system which provided some protection under the law, into the tightly regulated enslavement without recourse, based solely on race.
Underscoring how slavery impacted the growth of this country's Southern and Northern states; the series examines issues still relevant today. The variety of cultures from which the slaves originated provided the budding states with a multitude of skills that had a dramatic effect on the diverse communities. From joining the British in the Revolutionary War, to fleeing to Canada, to joining rebel communities in the U.S., the slaves sought freedom in many ways, ultimately having a far-reaching effect on the new hemisphere they were forced to inhabit.
Acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman narrates the series, which features a score by Michael Whalen.
Programs in this series:Program 1: The Downward SpiralProgram 2: Liberty in the AirProgram 3: Seeds of DestructionProgram 4: The Challenge of Freedom
Features:English Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired,Spanish Subtitles

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Beloved (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)This story holds a deeper meaning. It is about something coming back to haunt us all. It is about sins that we commit that never really go away until we can learn to forgive ourselves and those who have offended us. It is about putting the pieces of the mirror of life together and looking deeply into it to see what is really in our souls.
Supernatural evil forces surrounding us can scare us in movies, but what should really frighten us is how we have treated people throughout time. How we have enslaved people in many ways and have treated them as less than human. This story echoes these thoughts.
This is a deeply moving film that must be given your full attention to understand the complexities. I was literally captivated: body, soul and spirit. I was glued to the couch, too scared to go anywhere. ;>
The opening scenes are very violent and shocking. If you didn't read the reviews you would really be wondering if you wanted to keep watching the movie as I did. However, they cleverly showed you only enough to make you terribly curious. What throws a dog against the wall? That is why I was watching to find out what the heck had just happened. It is like a puzzle and you have to pick up a piece here and there. For the mind that analyzes everything...this is a dream movie.
The story does not play out in a sequence of events as some stories do. It slips back into time, dragging out the horrific past and adding bits here and there to make you want to understand the entire story. I thought this was very cleverly done.
The basic story running on the first level is about Sethe's life. She is a slave who escapes from a cruel Kentucky plantation called: "Sweet Home." Paul D was also a slave and yet he seems to have more inner strength even though he has seen it all. Sethe is obviously very troubled from her experiences and is determined not to let her children experience the horrors of slavery. She and her family are living on a plot outside of Cincinnati, Ohio eight years after the end of the Civil War.
When slave hunters threaten to take her children back to the plantation, she kills one of her daughters.
She continues to live with her second daughter Denver after her two sons run away. The murdered child then haunts their shack with a red glow until she actually returns in bodily form. Reality and the supernatural are blended together to make this the most creepy movie you will ever see because the creepiness is so subtle it takes you off guard.
Oprah is incredible as an actress. Kimberley Elise (Denver) and Thandie Newton are incredible in their roles. I have never been so freaked out by anyone's facial expressions in my life. The things Thandie Newton can do with her face rival the best. Kimberley's eyes were at times almost ethereal. Danny Glover adds a much needed calm to the movie as he seems to be living in reality most of the time.
Perhaps this movie did not do well because it is more for those who are very patient and caters to a smaller audience with eclectic tastes. This is not really for the mainstream audience. I thought the movie was quite long. Some movies are best viewed at home when they are of this length. The setting in which you view a movie is often very important to your enjoyment.
Rare, vivid, provocative, authentic, intelligent, complex, artistic, scary, emotional, beautiful, sad, delirious, confusing, secretive and overall, great story telling.
~The Rebecca Review

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Oprah Winfrey (THE COLOR PURPLE) and Danny Glover (LETHAL WEAPON IV, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) play the unforgettable lead roles in a powerful, widely acclaimed cinematic triumph from Jonathan Demme -- the Academy Award(R)-winning director of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. On a difficult journey to find freedom, Sethe (Winfrey) is constantly confronted by the secrets that have haunted her for years. Then, an old friend from out of her past (Glover) unexpectedly reenters her life. With his help, Sethe may finally be able to rediscover who she is and regain her lost sense of hope. Also featuring outstanding performances from Thandie Newton (GRIDLOCK'D) and Lisa Gay Hamilton (TV's THE PRACTICE) -- you'll agree with critics everywhere who've hailed this landmark adaptation of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel as one of the year's finest films!

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Glory (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review refers to the Columbia Tristar 1/98 release of the DVD edition of "Glory"....
There are many glowing reviews of "Glory" to be found here. I feel the same way about this wonderful film, and after touching on the story I would like to talk about this DVD release(see above) which is an outstanding quality and excellent value.
"Glory" is an exceptional film. A true story of the Civil War that is both touching and inspirational. It depicts the story of the first black unit from the North to be trained and actually go into battle. Led by their very empathetic but very young Colonel(played brillantly by Matthew Broderick), the 54th Regiment endures many hardships felt not only by being soldiers of this devastating war but as African Americans as well.Their spirit, pride and tears along the way, is projected in this film by these wonderful actors in a way that will make you feel all the anguish and pride that they felt.
The cast includes Morgan Freeman as the Sergeant who is the motivating force behind the soldiers. His performance is stirring. Denzel Washington, awarded Best Supporting Actor by Oscar for his role as the runaway slave looking for a home will move you to tears(or at least put a lump in your throat, which remains throughout), and Andre Braugher's smile and tenacity will grab you and keep you.The cinematography and sound(both also honored by Oscar) are exquisite.Beautifully directed by Edward Zwick it is a war story that is more than action, it is one you won't soon forget.
Often, the different DVD editions wind up on the same product page. You may have found yourself on the page of the "Special Edition" of Glory. That is the 2 disc edition with lots of special features. If these are important to you in a DVD than that is the one you should probably go with. However, if you really love this film, but don't want to spend as much for all the extras, this edition is identified by ASIN:0800177967. It is half the price of the "Special Edition",and is a beautiful transfer as well.You have the choice of viewing it in the original widescreen(1.85:1) or a full screen version. The picture is beautiful, sharp, crisp and clean. Colors spectacular. Depending on your set up the sound options are 5.1(Digital Dolby) or 2-channel surround.I watched it in the 5.1 and was very impressed. All the sounds of the Civil War were clear and distinct. The music wonderful. It may be viewed in Spanish or French and has subtitles in English, Spanish and French also.
Whatever edition you choose, this a a film that is a beautiful addition to your DVD collection.It is one that will be watched again and again. Thank you and enjoy.....Laurie

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GLORY - DVD Movie

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Amazing Grace (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone who has seen AMISTAD or ROOTS needs to see the Michael Apted directed AMAZING GRACE which predates and fills in so much of the political and humanistic tug of war that existed concerning the awful dirty business of the African Slave Trade.Hollywood could not have conjectured a more true film than the actual true and inspiring life of William Wilberforce,a revered heroic figure in England,who,with the help of other abolitionists and political sympathizers,takes on the English Parliament and wins legislation to finally end the Slave Trade in 1807.This movie is SO significant because it is this piece of history that leads other European nations to follow suit in subsequent years and eventually to abolish the trade worldwide.Michael Apted has skillfully rescued this story from being another biopic,and has turned it into a sweeping epic that rings historically true.
No finer actor could have been chosen to play Wilberforce than the Emmy Award winning Welsh marvel Ioan Gruffudd,pronounced YO-an Griffith( HORATIO HORNBLOWER,SOLOMON AND GAENOR,VERY ANNIE MARY).Gruffudd positively understands the heart and soul of Wilberforce,and delivers a tender yet dynamic knockout performance of this absolutely giant among men whose inner convictions and powerful and persuasive rhetoric eventually win over Parliament in a nearly twenty year life-and-death struggle.
This film brings tremendously true and historical understanding of the political machine that was (and frankly still is) in place from 1785 to 1807.Historical figures argue and debate their opposing views while the lives of millions of innocent Africans and the fortunes and supremacies of national pride hang in the balance.The film moves swiftly and is not preachy or at all heavyhanded in any direction.It simply tells and honest and riveting true-to-life story.Some characters and events are combined together to compact the screenplay,but no truth is lost in the outcome.
The film takes it's name from the famous 18th-century renowned hymn AMAZING GRACE,written by the Anglican minister John Newton,who had,years earlier,himself been an active and ardent participant in the selling of African flesh.John Newton is portrayed (a bit much like a crazy old celibate monk) by veteran actor Albert Finney in one of the smaller supporting supporting roles.Though much of what Newton says in the film is directly from his own memoirs,he was a married man,who,historically,valued his wife as his best friend.Now in his declining years,Newton,who has in later years been Rector of a London Church,is sought out by Wilberforce,who sat under Newton's pulpit as a child,to have the old minister help him in the cause of exposing the Slave Trade in all of it's ugliness.As was true in Newton's real life,Finney shows that this is the singlemost painful event in Newton's life thus making it next to impossible to discuss.The film directs Newton and Wilberforce over the course of the twenty years in order for the awful truth to come forth.Proof was necessary to persuade Parliament, and Newton was a key piece to passing the abolitionist legislation.
Up and coming actor Benedict Cumberbatch accurately conveys William Pitt The Younger,in his boyhood friendship with Wilberforce and his subsequent rise to Prime Minister of England.What is inspiring about their relationship is that all of their political idealism comes to fruition showing the power and perseverance that these two young men had in fighting an age old institution that threatened to destabilize all of England.Other historical figures in this film such as Lord Tarlton (the ever amazing Ciaran Hinds)and Equiano (Youssou N'dour),Toby Jones as Lord Clarence (this actor seems to be able to play EVERYTHING!!!) and actors Michael Gambon as Sir Charles Fox do the utmost to bring this film to the heart and consciences of the world today.
This film is simply NOT just another period piece drama or an "inspirational" film;rather it is an artfully scripted,deftly acted and directed and compelling piece of historical drama that all will benefit from viewing.Again,5 *****'s is not sufficient.May there be more films of such quality and substance made like this!
Excellent companion films would be A RESPECTABLE TRADE,THE MIDDLE PASSAGE,AMISTAD,THE VOYAGE OF LA AMISTAD, MANSFIELD PARK (1999) and somewhat ROOTS.

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From the makers of Ray, AMAZING GRACE tells the inspiring story of William Wilberforce and his passion and perseverance to pass a law ending the slave trade in the late 18th century. Several friends, including Wilberforce's minister, a reformed slave ship captain who penned the beloved hymn Amazing Grace, urge him to see the cause through.

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The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)There aren't too many productions from television that one can call "noble," but Ken Burns' The Civil War qualifies. Burns uses photographs, music, speech, maps and historical context to tell the story of the second most formative event in the nation's history. And since in those days people wrote...diaries, letters, journals...there is the written record not just of the great leaders, the politicians and generals, but of the wives and sweethearts, the nurses and doctors, newspaper editors and farmers. Most of all there are the words of the soldiers. Burns shows the importance and the sweep of the war, but in part he does it through the lives of average people caught up in events they may not have completely comprehended, but which they believed in.
If the words themselves have power, so do the voices. Burns recruited great voices, some actors, some not, to speak the words, distinctive voices that give great resonance to what we see. Julie Harris as Mary Chestnut, Charlie McDowell, a Virginia reporter, as Sam Watkins, Arthur Miller as William Sherman, Jason Robards as Grant, Studs Terkel as Benjamin Butler, Sam Waterston as Lincoln, and many others. He has David McCullough as the narrator. McCullough, an outstanding historian and writer, does a wonderful job. Burns also uses a number of historians to underline key points. Foremost, in my view, is Shelby Foote. Foote is the author of the epic three-volume Civil War. With his Southern accent, common sense and soft irony, he's a fascinating raconteur.
The program is never dry or dull. It is gripping and emotional. Both sides felt they were fighting for a pure cause. What is particularly touching is that, as a people, we had not yet lost much of the capacity for simple, unadorned, unembarrassed feelings, whether it be patriotism for one's country or love for one's wife. I challenge anyone to read this letter from Sullivan Ballou, a 32-year-old soldier in the Union Army, to his 24-year-old wife, and not sit stunned with emotion. Ballou was killed in the first battle of Bull Run a week later.
July 14, 1861
Camp Clark, Washington
My very dear Sarah:
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days-perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .
I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing-perfectly willing-to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . .
Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.
The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me-perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .
But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .
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The program flows over 11 hours on five discs. In addition to the documentary, the discs are stuffed with background information...maps, documents, biographies and additional interviews. This is a superb production and is worth every penny.

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Hailed as a film masterpiece and landmark in historical storytelling, Ken Burns's epic documentary brings to life America's most destructive-- and defining--conflict. With digitally enhanced images and new stereo sound, here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one.

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