It may be hard to believe, but I do have criticisms of 12 Years a Slave. Lots of 'em - I haven't even told you my thoughts yet. It's just that - determined to fight the evil black man - nobody ever asks me about them (*racist*). My biggest one, contrary to popular opinion, is that it wasn't brutally realistic enough:
If you saw the film, you'd never know that, right-right?
Aesthetically, mostly it was the little things - unmuddy streets (think HBO's Deadwood) everybody's too-clean clothes, and perfect dental work - they destroyed the effect.
But still - two thumbs - waaaay up.
I think I'll soon have to do a post on the film's story themes, too:
My white best friend missed all but the obvious ones,…
Well, from what I've read (and no, I won't be able to see the movie until it comes out in a more affordable form, however) -- I wish they had touched upon some of the family history a bit more (would have given a fuller story to slavery -- and also, for my own interest, in the great hokum bs of "purity of race" that people just really need to get over -- I've often wondered if that one drop rule should be stood on its head by arguing the other way around more often; it might be at least fun), and it also would have been nice to help illustrate the situation in the North at the time (again, some better background that the written accounts can do much better than the film due to time constraints and the like).
ReplyDeleteAnd to be quite honest, it does tie in nicely with the whole Duck Dynasty meltdown and how all of us have to come to some sort of coping terms with our individual happy valleys if we stand a chance in this world (which is incredibly difficult to do...human beings like the familiar and really are not much for the great unknown beyond that -- but that is no guarantee that the great unknown isn't going to be interested in you).
PW