12 Years a Slave

See the Movie

     12 Years a Slave is already being called the greatest film of 2013. The slew of Oscar contenders that are traditionally released in December haven’t even been seen yet, and still critics are saying hands down: this is it. I finally had the privilege to see it myself after hearing nothing but good things. Although slightly overrated, 12 Years a Slave is a phenomenal picture; infinitely better than the book as far as entertainment value is concerned.

     Solomon Northup’s memoir Twelve Years a Slave is not meant to entertain. It is meant to horrify. And horrifying it is. Northup details his time spent in bondage as a Louisiana slave. Born free in New York, Northup was drugged, kidnapped, and illegally sold into slavery in 1841. Unable to prove his freedom to white men who wouldn’t care even if he legitimately could, Northup spent 12 years a slave. When he was finally freed he was told his story was essential to teaching the country how horrible the slave trade was. So he wrote it down. He was not a story teller, nor did he have a flare with condensing infinite details into necessary information. The book is a mere eye-witness account of a piece of American history. There isn’t much of a story to speak of. It’s chronological and slightly dry. Only the truth of it makes it important and still relevant today.

     I am in no way trying to belittle Northup or his memoir; it is an integral document to the history of the country, but to a casual reader it would be a complete turn-off. The beginning is fascinating. We learn how he was drugged and kidnapped and sold into slavery, but then there is tiresome detail upon tiresome detail of his journey from one slave owner to the next. The monotony is occasionally interrupted by scenes of action, where he generally disobeys his masters and fought (literally sometimes) back, but then he goes back to explaining daily routines and such. One chapter is particularly dry, in which he describes in painful detail how to pick cotton. It reads like an instruction manual, not a story. But all in all, the truth of the story is impactful and keeps you reading through the less interesting bits. Also, his freedom is achieved in a less than exciting manner. And it leaves you thinking how sad it is that so many slaves were never to gain freedom at all.

Buy the Book

     The film is indeed excellent. The performances are stunning. So many excellent actors show up to turn in fine performances. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon with confidence, fear, and anger all balanced perfectly. Other great actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, and Sarah Paulson are wonderful in each of their roles. The one drawback of the film in comparison to the book is the presence of Brad Pitt. Pitt is an excellent actor and usually makes any scene better. However, his character is just dropped in at the end of the film simply to be the voice of reason. His character in the book is around much longer than in the film. He comes out of nowhere in the movie and turns the whole plot around. The ending of the movie feels a bit rushed but overall, it is a tight, neat, and stunning package 100% worth your time and money.

     If you want to be in on the action at the 2014 Academy Awards, you simply can’t miss 12 Years a Slave. If you want to learn from a first-hand account about some of the grittiest and saddest details of slavery, read the book. Either one will enlighten you. The movie is simply displayed with more panache.