An Essentially American Narrative
The New York Times
2013-10-11
Nelson George
A Discussion of Steve McQueenâs Film â12 Years a Slaveâ
Amid comic book epics, bromantic comedies and sequels of sequels, films about Americaâs tortured racial history have recently emerged as a surprisingly lucrative Hollywood staple. In the last two years, âThe Help,â âLincoln,””Django Unchained,””42â and âLee Danielsâ The Butlerâ have performed well at the box office, gathering awards in some cases and drawing varying degrees of critical acclaim.
The latest entry in this unlikely genre is â12 Years a Slave,â the director Steve McQueenâs adaptation of Solomon Northupâs 1853 memoir. A free black man living in Saratoga, N.Y., Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into brutal servitude in the Deep South. During his ordeal, he labors at different plantations, including the one owned by the sadistic Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), who has a tortured sexual relationship with the slave Patsey (Lupita Nyongâo).
Following a buzzed-about preview screening at the Telluride Film Festival and the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, â12 Years a Slaveâ arrives in theaters Friday amid much online chatter that it may be headed for Oscar nominations. But Mr. Ejiofor, who portrays Northup, and Mr. McQueen, known for the bracingly austere âHungerâ and âShame,â both say that getting audiences to see an uncompromisingly violent and quietly meditative film about Americaâs âpeculiar institutionâ is still a challenge even with the presence of a producer, Brad Pitt, in a small role.
While the material was developed by Americans (including the screenwriter John Ridley) the director and most of the major cast members are British, a topic of concern among some early black commentators.
On a sweltering afternoon in SoHo last month, the author and filmmaker Nelson George led a round-table discussion at the Crosby Street Hotel with Mr. Ejiofor and Mr. McQueen. Joining them to provide a wider historical and artistic context were the Columbia University professor Eric Foner, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning âFiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery,â among other books; and the artist Kara Walker, whose room-size tableaus of the Old South employing silhouettes have redefined how history and slavery are depicted in contemporary art and influenced many, including the â12 Years a Slaveâ production team. Current civil rights issues including the New York police practice of stop and frisk, recently declared unconstitutional; sexuality and slavery; Hollywoodâs version of American history; and the themes of Obama-era cinema were among the topics of the sharp but polite dialogue. These are excerpts from the conversation…
Q. I wanted to start with contemporary analogues. One thing that came to mind was stop and frisk, a way the New York City police could stop a black or Latino male. I thought of Solomon as a character who, for a lot of contemporary audiences, would be that young black person. [To Mr. McQueen and Mr. Ejiofor] When you were seeking a way into the slave story, was what happens now part of that?
Steve McQueen Absolutely. History has a funny thing of repeating itself. Also, itâs the whole idea of once youâve left the cinema, the story continues. Over a century and a half to the present day. I mean, you see the evidence of slavery as you walk down the street.
What do you mean?Â
McQueen The prison population, mental illness, poverty, education. We could go on forever…
…Servitude and SexualityÂ
Thereâs a lot of things to say about sex in the film, but one of the things that is going to leap out is Alfre Woodardâs character [Mistress Shaw, described in the book as the black wife of a white plantation owner].Â
McQueen In the book, she doesnât say anything. I had a conversation with John Ridley, and I said: âLook, we need a scene with this woman. I want her to have tea.â It was very simple. Give her a voice.
Walker Itâs not that it was that uncommon. That planter would be sort of the crazy one, the eccentric one, and sheâs getting by.
Ejiofor It was against the law to marry, but it did happen.
Foner There were four million slaves in the U.S. in 1860 and several hundred thousand slave owners. It wasnât just a homogeneous system. It had every kind of human variation you can imagine. There were black plantation owners in Louisiana, black slave owners…
…Solomon has a wife beforehand. In the film it seems as if he lived with Eliza [a fellow slave]. Then obviously [he has] some kind of relationship with Patsey, a friendship. But I wondered about Solomonâs own sexual expression.Â
Ejiofor His sexuality felt slightly more of a tangent. I think the real story is where sex is in terms of power.
Foner Remember, this book is one of the most remarkable first-person accounts of slavery. But itâs also a piece of propaganda. Itâs written to persuade people that slavery needs to be abolished. He doesnât say anything about sexual relations he may have had as a slave. Thereâs no place for such a discussion because of the purpose of the book.
Walker But in âIncidents in the Life of a Slave Girlâ [by Harriet Ann Jacobs] and other slave narratives written by women, thatâs always kind of the subtext, because there are children that are produced, relationships that are formed or allegiances that are formed with white men in order to have freedom.
Foner Harriet Jacobs was condemned by many people for revealing this, even antislavery people.
Walker Yes, but itâs always the subtext. Even âUncle Tomâs Cabin.â Itâs like, thereâs little mulatto children, and thatâs the evidence…
Read the entire interview here.