BLACK FILMS: "12 Years A Slave" - The True Story Of Solomon Northup, A Free Black Man Tricked Into Bondage In The 1840s!
July 05, 2013 - HOLLYWOOD - The first trailer for Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave has debuted online, hinting at a hard-hitting pre-civil war historical drama that could have a major impact in the forthcoming awards season.
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free black New Yorker sold into slavery, McQueen's film is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, who lost his freedom in 1841 after being lured to Washington DC with the promise of a well-paid job playing fiddle in a circus. From there, he was sold into slavery in Louisiana, and was not rescued until 1853, after a man he befriended managed to get word to his family. Northup's wife, whom he had left behind in New York, had to go to court to free him.
McQueen is the British artist turned film-maker behind Hunger and Shame, both of which starred Michael Fassbender, who returns in 12 Years a Slave as a cruel plantation owner. The film also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, as a Baptist preacher and slave owner, as well as producer Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and The Wire's Michael K Williams. 12 Years a Slave will inevitably draw comparisons with Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which garnered a second Oscar for the maverick film-maker earlier this year (while drawing criticism from figures such as Spike Lee for its liberal use of the "N" word).
WATCH: Trailer - "12 Years A Slave".
Northup eventually detailed his experiences in a book, also titled Twelve Years a Slave, which helped historians build a picture of the slave experience at the time. Following his rescue, he became involved in the abolitionist movement and lectured on slavery in the north-east US. Selected scenes from McQueen's film will premiere in the US on 20 July, otherwise known as Solomon Northup Day, at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. - Guardian.
Solomon Northup (July 1808 – c. 1864-1875) was a free-born African American from Saratoga Springs, New York. He is noted for having been kidnapped in 1841 when enticed with a job offer. When he arrived with his supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him into slavery.
From Washington, DC, he was transported to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner from Rapides Parish, Louisiana. After 12 years in bondage, he regained his freedom in January 1853; he was one of very few to do so in such cases. Held in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners, he got news to his family, who contacted friends and enlisted the New York governor in his cause. New York state had passed a law in 1840 to recover African-American residents who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Northup sued the slave traders in Washington, DC but lost in the local court. District of Columbia law prohibited him as a black man from testifying against whites and, absent his testimony, the men went free. Returning to his family in New York, Northup became active in abolitionism. He published an account of his experiences in Twelve Years a Slave (1853) in his first year of freedom. Northup gave nearly two dozen lectures throughout the Northeast on his experiences as a slave, in order to support the abolitionist cause.
In the early 1860s, Northup, along with another black man, aided a Methodist minister in Vermont in helping fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. The circumstances of Northup's death are uncertain.
Solomon Northup's memoir was reprinted several times late in the 19th century. An annotated version was published in 1968. The memoir was adapted and produced as film in 2013 by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup. Previously, a TV movie had been made of Northup's story, Solomon Northup's Odyssey (1984), directed by Gordon Parks.
Since 1999, Saratoga Springs has celebrated an annual Solomon Northup Day. - Wikipedia.
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free black New Yorker sold into slavery, McQueen's film is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, who lost his freedom in 1841 after being lured to Washington DC with the promise of a well-paid job playing fiddle in a circus. From there, he was sold into slavery in Louisiana, and was not rescued until 1853, after a man he befriended managed to get word to his family. Northup's wife, whom he had left behind in New York, had to go to court to free him.
McQueen is the British artist turned film-maker behind Hunger and Shame, both of which starred Michael Fassbender, who returns in 12 Years a Slave as a cruel plantation owner. The film also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, as a Baptist preacher and slave owner, as well as producer Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and The Wire's Michael K Williams. 12 Years a Slave will inevitably draw comparisons with Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which garnered a second Oscar for the maverick film-maker earlier this year (while drawing criticism from figures such as Spike Lee for its liberal use of the "N" word).
WATCH: Trailer - "12 Years A Slave".
Northup eventually detailed his experiences in a book, also titled Twelve Years a Slave, which helped historians build a picture of the slave experience at the time. Following his rescue, he became involved in the abolitionist movement and lectured on slavery in the north-east US. Selected scenes from McQueen's film will premiere in the US on 20 July, otherwise known as Solomon Northup Day, at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. - Guardian.
Solomon Northup (July 1808 – c. 1864-1875) was a free-born African American from Saratoga Springs, New York. He is noted for having been kidnapped in 1841 when enticed with a job offer. When he arrived with his supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him into slavery.
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| Sketch from Twelve Years a Slave (1855) |
From Washington, DC, he was transported to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner from Rapides Parish, Louisiana. After 12 years in bondage, he regained his freedom in January 1853; he was one of very few to do so in such cases. Held in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners, he got news to his family, who contacted friends and enlisted the New York governor in his cause. New York state had passed a law in 1840 to recover African-American residents who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery.
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| Purchase the book HERE. |
In the early 1860s, Northup, along with another black man, aided a Methodist minister in Vermont in helping fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. The circumstances of Northup's death are uncertain.
Solomon Northup's memoir was reprinted several times late in the 19th century. An annotated version was published in 1968. The memoir was adapted and produced as film in 2013 by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup. Previously, a TV movie had been made of Northup's story, Solomon Northup's Odyssey (1984), directed by Gordon Parks.
Since 1999, Saratoga Springs has celebrated an annual Solomon Northup Day. - Wikipedia.
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