READ & SHARE: Slavery on Screen: Discussion With the Creators of Roots about 12 Years & Django CLICK LINK AND PRESS LIKE huffingtonpost/antonio-moore/slavery-displayed-on-screen_b_4138926.html -- Finally slavery is starting to be addressed head on at the theater in movies such as 12 years a Slave and Django Unchained. These films are taking a fresh look at the institution that defined the foundation of America, and bringing the time period to major theatrical releases. Contrasting the two films, where 12 years attempted to be true to form, Django took liberties in creating visuals on slavery that were overtly fictional. While the films take different approaches in storytelling, any critic must start with recognition for the creators taking the period on in art, and creating interpretations that provoke thought. Yet as they have brought the pieces to the main stream, the next question is what are the filmmakers responsibilities in preserving historical integrity and producing factually accurate portrayals of slavery as an institution. I recently visited the Warner Brothers studio lot in Hollywood, California and sat with Mark Wolper, the president of The Wolper Organization, the company that created the Roots saga. We discussed the benefits and dangers when creating content based on slavery, and his views on these current theatrical pieces. We also talked about where we need to take this Renaissance as we expand into current topics facing African Americans. To this day, the standard bearer for slavery on TV or film is the groundbreaking series Roots -- the story of Alex Haleys lineage. As stated by Newsweek, Roots remains the third most-watched miniseries of all time. It is also still considered the definitive mainstream portrait of slavery in the U.S. Airing in 1977 to an America still adjusting to a post-civil rights reality, the show was both controversial and educational. Talking to Mark Wolper, he stated, Initially ABC was set to air Roots weekly. They then saw the final footage, and thought America would have a hard time swallowing the reality of slavery on broadcast TV. They, as a result, aired it in a single week to sort of let the show go. In the end they were dead wrong on what Americas reception would be to the concept of slavery, and the series Roots aired as filmed to great praise. The eight-part mini series saw nearly 140 million viewers tune in, and is still one of the most watched shows in American History. Even in re-airing this past year, it set a new record on BET for cable viewing of the series. After Roots came a saga, with the subsequent Roots Next Generation and Queen. The three-part set -- being both Emmy-nominated and highly-rated -- appeared to state that America was ready to be honest about an institution that defined its own roots.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:25:20 +0000
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