Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Movie Version of Twelve Years a Slave

Movie Version of Twelve Years a Slave

I recently mentioned how powerful Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave was. Written in a more modern and more powerful style than Frederick Douglass' Autobiography--at least as dramatic as any adventure story of the time. It is also short enough that I found myself marveling that someone hadn't made into it a movie--it's short enough to make a fine two hour film without having to cut anything out. But I couldn't seem to find any details of a movie by that name.

And then a reader pointed me to this description of a 1984 made for TV production with the title Solomon Northup's Odyssey. Some of the comments criticize Avery Brooks' overacting in the role of Solomon Northup. I must say, I always enjoy Brooks' portrayal of "Hawk" in Spenser: For Hire, where he played one of those ambiguous characters who was both good and bad. But I can't say that I have seen Brooks in much else.

I'll keep my eyes peeled on Black Entertainment Television network for this to show up as a re-run--which would be the most obvious place to find it on cable.

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