Just in time for Black History Month, I finally saw 12 Years a Slave. Given the film’s
strong subject matter and stellar cast, I knew it was worthy of my attention.
Still, a harshly realistic story about slavery in the Ante Bellum south didn’t
sound like much fun.
Many moviegoers have obviously felt the same way. Though 12 Years a Slave has received strong
critical response, not to mention 9 Academy Award nominations, it has racked up
nowhere near the box office of its Oscar rivals, Gravity and American Hustle. What’s
exciting is that any of these three very different films could win. As a group
they remind me of the diverse kinds of movies that have nabbed Best Picture
Oscars in the past. 12 Years a Slave is
serious, sober, implicitly using the film medium to help right an old wrong. In
this it feels something like Schindler’s
List: cinema as history lesson. American
Hustle, by contrast, is charming in its audacity. It may have vague
historical implications, but mostly it’s about the twists and turns of a scam,
as practiced by skillful con artists. Doesn’t that sound like 1973’s delightful
Oscar winner, The Sting?
Then there’s Gravity,
whose ambitions are epic in scope. In its technical mastery of the film medium
on a grand scale, it falls into the category of a David Lean film, or perhaps
James Cameron’s Titanic. Its
underlying metaphysical questioning of man’s (or woman’s) place in the universe
is of course more reminiscent of Kubrick’s 2001:
A Space Odyssey. That groundbreaking film was not even nominated for Best
Picture, though it won an Oscar for its visual effects and Kubrick made the
Best Director short list. Alfonso Cuarón has received the Directors Guild award
for Gravity, and perhaps he’ll be
similarly honored come Oscar night.
In all this I haven’t said much about my personal reaction
to 12 Years a Slave. I found the film
well-directed, beautiful to look at, and peopled with strong actors. I’ve
admired the versatile Chiwetel Ejiofor for years -- check him out as a very
different kind of man in Kinky Boots!
-- and there’s good work done in large roles and small. Still, 12 Years a Slave struck me as somewhat
flat and dutiful. Perhaps this can be blamed on the eighteenth-century source
material, but Solomon Northrup’s character seemed short on complexity, and his
final release from bondage lacked the dramatic power I would have expected.
But maybe there’s a reason for my rather tepid emotional
response. I saw the film during the daytime, in a multiplex much favored by senior
citizens. Just before the lights dimmed, an elderly man entered, carefully
shepherding a woman of his own age who seemed physically and mentally “off.”
They didn’t sit near me, but soon there was no overlooking this woman’s
disabilities. She began talking loudly, completely oblivious to the decorum
expected of moviegoers. The man tried to shush her, as did the polite young
usher who was eventually summoned. It was clear she was wrestling with
dementia, and removing her for the sake of the other patrons would have been
neither easy nor – come to that – humane. So I, like the others, tried hard to tune out
her ranting. Still, I felt profoundly sorry for her, and for the man who was
obviously trying hard to cope. The sadness of their story, unfolding a few rows
away from me, effectively trumped the tale I was watching on screen.
A good thing this wasn’t Florida, where moviegoers carry loaded weapons to pay back those who disturb their concentration.
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ReplyDeleteThat's a sad story about the elderly couple. I wish someone could stay with her so the man could get out to a movie now and again. I can definitely see how that would trump the movie on screen.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder if I would have felt differently about the film if I'd seen it under different circumstances. Anyway, great to hear from you again, Mr. C.
ReplyDeleteDespite your disappointing movie watching experience, I think you were on to something with your critical assessment. I rarely watch contemporary films but did see this in the theatre under perfect circumstances. I wrote about it here if you'd like to have a look: http://thecinemacafe.com/the-cinema-treasure-hunter/2014/3/3/now-listen-to-me?rq=12%20years%20a%20slave
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing, Arthur. I enjoyed your very smart assessment of "12 Years a Slave," and also agreed with you on "Blue Jasmine." I hope you continue to visit Beverly in Movieland, and I in turn want to keep up with you at The Cinema Cafe.
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