Emancipation movie storyline. Over 150 years from today, back in 1863 at Lousiana, a black slave, Gordon, had dreamt of the freedom of black people. Freedom means living their life to the fullest, just like their “White” masters: who considered themselves god of ‘these Animals’.
‘Emancipation’ is a tale of a black slave who fought his whole life to live with honor, dignity, and of course, a “Normal life” This is the tale of a person who risked his life to join the Lincoln Army, fighting to free his fellow brothers-sisters-sons-daughters. This image of Gordon was taken in 1863 after he managed to be free from his slave master. This is the most accurate depiction of slavery I’ve seen.
Emancipation is a 2022 American historical action thriller film set in Louisiana in the 1860s after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery in secessionist Confederate states. The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-produced by Will Smith, who stars as a runaway slave headed for Baton Rouge. He must survive the swamps while being chased by slave catchers and their dogs.
Written by William N. Collage, the biographical film is loosely based on a possibly conglomerated story of the lives of either or both of two formerly enslaved Black men named Gordon and “Whipped Peter”. That story was made famous by the photograph of a man’s bare back heavily scourged from an overseer’s whippings, published worldwide as magazine illustrations in 1863, and gave the abolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of slavery. Ben Foster stars as a ruthless slave hunter and Charmaine Bingwa as an enslaved wife and mother. The film employs an artistic desaturated color palette reminiscent of black-and-white film.
Producer Joey McFarland began researching the story in 2018, and hired Collage to write the script. The film was officially announced in June 2020, with Fuqua to direct and Smith to star. Filming was in Louisiana between July and August 2021, with Apple paying US$130 million to acquire the rights to the film, outbidding several other studios.
It was screened in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, and released in select cinemas on December 2, 2022, then streamed on December 9 on Apple TV+. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Smith’s performance, but criticized the screenplay and its handling of real-life events.
Emancipation (2022)
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Steven Ogg, Mustafa Shakir, Jayson Warner Smith, Gilbert Owuor, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Mote
Screenplay by: William N. Collage
Production Design by: Naomi Shohan
Cinematography by: Robert Richardson
Film Editing by: Conrad Buff IV
Costume Design by: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Set Decoration by: Cassie Catalanotto, Cynthia La Jeunesse
Art Direction by: Anne Costa, Tom Frohling, Shamim Seifzadeh
Music by: Marcelo Zarvos
MPAA Rating: R for strong racial violence, disturbing images and language.
Distributed by: Apple TV+
Release Date: December 2, 2022 (United States), December 9, 2022 (Apple TV+)
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