Transcripts For CSPAN3 American History TV 20140823

Africanamericans. Hard to be worse than the treatment of arvfricanamerican so then better. So Laura Michael and brooke at the beginning talk about, i think, sort of overall southern white perceptions of race. And brooke makes the argument both of them make the argument that this is an accurate depick of the way that whites perceived the way things went or slavery persisted. So again to it aagaagain not ba capturing that moment in time. They have a right to critique th that. Scarlet scarlets parents how historically accurate do you think they were. He was irish. Really irish. Knew to the south. The ieshiearish, especially in north were being seen as the lowest of the low just above africanamericans. How likely would it have been for him to own this huge plantation. Hes too rich but there are a number of scotts and irish immigrants who go to the upcountry part of the south, the back country south and are able to get land and in some cases are table table to attain slave i thought i rread mare that had actually won tara in a book. In the book he has to flee ireland actually because he has killed somebody. Theres a whole different narrative that goes on that we dont see in the film. What about ellen . We talked about how she tells her husband what to do. Whats her role in it . We done see much her all in the movie. Keh kendall. Shes pious. Shes the care taker. Shes what scarlet is not, motherly. Its kind of she could also be the foil to scarlet. The southern model for womanhood. Shes the idealize tdidealiz. Shes everywhere. She helps out with the ill in the neighborhood. She holds the family in the plantation to a higher level of morality. The most elite women couldnt handle all of the things and spent most of their lives fainting. She may have depicted the ideal but not the reality. I think the general war time experience of the oharas was not out of the recommend of possibility. The way that ellen dies of disease and her death forces her to take on more responsibilities. We talk little scarlet stepping outside of the boundaries of gender roles at the time. It is possible that she could have transformed from southern bell to overpower dominate force. Certainly the idea of being forced into mirages we havent. jf intimating and smooth he is. How historically accurate is butlers character is. Hes clark gable. He does play a good clark gable. I take Brookes Point that dpgae is such a presence that he sort of overpowers the role. Having a character who wasnt super patriotic who said i am going to go out and join the cause for four years. I was mad when he went and joined the war though. Why . Its one of the few times i actually felt bad for scarlet, right. I didnt see that coming either. Right. Ana. It seems not realistic. The south doesnt have any factories how are you supposed to win this. You think its a gentlemans war but they have more stuff than we do. There arent many southern moderates but he does a good job of chan heing their complaints. Was he also an idealistic man. I will say that rett shows up in this suit immediately for us and i call him slick because hecome moments and disappears. I think hes a roama aromant motion. Full of honor, right. The problem is especially the post war period, ashley is useful. He suffers from post traumatic stressed and receipt is the successful new south. The roguish new south. How is ashley suppose to be honorable one the entire time he cant make up his mind about scarlet or melanie. He doesnt act on those things and scarlet would certainly do so. Doesnt he kiss her a couple of times. He tripped and kissed her. I think those things happen sometimes. Hes supposed to be this honorable guy. Hes supposed to be, right . Part of the movie does sort of put him in an awkward position. Where is an honorable guy in the post war south . In the beginning we think that hes like hes like the bad guy but you know no one rally wanted hill. He facing his way in a skacarle life but he also loved his daughter. At the beginning i didnt like him. At the end he loved his daughter. I think that also goes with someone and how this appeals to women and obviously it draws women in as well. So where does all of this leave us . Were almost out of time. Where does all of this leave us . I think in some ways red and scarret are potentially the most historically accurate actors. They are appealing figures both j of them. In 1939, millions of americans who might think that they would be marching off to war before long as well. Scarlets rather heady mixture of flawed, passion, endurance, determination, experiences did peeled to many people. The story in review of the film pointed out one of the earliest reviewers the novel noted its one of the virtues of her book that she presents the myth of the lost cause without being taken in by it or asking us to accept it. That she makes cheer reasons for the vitality and ultimate demise. We can see this is not true of the movie. It overindulges and wallows in lost cause roamanticism. She also describes reconstruction as a never 18ing picnic for lazy and dangerous kneeing oe negros. There was a land of cavaliers and cotton. The prologue sets the viewer up for a theme that pervades this film. A theme of confederate roamanticism. That theme is the real problem with this movie about antebbel um south. History her is the back drop for a soap opera. Its an idealized portrait of the oidealized south as if it were reality. The plantation maj certified that the old smith mentioned in the prologue had been a unique place where all white southerners were educated plantation owners romantic and refined were they loved their slaves and their slaves involved them where the north began the war forcing the south to go to far. This confederate the authors picture is really the product of the pervasive writings of earlier 20th scholars and his students on plantation slavery and africanamericans most notably that the south was full of kind masters who had the loyalty of the happy slays. It was a way that was dominated in the earliest half of the 20th century. To be fair, they were focused on capturing white audiences who had shown great interest in showing plantation epics like birth of the nation in the 1900s. The movie is extremely useful for us as a primary force of what whites, immigrants born wanted to believe about slavery and slavery society. Its not surprising that there are no attempts of the racial struggles of the era or use of blacks as caricatures or is there any reflections of the attempts by black americans to challenge then. Segregation laws preconvenieven from being there. Popularity came from a racialized desire from a Race Relations were simpler. That was a time that never existed. That doesnt min ipize the adeal. The movie never addresses the real prob lelems of slavery. The movie is an homage to the p perspective of the confederate apologists. If it wasnt so popular it wouldnt be a problem. We could just leave it as a relic of its time. But thats not the case. As long as it continues to be so important to some people, it is screeria nigeria. Senate, here on cspan we compliment that coverage by showing you the most relevant congressional hearings and Public Affairs events and on the weekends home to American History tv including six unique series. The civil wars 150th anniversary. American artifacts, touring museums and Historic Sites toat discover what artifacts reveal about americas past. History book shelf an the presidency, lectures in history with top College Professors delving in americas past and our new series real america, featuring archival government and educational films from the 1930s through the 70s. Cspan 3, created by the the university of alabama, native of atlanta and author of the book, citizen coke. Thank you for being with us. Thank you very much. While congress is on break this month, were showing programs normally seen weekends here on cspan3 during American History tv. Coming up the history of the civil war and slavery, as seen through hollywoods depictions. We begin shortly with a panel of history professors and their review of films since the 1930s, including the movies man dingo and amistad and 12 years a slave. And then matthew pinskar evaluates lincoln and then gone with the wind got. Its 150 years since the u. S. Civil war and a number of countre are under way this year and next to mark the occasion. Over the next new hours, were going to take a look at hollywoods perception of the issues. Now, a panel of history professors traces slavery as depicted in films in the 1930s. This hour and a half event is from the society from civil war historians bihandle meeting in baltimore. In the past two years, three feature filmses who focus is american slavery and emancipation have been released to positive and often glowing reviews and all of them were profitable. Django unchained made 160 milli million. Lincoln made 182 million. 12 years a slade made 26 million but only cost 26 million to make. Roughly the same. This mini upsurge has provoked a lot of debate and discussion about the depictions of slavery and freedom of film and other forms of media, visual media and television and documentary, youtube shorts and different series. We are continue iing that conversation today. All our panels are fierce scholars of the American South and gender and they have written and reviewed, taught courses on and consulted on films about slavery. Kathryn clinton has been teaching at Queens University belfast since 2006 but will be coming back to the United States this fall to be the professor of u. S. History at the university of texas san antonio. Shes the author of numerous books about gender, race and the American Civil War including biographies of mary todd lincoln, Harriet Tubman and mary kimball and Susan King Taylor and mary chestnut. Professor clinton serves on the Virginia Commission and an Advisory Board member of civil ward history the fords theater in washington d. C. And the civil war times and she also serves as historical consultant to Steven Spielbergs lincoln. I imagine we will hear about some of that experience today. John inscoe is professor of history and University Professor at the university of georgia. He is the author of mountain ma masters slavery and the sectional crisis in Western North carolina. Race, war and remembrance in the appalachian south and coauthor of heart of confederate ap latch thctch app. And currently editor of the new encyclopedia and georgia historical association. He recently completed a book of riding the south and currently working on a book on ap latch that and film. Brenda stevenson is history of professor at ucla where she serv served in the department of history and africanamerican studies, award of life in blackandwhite family in the slave south and justice and gender and origins of the l. A. Riots which just won the oa hrh 2001 rolle prize and what is slavery will be published in 2015. She has received awards from the melon foundation, ford foundation, Smithsonian Institution and American Foundation of university women. So, clearly, a group of slackers. So, we will start with john inscoe and move down the table with the comments from the panel panels. Thank you, megan. I think im here because i teach a course on slavery, fact, film and fiction. We start with birth of a nation, move through several plantation mellodramas of the 1930s. Jezebel, Shirley Temple epics, the little colonel and gone with the wind. Showing clips of these and move to walt disney song of the south after the war of 1946. And 1990s saw another spurt of movies about slavery, Steven Spielbergs am ma stastad andy Oprah Winfrey and others and Django Django unchained and 12 years a slave. Measuring 12 years of progress or lack thereof in the popular culture, hollywood in the 1930s was very much entrenched in the lost cause approaches to slavery. Slaves are background figures, they are supporting casts, they are often mere comic relief who are gladly serving their masters and mistresses for the most part are very benign and wellmeaning but also firm and authoritative. Sometimes frustrated at the ineptitude of their slaves. Think of scarlet and prissy for example. Not much had changed by 1946 when walt disney took on uncle remiss in remis in song of the south and is banned or not distributed by walt disney in this country and there was controversy when it came out and shows us how sensitive race was in the post war era than 1930s. It took until the early 70s before it was ban. It was the early 70s walt disney finally gave in to pressure of its political incorrectness. What i have to use now is a video smuggled to me by a former student of mine who lives in japan where it is very popular, where you can see it with japanese subtitles and multi culture georgia as well and works very well to look at song of the south with japanese subtitles. Japanese intrigued with all things southern. Gone with the wind as well as song of the south. The subtitles only appear when they sing. They can understand the singing but you can get zippitydoda translation under the song. It is a milestone of sorts. As politically incorrect as it is in many way, it is also the first film to take a black character and make him the central character around which the plot revolves. It also makes him the most sympathetic and wisest character. He outsmarts all the white adults in the film. Nevertheless he is a contended slave there or ex slave, as it may be. The film is very ambivalent whether or not its set before or after the civil war. It is interesting to teach that with students and look at some of the ways it add vanses the cause as well as prominence of slavery and putting the slave center stage. Still, some of the old guard assumptions about slavery its very comfortable in perpetuating. By the 50s and 60s, hollywood was producing more socially conscious and cutting edge films based on race. Things like pinky, the defiant ones in the 1960s guess whos coming to dinner, in the heat of the night. It pretty much steered clear of slavery and 1960 Race Relations in any significant way. It was a real leap into the modern films. I dont deal with roots or that great film of the 1970s, man dingo with students. With these modern films from the 1990s, on up until the very recent films weve seen last year, i thought id throw out a couple of things that strike me as worthy of discussion. One is the gender discussion. With this panel gender might not get much play and i better cover it. [ laughter [ laughter ] its interesting these other films, its totally desexualized. You never see slave couples. You never see men and women together in any sort of romantic or household context. Theyre usually very single asexual figures. You never see them as parents in any sort of role. Theyre definitely supporting casts in all issues avoided. Also relatively nonissues in films like glory, amistad and lincoln and either central themes or important subplots with women. Two put slave women front and center. Beloved and the journey of august king. The journey of august king is set in southern and North Carolina and by an author who has done a whole span covering southern appalachian history. Set in 1815, very early. Deals with the escape of a slave girl who is abused by her owner, who it turns out in the course of the film is also her father. And a yoman farmer on his way to market, encounters her, be friends her and aids her in her escape. Newton plays in it and jason patric plays august king, the yoman who helps them out and a strong attraction between them that remains chaste. This father owner lover is determined to get this girl back and goes to no end to mount a manhunt to go after her. I think in many ways, its the most interesting and in some ways nuanced and sophisticated treatment of klaclass distincti and class attitude not only towards slaves and slave holders and tremendous resentment at a time and place slave is far more an anomaly than the norm in the mountains of North Carolina in that early frontier era. The other is beloved adopted from Tony Morrisons novel. Its a gulf coast story of sorts dealing with the long term psychic stars of slavery, set in 1873, in cincinnati. It is based very much on the abuses that are only seen in brief flashbacks inflicted on the films heroine, seth, played by Oprah Winfrey, who when cornered by slave catchers in cincinnati murdered one of her own children and tried to kill another based on the real life case of market garner in 1856 in cincinnati. Then, in this 1873 post emancipation period she continues to be haunted by a version of the infant girl she murdered decades earlier. Shes also played by andy newton. Its a clunky film, not a great film but fascinating it was made in a film. I have students read the novel and we watch parts of the film. Then, we come to 12 years a slave and even django unchained. I think part of what they do so well is feature female characters who take on as much or more abuse as do their male protagonists. In django, Quentin Taran tango, the most macho western spaghetti and racial revenge fantasy. Its over the top as in so many plots and an attempt to rescue djangos much tormented slave wife played by Kerry Washington makes for its most poignant moments and absurdly happy ending as they blow up the plantation and everybody in it and ride off in the sunset. In 12 years, its the harassment, both physical and mental abuse inflicted on patty by her master and mistress that gets far more attention unfortunately in the film than in the narrative. This is somethingjjffn9g expanded on by the screenwriters and as you know earned an Academy Award for the actress who played patsy. Its one of the few films other than roots, i cant think of another one that dramatized separating mothers from their children and when saul is sold, the mother and her two children. She is separated from her two children and he becomes the means that tries to comfort this woman and is paralyzed by grief at the loss of those children. It seems to me as central as fugitive as these narratives are giving a slave voice as a primary source on the american slavery, how rare we see escape narratives as part of what has been translated into screen, even Solon Northrop counted among the great narratives but doesnt involve an escape. His release comes from machinations and legal dealings and brad pitt sets all this in motion and we never see any of it onscreen so the drama has to come from elsewhere. Not much drama in the wagon comes up, papers shown to the owner and the gets in and drives off to freedom. The only instances we get of slave escape are those involving women. One is that in beloved, a flashback seth in crossing the really harrowing scene, crossing the ohio river or getting ready to cross the ohio river she actually gives birth to the baby girl she will subsequently kill when slave catchers are out to get her. The other, the one i mentioned already, the journey of august king the entire narrative is driven by this escape, this manhunt, and even so typically hollywood, you get the name of the male protagonist, the journey of august king rather than the slaves name. Its very much her journey as well despite the fact in real life there are far fewer women that escape or escape alone than there were men but weve seen very little of that translated to screen so far. One other observation on the gender front and then i will turn it over to my fellow panelists. I think its very curious white women really ruled the roost in these early depictions of plantation slavery in the 1930s. Think of betty davis in jez bell, scarlet ohara and her mother that really are the Authority Figures of the slaves at tara and beyond. In song of the south, its an elderly widow. We have no men on the premise. No slave masters. Theyre either absent or very much in the background. In perhaps the most absurd example you have a 7yearold Shirley Temple spends much of the littlest rebel bossing around bill bo jangles robinson or other adult slaves students find either appalling or ludicrous or both. Its only in these very recent slaves we have strong masters and we find very cruel sadistic and even demented men that dominate. Michael fastbender in 12 years a slave and Leonardo Dicaprio in django, echos back to simon deg rr degree in Uncle Toms Cabin. And solomon dedicated it in his feature. And was impacted by her novel and wonder if the separation of family and abuse of slave women and these very cruel and sadistic owner may have been influence in some part, not to say he didnt experience all this himself, makes you wonder how many of those elements come through and stowes novel published it the week before. Thats just an observation. I dont know what we will make of this. Ill leave it at that and concern it over to catherine. [ applause [ applause ] thank you. I want to thank the organizers of this panel for the opportunity to reflect. When i first began on plantation south 40 years ago, one of my mentors insisted i go to see and accompanied me to see the film man dingo in time square in 1975. The year it was a top 10 box office hit. The scholar later pointed out to me a billboard in time square that featured an Escort Service that was 1800call tara. Certainly, i was made aware of the way films could influence attitudes. That produced in my first book a chapter called fuco meets mandingo. In my career in this topic, mandingo was a rich rifle, rich availability of religious literature in slavery. Mandingo was followed by the publication of roots and the 1977 mini series appearing on tv. This year i supervised a thesis, a student writing on the impact of roots not just the novel and the film and the first mini series but the multiple mini series that came after it, the phenomenon. He was drawn to this topic because of the current spate of films and Media Attention on the role of slavery in the american past. Appearance of such films as django and unchained and lincoln and afro british director asante, the film, belle. These films not only raised the profile of American History in slavery but profile of academics and scholars not just to debate their work and students within the campus bubble but reach outside the halls of the academy and discuss this with a larger public audience. This intersecretary wits of a t larger questions, our role in society and crisis and academics to prove they are engaged in Public Service and dialogue. I certainly became aware of the way academics are being invited to play a role in the reception of film during the past few decades, thinking of campaigns to woo civil war scholars with the screenings of Cold Mountain. Certainly one of the best gambits of all was to include scholars onscreen as extras in the 1983 film adaptation of killer angels gettysburg. Even if we are brought on for advisors we may have crucial contributions to the screening of slavery. Many of my colleagues had strident objections to blacks in spielbergs lincoln or interpretation or omission of the american african presence. I myself was impressed with the film and know it had limitations and nevertheless overwhelmed by its artistry and impact and in disclosure i did consult on the costumes and met with sally field more obsessed on lincoln than she was. I appreciated the complexity of the two africanamericans with whom lincoln had the most constant and significant contact during his years in the white house. I thought the filmmakers did a powerful job in this particular portrait of racial dynamics within the walls of the executive mansion. As i discussed with eric phoner during the interview of civil war times and the length of our discussion was cut to fit the magazine. I remember distinctly defending tony kushner who can well defend himself and talking about the difficulty of a screenwriter squeezing everything in historians dont take into account. I did a very brief stint trying to write for the very small screen, pitching and being hired to write made for tv movies during the 1990s. What i learned was how colab brative the Film Industry was and how challenging and impossible it is to protect and protect accuracy or authenticity. Eric rightly pointed out we face constraints as writers and cannot complain to critics who take us to task saying we had to leave things out. The contraband scenes that remain on the cutting floor of the Lincoln Project do not excuse the absence and opportunities for exploring the africanamerican presence in washington during 1865. I would say the arc of the films narrative does create complications most historians have never contemplated, confronted or finessed. How many of us would like our manuscript to go before a focus group. If you think thats what a peerreviewed manuscript is, youre very naive and im sad because its a much more difficult ordeal. I have participated in round tables and in debates informally, no shouting matches yet. I think all the discussion of spielbergs lincoln contributes to our seeking more and better interpretations of the complexities of race within our larger culture as well as onscreen. I must confess social media has also had a powerful influence on me when i found myself embedded in a debate over interpreting django on a facebook conversation with two scholars. I was enlightened and enraged when scholars commented and debated a lively fashion the merits of tarantinos film. I have written a review that appreciates a 2012 film Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter taking it at face value. I found the 3d distracting but the narrative was compelling slave holders being portrayed as blood suckers who drained the life out of enslaved persons for their unholy empire struck a chord. Of course, i would have a weakness for any film that feature featured two women, marilyn con and Harriet Tubman. But dick did not boast as tarantino did of the truth of his slavery. He was clearly fantasizing. On balance i was not taken by tarantinos cinematic film. Django is a frame by frame freak i freakish omage. It did include insights, german slave master, german speaking con cu been in. The powerful drive of couples to reunite despite obstacles. I could go on and on but these would be measured against the gory and introducing into the antebellum imaginary landscape. This landscape as megan pointed out had a 425 Million Worldwide box office compared to julie dashs more compelling 1991 portrait, daughters in the dust which did 1 1. 6 million i sales. I dont think we really think about things in terms of box office but we need to think of the way multiplex affects things in historic imagination and begun to dominate culture. For many of us sit ing this room, the topic of slavery has been part of our work for decades. Has any imagination had the film engagement of 12 years a slave, not for those in everyday life. And the lincoln studies i affectionately dubbed linco lincolnistas and even we were amazed at the mast out pouring of daniel daylewiss par trayal of the 16th president. I have debated the opening scene of lincoln i thought was a great slight of cinematic canned. When a fantastic british actor who also appeared in the butler but in lincoln he appears as Corporal Ira Clark and repeats lincolns words back to him of the gettysburg address after an Exchange Lincoln had with black soldiers. From the pages of the New York Times to civil war history. Accuracy, authenticity, value and damage over africanamerican issues has been widely discussed. The blogosphere has been erupting with praise and commentary concerning solomon northrops story but none outshow cased than yango more than Steve Mcqueen. This is pay back when artist carol walker tried to inject dis dense to the overwhelming interpretation of northrup as hero trying to introduce patsys perspective she was crowded out and cut off by her male cointerviewees. The actress playing patsy not only won an oscar for her performance, she has won a showcase to project a platform for discussing africanamerican women in the culture. The black women and hollywood awards ceremony on youtube offers a wide examination of her talents and politics. In a recent review of the film, bel bell belle, i commented on a scene in which the actor playing a lead 18th century mixed race woman raised in the home of lord so somerset in the english countrysi countryside staer ahp hc as if it might scour away. It certainly echos the speech and countless africanamerican girls and women. This week we mourn the loss of ruby dee activist, someone who recognized the stereolimitations for africanamerican actors, sperkly women. She spent a lifetime struggling against boundaries. She had a luminous role in 1961, raisin in the sun, a remarkable performance in the miniseries, roots and she herself commented on the limitations on her during her five decade career only nominated for an oscar in 2008 for Ridley Scotts american gangster. I remember her interpretation on one of the slave narratives she was one of the dozen actors who contributed to the 2003 documentary unchained memories we can learn from her half century of her craft, you contribute and disseminate and struggle with the media to put complex interpretations and may see a future generation reap rewards and might even see honoring for those who came before you and yourself. Yesterdays opening plenary discussed the beguilement of archives. Many of us are equally be guiled by the dark cinema, just as seth is a be guiled optimist. Im proclaiming myself as a cinematic pessimist. [ laughter ] ive been teaching on icons of late moving my classroom from australia to texas. And ive been struck how students of American History, particularly students abroad look to films to help them understand the american past. Rather than disputing zwlskse i think its better to interrogate these tales and legends. Scholars and history are interlocking the information and many have worked so long in archives and classroom to try and convey time and place. We have at our disposal incredible films and performances which speak powerfully. Screen and interpretations of slavery like so many aspects of americas past will continue to blossom with or without the academy. Those committed to reaching a wider audience have to make ourselves accessible, whatever the cost despite reservations and continue to pass the popcorn as well as judgment. Thank you. [ applause [ applause ] sorry i threw that vampire at you. Thats interesting. Well talk about that later. Good afternoon. My opening remarks focus principally on the contribution to 12 years a slave and other films, film about slavery and also particularly about his portrayal of women in the film. Steve mcqueens significant contribute to slaslave throu his oscar winning 12 years a slave is not due to a leap forward in depictions of a slaves life dramatically or characterization. His version of northrops story is not notable because its the first to render its audience and unsympathetic view of americas most notorious if not unsympathetic institution from the purge of a black person thrown into its horrowing deaths. Thats seen in roots and in onstad. Neither is 12 years a slave going to be a classic because of the sex slave brutalized by her master. These characterizations have been demonstrated in beloved and alex haleys roots. Likewise crucial elements of 12 years a slave, con cu been in eliza and her counter image mistress shaw both are found in the courage to love. Many were stunned to view the accurate portrayal of violence and cruelty of slave mistresses this was more than adequately rendered by susan george in richard flashers 1975, mandingo. Moreover solomon himself in mcqueens portrayal as a striking image of black manhood is a worthy protagonist. So, too, were others. All of these important elements of african and africanamerican slave life have been part of tv and big screen movies since at least the 1970s. We hear from john earlier, of course. Still, Steve Mcqueens 12 years a slave was a major contribution because it problem lis the first hollywood production to incorporate some version of all these charactes s and scenarios of southern u. S. Slavery in one film and we havent discussed the film that comes from depicts slavery in other parts of the atlantic world. I does so more ungrinchingly stamping the institutions and its benefactors with the savage violent brutality, physical, psychological and sexual that leave no room for excuses or apologies or civilized comprehension. 12 years a slave is a master work, stunning cinematography and cast and gutwrenching story moving and suspenseful and raging and eventually uplifting. Still, it is a flawed and incomplete master work. This should come as a surprise, how could one film view a 250yearold institution involving millions of persons and different cultural backgrounds to say nothing of racial and gender differences who worked and resided in an ever expanding landscape that encompassed hundreds of thousands of miles. John ritually and Steve Mcqueens ritley that comprise sudden slave life however is not the only problem that underlines the films effectiveness of slavery. The screenwriter, john ritter, who also won an oscar and the n intricacies of the institution and those touched by it left taletale signs not only portrayals or lack of them of a slave community, slave resistance and slave labor and diverse rows of slave women but inaccurate contextization and betrayal of lives of the free people of color and solomon northrops of the flee north and looking at a farmer that was not very wealthy, that is epps. As a result, the films viewing audience is left to believe mistakenly that the slaves on various plantations and farms which sol omon lived did not hae close ties to one another or function as communal units and slave resistance was rare an experience con finds to the actions of men and free men in the antibellum were indeed free and equal to their white neighbors. This is a dramatically told biography that lacks the nuance Story Development and later characterization this important first account of slavery demands. Catherine, you have served as a consultant for film and i want you to know they did not use a historical consultant on that film at all. So, yes, i will slam him. Solomon northrops autobiography has a rich pallet of southern slave woman hood. How well does Steve Mcqueen capture solomon as 12 years a slave. It turned out eliza, a con cu been in epitomizes a lost so many slave women and young endure through sale. Eliza had believed her sexual relationship with her owner would protect her and her family since he had promised to free all of them. Instead, she and her children are sold separately and she is never able to see them again. Eliza mourned her loss bitterly through the saga as well as Steve Mcqueens film adaptation. In the movie version eliza becomes a symbol of the devastating impact slavery had on social life and identity and depl deploys elizas defeat that she rejects. Eliza is utterly vanquished unable to move past her loss to survive long enough for the hopeful day of freedom solomon is determined to have despite the hardships he has to endure. The black bond of woman hood has been captured repeatedly. Uncle toms cabin, and many others, for example frame fictionalized and docudrama depictions of personal devastation. Je screenwriters and directors have portray portrayed heart wrenching scenes, like the loss of kizi, for example and they convey to the audience the psychological institution and scenes of sadistic whippings such as in roots and the whipping to death of the captured slave woman whose baby has to be delivered postmortem. The only women in the post roots era that rivals the beleaguered slave mother is a sexualized slave woman particularly the slave con cu been in can be seen in characters of kizzy and ruth and bet betsy in the courage to love. Betty and sally in the film, sally hemmings, an american scandal and a 1975 film mandin mandingo and queen. Noting the concubi ne is an antagonist producing multiple image of enslaved woman hood. Northrop in insisted centralizing the slave woman as victim and mcqueen does not. In the latest hollywood movies that have taken on africanamerican slavery, the concubine not surprisingly remains the most important black female character. Consider the roles are roles of the films. In lincoln, the concubine of famed abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens and another once a concubine are the only two women of characters. Likewise, in Quentin Tarantinos blockbuster django unchained are either concubines or prostitu prostitutes or on their way to being. While Steve Mcqueens story of enslaved women has recovery from tarantinos, he adopts his favorite Hollywood Trobe of a black woman bound to powerful white men in 12 years a slave and as such, eliza is not the only con cu been in in concubine. All the enslaved wom are concubi concubines. Certainly, there is some merit in the inclusion of some of these womens stories in any realistic film about slavery. Most enslaved women were sexually harassed and or abused yet this abuse did not all define their lives. This point is one in which mcqueen fails to make for in this film he offers no counter or additional images of womens lives nor multidimensional views of the women as slaves. And they often succeed add life beyond the lash and grasp of masters and mistresses. Solomon emphasizes more, their amazing labor capacity and their resistant strategies. Why doesnt mcqueen . Thank you. [ applause [ applause ] thank you so much. Now, we have a little bit of time, i think, if you all would like to discuss amongst yourselves or respond to elements of each others comment comments. I didnt like lincoln the vampire slave, while it does suggest slaveholders are blood sucking, you know, it also only portrays slaves as vampire meat. There is nothing else that they do, they just are kindd so [ laughter ] sorry. Not a happy my husband loved it, though, i have to say. My husband absolutely loved it and i absolutely hated it. There you go. I still think its i know for a fact that tony krushner was very crushed to have this film come out the year before his film. He wanted to be able to say his film was the first film in 40 years to look at lincoln. At the same time, i think if you really believe Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter was a film about lincoln, instead i see it as a film about legends and fantasies. This young Eastern European director using the trope of American History. Once in a while he hit something i found really enjoyable. Most of the time i felt i was being hit by the whip in the 3d and didnt. Part of it is that even a rambling vampire hunter got people debating and discussing. So much of the time, it gives us an opportunity. That npr moment they will call you up and say, is it accurate or inaccurate . Of course, movies arent meant to be accurate. Is it authentic im glad you brought up Steve Mcqueen. If the director projects a certain vision for his film and wants to defend it, then i think we often can debate it. Ill be honest, my greatest concern with Steve Mcqueen is i was living in the uk and i kept hearing him on interviews repeatedly before the film came out. He would say direct quote, its a film about love. Right. I was sort of okay with that until i listened to the rest of the interview. It wasnt a film abo about northrop, he claimed it was about epps and patsy. Right. I went, whoo whoo, lets have a time out. I dont think im addressing that as a scholar, addressing that as a feminist. Therefore, i also can say there have been he also said, by the way, he thought the role of the planner, played by benedict cumb cumber he was the most evil character and the evil argument. However, both of those things allow uses a scholars or us as commentate ors to jump in and critique. Anything that allows that kind of ability, thank you, filmmakers for being so so fantastic in your claims. So we can jump on and certainly make claims that these arent good. You, for example, plotted there are times when a lot of films came out and when no films came out. I will ask you, do you think a bad film therefore should not have been made . Yes, i do. I do. Thats fine. Youre not youre from l. A. How can you think that . Thats how i think that. Thats a business town. Steve mcqueen is a very interesting person. He does a couple of things i find very annoying. One of them is he really denies the fact people have done any film on slavery before. He says repeatedly i saw him at an event for b. E. T. , when it came out on premiere with the actors and writer and all that he would say repeatedly, this is the first time a film like this has ever been made and the first time were looking at slavery. I said what happened to the other beloved and and he would completely deny any had done anything worthwhile until this film first and foremost and secondly, he repeatedly said no one except someone from britain could do this film, a black person from britain and a black woman not born in the United States could play patsy i think is absolutely ridiculous as well. And thirdly because he didnt do his research and didnt have a historian work with him, he would say repeatedly the story between epps and patsy was a love story. Stop. No. It was. The guy was crazy. He was brutal. He was on the frontier working really hard, working with slaves really hard trying to make it. And so he was very sadistic. This doesnt have anything to do with love. I think he really flipped back the time in terms of looking at these relationships across the racial line. When he sees it himself as a love relationship, although thankfully it doesnt come across that way in the film. You know . Uhhuh. There was, discovering the women in slavery had a piece about mirra a slave, a woman who was who was tortured. Exactly. In North Carolina. We all have historical examples but part of it is when you put a film together. I take your point but i would also like to say that i did feel that his film was an artistic achievement. I did, too. His film was amazing. I will be showing it to students. I will be, too. At the same time when you mentioned the box office issue megan i found so many of my friends saying can i go see this . Will it upset me too much . I said, yes. You will be upset. Yes, you must go to see it. In a way i thought it was interesting that people were questioning when theyre going to go see, oh, i dont know, arnold and people like that, you know, in other words i will say also on jango that i thought it was quite interesting in terms of male sides that Samuel Jackson did the most amazing job, who knew it was him when you first saw the film yet he was never singled out or featured because of the political incorrectness he played. So the politics of jango. Quentin tarrant inoue said there was no film that dealt with slavery as he did and he particularly went after roots which was an interesting issue. He was in a way saying that was, you know, a soap opera. Now im doing the real thing. But all of these i think allow us to debate it not in terms of film but in terms of popular perception. Well, i dont think jango is about slavery. Its a fantasy. Its a fantasy. I couldnt find one grain of reality in that film that dealt with slavery at all. I looked at it and i laughed at it. I thought it was really funny. You know, and interesting. The costumes were nice. But for me it was just not a film about slavery at all. I know Quentin Tarantino was upset because of what historians wrote about that and said it wasnt about slavery and he seemed to be upset when Steve Mcqueens film won for best picture and people applauded it as this great film. I do think as i said in my comments that its a master work. Without a doubt its an incredible film and achievement. You know, but there are some things, nothing is perfect and so i look at particularly the way in which he deals with women because in solomons narrative, its very clear in which the way that patsy is framed, depicted. He talks he doesnt mention love. Love is not part of it. Its not what hes talking about. He is talking about a man who owns her body, wants to own her soul. And feels its his right to do so and acts accordingly. But i was really interested in the early films that you talked about, john. Because i really had forgotten about them. I teach well some of them because i teach a class on slave narrative, novel and film. I looked at the early Uncle Toms Cabin for example. And some of the other ones. But i had forgotten Shirley Temple. You know . I love Shirley Temple. The Shirley Temple version. I had seen song of the south and i saw it as a child in the south growing up. So it was really cool to hear and i am going to include those when i teach in the fall now. Fantastic. Its also interesting to me that they raise no hackles, nobody. We think of the lost cause, nostalgia, sentiment for slavery as being a southern thing. It was an american thing. Right. Hollywood had no qualms about making them. Nobody had any qualms about seeing them and treating them as classics. And making them box office hits. Of course there was some controversy with both birth of a nation and gone with the wind but it was naacp, relatively minor, a drop in the bucket compared to the great acclaim and popularity. That they enjoyed for multiple replays over the years. That tells us something. It does. Because we keep doing Uncle Toms Cabin i think at least three times, as a film probably but i think post it will be interesting to see now to see Uncle Toms Cabin done again. It would. As you say, he does dedicate his book to Harry Beecher stowe, solomon northrup, and then Harriet Beecher stowe in which she defends her book and document that comes the year after, she sites him as saying this is the red river in louisiana that im speaking about so there is a kind of connective tissues between the two of them. Another thing 12 years a slave does, we see slaves working. We do. Pictured in the cotton fields and the sugar youve got to see it. Does anybody in the audience know that film . Its really a fabulous film. It wasnt a Big Box Office film at all. But it is magnificent. They are harvesting cotton in april in the opening scenes of gone with the wind so historical inaccuracy. Much more cinematic. When you look and see that he only has eight slaves including solomon northrup then you realize how in some ways the film is just a little off in terms of it and then his house is on the national registry. Its in louisiana. It is i cant pronounce it correctly. It is in that parish but it is a small, tin roof, roofd house, you know, so we lose this sense of why epps is really pushing his slaves so hard because he is on the frontier, you know, on this sugar cotton frontier. Hes got a few slaves only. His first home is actually owned by his wifes uncle and so hes a man on the make in other words, you know, hes that yoman farmer trying to break out and become a planter. Thats a really interesting part of a story that we miss because we see cumberbotch and he is clearly a planter and has everything. So people say therefore he is kind and gentle and whatever. We miss out this guy who we just see as a crazy person is also someone who is pushing everyone beyond recognition of what is humanity to produce all of this cotton so he can then move up to where cumberbotch is. You rarely see small slave holders. You do. I think journey i didnt know that film. Im definitely going to see that. You can also see the skin game. Make sure you see the correct version because if your students look up the french one it will not work well in discussions. Im not losing tenure over that. Right. It seems this would be a good time to turn to the audience for questions. If you have a question, please raise your hand. Yes, jeremy . Stand up. Here comes the mike. Jeremy neely Missouri State university. To pick up on your comment about small slave holders one film i havent heard mentioned yet is right with the devil the 1999 film which i think one of the most interesting characters is holt whom the pro confederate guerrillas with william contrell used as a spy in various capacities. I havent seen that film but ill go see it next week. Ride with the devil . Teaching it i think as ive taught it in northern ireland, they love it because it is about ethnicity and religion. And ive seen and also it is about the, why one is fighting the war beyond slavery. The missouri kansas frontier. And you have the exslave who is with his master on, you know, on the battle front in hiding guerrilla and it is a very complicated, interesting tale. He is telling it with his version of the war which is powerful. We can come up with 20 more the beguiled, wonderful Clint Eastwood film. But with africanamerican women, white women, more women than men. Like it should be. There arent enough parts or roles for women but i think, and youre mentioning for example ride withabv vbrzs the devil s refrakting through looking at the roles of women and i thought jewel was a particularly weak character, the actress who played i am just saying that often i think the as looking at film theyre often just looking, here we want a big screen. We want the kids to come in. Ive written about bell as being a bosom movie that youre trying to get heaving bosoms and get young teenagers in to see austin, mixed race austin. Thats what i thought. You should see it with pride and prejudice with kyra knightly and then but these film makers are much like the publishers we encounter today. What is the state of the business . Whats its future . Can we attract people to it . I think its good for us to be very critical but a period, making period is very expensive. Film makers dont like it. Television doesnt like it. You know, if someone comes to you saying, we want to do a reality show set on an antebellum southern scene, you might just as i have said, great. Because part of it is anything that i think gets the debate and discussion out there my sons came up with the idea a few years ago i should take plantation mistress to hollywood and say real housewives of the old south. And i know but at the same time we joke and we but i still say i am really serious, the debate and for example the mel gibson film the patriot you know, we all hate it. At the same time you are sitting there and these little freshmen come in and why are you here . What is your interest . And they saw a film. Part of it is to get people excited about the past even if its not our past, nobodys p. A. T. , some fantasy past. This brings up a question of what constitutes a film about slavery, right . Would you think of ride with the devil as a film about slavery or Cold Mountain . No. There are slaves in those films but theyre not they are very marginal and there almost to sort of establish Cold Mountain had no slave, no black voices. You see a black woman drugged being carried. You see people on the road who nod. And i think that was in my mind a sub conscious Cold Mountain view of the world. We know theyre there but this is our film. We will have our film. You see Nicole Kidman taking refreshments out to the slaves but she never gets past the porch. But charles does such interesting things with his references to slavery and the attitudes of the mountaineers heading off to war and the role of slaves and slave holders in motivating that. I think he missed an opportunity maybe to do more with that in the film. Symbolically it is interesting because people would deny the importance of slaves in their lives. Oh, so true. You know, so on that level i mean i know youve gone through probably millions of planters letters. Ive only gone through thousands. I know youve gone through millions. Years older than you. She said that. Were the same age probably. At any rate you see they och know dont speak about their slaves. They say they have 250 slaves and there is nothing about them in there. It is kind of an interesting view or perspective of the way in which the slave holders sometimes saw their lives. Which is when writing to their loved ones and families not really concerned about the slaves who theyre doing things all around them. Theyre also using their slaves to write to one another and tell stories so part of it is we come up with hundreds of great, interesting stories. Right. Where is the film on Harriet Jacob . Where is the film on Harriet Tubman . Right. Plenty of harriets we could write films about. Im saying where, we think of these stories. When i was working in the 90s in hollywood and was in a meeting talking about these wonderful stories this was preamistad i remember and it was talking about all these great stories. I got involved in a project very painful about richard m. Johnson and they kept pushing the story about his concubine and daughters and it was like, would it, could it, should it . At that early age i couldnt bear because when you say youre consulting you go to meetings and then the film comes out. Right. Some people they do invite in to look at it but my first viewing of lincoln was at a premiere in gettysburg. I just closed my eyes and crossed my fingers. It was great. But you do not know that there will be something that is but at the same time i think we have to keep trying. In the 90s i proposed several films with black women as protaganists and was told the three black actresses that could carry a Television Film and at that time none of them were, you know, their cue levels werent high enough. That is why i introduced into my discussion the way in which i think africanamerican actresses have been so marginalized. To have someone like lupita come forward and be so political in her speaking about this role. Id also like to mention women think of the portraits of why are women, africanamerican enslaved women being portrayed by nonamerican born women . I mean, it is very interesting because i think our relationship to the legacy of slavery is still very much a part of the Business Culture reflected in american films. What will make money . If slavery makes money theyre going to be making films about slave slavery. That is really true. If president ial biopicks make money theyll be making biopicks. Look for van buren at your multiplex. You shared years ago, do you remember this, a screenplay of celia a slave. I dont know how many of you know that story. True story of a missouri slave, young girl. Constantly raped by her master. Had a black lover. Ends up killing her master. Almost gets away with it. Her black slave lover gives her away. Leads to a trial in missouri late 1850s in the midst of the border tensions. Fascinating story. It was so interesting. You remember the screen play turned it not into her story but the story of her lawyer. Right. The lawyer was the center piece that was the hero for defending her. Because the film business is the bankability. You look at 12 years a slave and you did call it a hollywood film. Im glad you did. Mcqueen also says without brad pitt playing a role in it would not have been bankable. That kind of thing can go on and people have these wonderful films. The documentary film makers we know working in these areas, you and i know people now and to get a film going, a documentary, takes a decade of raising money. I know spielberg had his meeting with his earliest advisers in 2006 to make lincoln so you see it is there was a Writers Strike and it had to do not just with schedules but financing. Liam nissan playing it. He was reading the part and there were other people involved at that time. Daniel day louis inhabited that. It is really important when we look at these films we also look at the films done early in the 1960s, 1970s or 80s for example a lot of films on slavery actually we found on Public Television for example the first 12 years a slave i saw on public tv. You know, it was the early film. 1991. Yes. Then there was of course a Harriet Tubman film. Yes. Cicely tyson. Thats there, too. Charlotte for thein. There are all these other films available to us that i think should be part of the discussion. Question . Yes. Im Ashley Murphy from Brown University and i had a question that i think will build on something you all just said and mentioned in your earlier comments. I wonder if you can talk about the role that medium plays. We are all talking about film and i am wondering why there arent great representations of slavery in television thinking particularly of kind of the current trend for contemporary western so hell on wheels or copper both of which are shows i really like and everyone should watch them so they keep getting made but also deadwood where former slaves appear not until the third season but i wonder why television doesnt seem to lend itself given we are in this supposed renaissance of american tv with all of the money and attention going there. The hatfields and mccoys i believe was the biggest hit that made a lot of money which did well commercially. I take your point. I remember watching all the made for tv movies many of them dealing with the south freedom road with mohammed ali written by howard fast. A lot was made during biography of miss jane pitt. Right. During the 70s you did have a lot of these films and some of the portraits of the period i thought were very wrenching and amazing. I certainly remember the first lynching on the small screen and thinking, you know, this is an amazing moment. At the same time when i think i was in the 1990s and i was often pitching stories and ideas i remember very distinctly which shocked me so much being told nah, a story we were trying to put across was too danger