This film made a huge impact on its cinematic release and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, so it kind of feels like everything that can be said about it already has been said. But, what often happens when a film is heaped with prestige is that by the time it’s reached DVD there’s a backlash questioning if it’s really all that good. And 12 Years a Slave is no exception.
Message boards are abuzz with people claiming it’s all a case of the emperor’s new clothes and that people’s judgement of the film is clouded by the dreaded “white guilt. These critics are making the slightly strange and worrying declaration that people are only claiming to have been moved by the film to prove how liberal and empathetic they are. They’re asking is it really that well-made and important? Is Steve McQueen really an incredibly talented and exciting new force in filmmaking? Are Chiwetel Ejifor and Lupita Nyong’o’s performances really that amazing? Well, having now seen the picture for a second time I can say definitively: yes.
But I must admit I wasn’t particularly looking forward to my second viewing. 12 Years a Slave is a tough, harrowing gut-punch of a film, made all the more effective by the fact that it’s a true story. But it’s also a staggeringly beautiful one. On my first viewing I was, like everyone else, completely taken aback by the brutality it portrays and left the cinema blown away but not all that keen to put myself through that again. But on my second watch when I knew what to expect, I was much more able to appreciate the artistry of the film.
McQueen and his DP Sean Bobbitt film Solomon Northup’s tale with painterly vision and it’s recreation of 1850s America from the elegance of civilised Saratoga and Washington to the sweaty antebellum south is visually stunning and atmospheric. This has the effect of making the degradation and sudden bursts of violence even more jarring and hard to bear.
The film has, perhaps inevitably, been compared to Schindler’s List in that it’s a story of unimaginable cruelty and human suffering captured in an artful fashion. But while Spielberg’s film was full of lyricism and the occasional sentimentality that helped soften the blow McQueen takes a more unflinching approach. He has plenty of lyrical moments such as the focus on the churning paddles of the steamship carrying slaves into Georgia and bondage and slow dreamy shots of the beautiful but deadly Louisiana swampland. But, as with his startling debut Hunger, he pulls absolutely no punches and confronts the viewer straight on with the terrible things that are happening.
The use of long, unbroken shots have almost become McQueen’s signature now but the scene in which Northup is lynched and then left dangling with just his toes touching the ground is particularly memorable as the plantation goes about its business in the background completely ignoring him. This is so effective at showing how brutality against slaves was so commonplace that it became mundane. Equally disturbing is the scene with Paul Giamatti’s slaver showing off his wares. Giamatti is such a recognisably friendly and avuncular presence that he way he chats and offers his customers refreshments while they peruse the naked, terrified and completely dehumanized slaves he has on offer is twisted and deeply upsetting.
It would be easy to go on for pages and pages about the various scenes and moments that coalesce so well into this exceptional film, but it isn’t flawless. One of the biggest problems is with producer Brad Pitt’s decision to insert himself into the film in a small but pivotal role. His appearance comes in the final act when you’re already completely immersed in the story so it’s frustrating to find yourself suddenly going “Hey, it’s Brad Pitt. He’s a fine actor and gives a believable performance but it’s just very distracting to have such a big name pop up, especially as he’s playing a heroic saviour.
But it’s a little niggle that doesn’t come close to spoiling the effect of the film which is absolutely worth owning. Although it’s hardly the kind of movie you’re going to want to whip out on a Friday night with some popcorn it is the kind that you’ll want to revisit every few years and it’s likely that as the years go by it’s going to be remembered as a truly important piece of work.
It’s disappointing then that the DVD extras are so sparse. There are a couple of very short documentaries, one detailing the design of the film with a look at costumes, sets and cinematography and the other discusses Hans Zimmer’s haunting score. These are both interesting but something that delved a little deeper into the film’s themes and subject matter would have been nice.
Overall Verdict: Although it obviously has less impact than seeing it for the first time on the big screen this is still an awe inspiringly powerful and gut-wrenching film that needs to be seen more than once.
Special Features:
Featurette about costumes, production design and cinematography
Featurette about Hans Zimmer’s score.
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon