I haven't seen anyone shyt on this....although...I'm not looking either...
The Birth of a Nation (Official Thread)
- Thread starter BlackMajik
- Start date
notPsychosiz
I started this gangsta sh-
It would of made many times more on Netflix.
Fox bought this to bury it. It isn't even in every theatre, its limited release and they let the rape nonsense overshadow it, purposefully.
All the double theatres are only showing Storks and the Miss Pregrine's home for Peculiar Children.
Its only at major cineplex in black areas and arthouse theatres.
Netflix would have gotten immediate mass release.
Also, some ppl don't feel safe going to see it because they believe sharing a theatre with nutso degenerate cacs is unsafe.
Its the highest critic reviewed film out right now in theatres 75/100 (followed by the Disney movie Queen something at 71, and Deepwater Horizon at 68) but its also simyktaneously the lowest user reviewed 51/100 cause cacs that haven't seen it simply 1-stared it.
Its literally in half the theatres Storks is in. Its in less theatres than Kevin Hart's stand-up film next week. .. but its Fox.
Terrible release, and also a poor release date.
Its out against a samuel jackson movie (Peculiar Children) and a black thriller (Bough Breaks). Next week is Kevin Hart's stand-up special, week after that is Tyler Perry's Madea.
Completely burried.
Rapmastermind
Superstar
GRADE: A 5/5 STARS (BEST SLAVE STORY IN FILM EVER)
Nate did it, he finally did what no black actor, producer, director could do in the last 100 years (Or White ones but I don’t expect this from them). Make a Slavery Film where there isn’t a “White Savior”, why does that matter you ask? Well it paints a false picture that Black People were docile and accepted Slavery when that wasn't the case. With this film Nate being born in Virginia directing and writing it gave the film such a personal touch. That’s right a Black man was not only unapologetically black but it was told through his eyes. This was a very beautiful film. Nate performance was so good, so believable on so many levels. You believed in him, you saw the struggle, you saw the pain he witnessed. By the time of the rebellion you felt it was the only option. Instead of singing “We Shall Overcome, Someday”. Nat Turner decided “Someday” was “Today”.
The brutality of Slavery was the focus and reason for the rebellion and Nate did an amazing job showing the emotions and feelings of the slaves. It was the little things that mattered like showing Nat Turner picking cotton for the first time cutting his fingers. Or how he was in a tight family unit in such a stressful situations but everyone was still on code. Jackie Early did great as 5.0 aka The Police 1800’s aka The Negro Slave Patrol Overseers. Nate used symbolism to show how Nat Turner issues still plague us today as black people. The movie starts out with Nat Turner as a child witnessing his father fight back against Slave Patrols and shows how he secretly learned to read (Punishable by death back them) and goes right to him as an adult. It’s focus 100% through Nat Turner’s eyes.
He touched on the "House Negro/Field Negro" concept so well. He broke down the “Good White People” concept and how at the end of the day White People even with good hearts have continued the institution of the oppression of Black People. He touched on the origins of the Police and how they were Slave Catchers and enforcers. He broke down how there are Plantation Negro Overseers which are older black men that keep the young ones in check. I also enjoyed how the film hit on “Selling out aka C**nin”. Basically Nat Turner was selling out his people by doing these preacher tours for money for his master. While on tour he sees the brutality even more than on his plantation. Arnie Hammer did a fantastic job in his role as Nat Slave Owner. He actually played what seemed during the film as a pretty nice Slave Master most of the movie until his true colors were revealed (At the end of the day he’s still a slave master).
Sexual Abuse was a part of the movie and it should be. Black Men, Women and Children were raped against their will constantly during slavery. I also enjoyed how it showed slaves still using African traditions. I thought the women did well even though Gabreille's part was small, she still had a very powerful scene in the film. The Slave Auction where he found his wife (Aja King was great and beautiful) was horrible beyond belief. Both the Mother and Grandmather reminded me of how tight my mother and her grandmother are as they kept the family together. The movie was able to completely take you right back to slavery and show you what truly happen. Nat Master falls on hard times with a cotton drought and decides after convincing to take Nat on Bible Tours to keep other slaves in check on different plantations. After doing tours to over 10 plantations, Nate began to change his tune as he saw more and more brutality.
He used the scriptures against the Slave Owners in the way Martin Luther King used the constitution to get Civil Rights Laws eventually passed. Using their own words against them. In Nat case, he used the word of God and Religion against them. The same God that as forced on to him through Bible and White Christianity indoctrination. After a buildup of many factors he decided it was time to finally fight back. The Rebellion was raw as with nothing more than farming tools, he takes out his Slave Master and all the crew in the house. Soon he gathers more and more slaves and they went to plantation after plantation boding Slave Masters and their families. Every time it happen at night to catch them off guard. The climax was in a town called Jerusalem (How symbolic). It was an Epic Slave Battle with Police Overseers and military men and slaves with Nat Turner holding a sword (Like Exacliber) out there. Nat and the Slaves ran right into bullets and he inspired them with scripture, it was deep. You have to remember, this was a small town in South Hampton. So the scale was perfectly fine. Sadly, as we all know Nat and his team of slaves were ambushed and many of them killed. He goes on the run for a while before turning himself in. In front of a public square he’s hanged before seeing a Black Angel before him. They played Nina Simone showing bodies hanging from trees. Powerful.
This movie is the anti-thesis to the original “Birth of Nation” that treated Black men as savages who only wanted to rape White Woman while glorifying the murderous and terrorist that are the KKK. This movie shows the true history of the birth of our Nation. The controversy surrounding the film is calculated and a smear campaign. Because there is an agenda to not show Black People Liberating ourselves. Nope, no White person came in at the last minute and saved Nat Turner. He saved himself and took many slaves with him. Though the rebellion failed in the end, it succeeded because for that small time they were all free. This movie should be nominated so several of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor and Supporting Actor. Nate past is being used as a smokescreen from the reality that there are White people still in denial abou the brutality of Slavery and yes there are Black people who don’t want to be empowered. some of it from self hatred programed in us from Slavery. They’d rather believe everything that is spoon fed to them by the same people that have enslaved us.
Yes White Society at large has hidden Black History from not only Black people but White people as well. The fact they want us to “Move On” or “Get Over” Slavery is because they don’t want to be held accountable for the sins that have allowed White Society to be where it is today. We are owed Reparations YESTERDAY. It’s long overdue. Overall I’m very proud of Nate. He took a shoestring budget and made a work of art. Technically the film was on point, I was floored by a lot of the shots Nate used. The dream sequences were dope. The african tribal stuff, The movie was shot so beautifully. The cotton fields looked amazing. The country landscapes are why the South will always be very majestic. I don’t what to hear any more excuses from these Hollywood Blacks talking about “Nobody will LET me make this or make that”. B.S., Just make it and be unapologetic about it.
Thank You Nate the movie hurt because of all the truth you put on screen but I left a better man because I got to see for the first time my ancestors didn’t lay down. History will be the final judge of this film not all these bias and agenda driven hit pieces. See this film to understand no we weren’t “Happy Slaves”. We fought back and we fought back HARD no matter how they tried to bury it. Lastly there are reports that “A Rape was the reason he started the rebellion instead of a full eclipse”. This is false, it was a combination of several things and the full Eclipse was shown in the film. This is what I mean, agenda driven. They do not want Black People to be empowered and see what this country truly did to us. This is why the History books in school lied about slavery. This is why the movies are always sanitized. It’s a way to keep the truth hidden from us. This is why they are just now opening an African American History museum hundreds of years later.
I don’t want to call this “The Black Braveheart” because this is a whole different movie but the themes are similar. Also Nate last line was just as dope as Mel Gibson, but Christopher Wallace not William would be so proud (I caught that Nate, dope). Better than Django because it was realer and the Black Man didn’t need a savoir or help. He picked up those farming tools and did it himself. Better than “12 Years” because it didn’t fall into the “White Savior” trap (Cough, Brad Pitt saves the day, Cough) though “12 Years” was still amazing. This is the slave movie they don’t want us to see which is why they’ve done everything to destroy the movie but it won’t work. History will reveal “Birth of a Nation” as a Classic. Nate will be talking about this movie for the rest of his career. Salute. After 100 years of Slave movies told "To" us. We finally have our own FUBU film (For Us By Us).
The brutality of Slavery was the focus and reason for the rebellion and Nate did an amazing job showing the emotions and feelings of the slaves. It was the little things that mattered like showing Nat Turner picking cotton for the first time cutting his fingers. Or how he was in a tight family unit in such a stressful situations but everyone was still on code. Jackie Early did great as 5.0 aka The Police 1800’s aka The Negro Slave Patrol Overseers. Nate used symbolism to show how Nat Turner issues still plague us today as black people. The movie starts out with Nat Turner as a child witnessing his father fight back against Slave Patrols and shows how he secretly learned to read (Punishable by death back them) and goes right to him as an adult. It’s focus 100% through Nat Turner’s eyes.
He touched on the "House Negro/Field Negro" concept so well. He broke down the “Good White People” concept and how at the end of the day White People even with good hearts have continued the institution of the oppression of Black People. He touched on the origins of the Police and how they were Slave Catchers and enforcers. He broke down how there are Plantation Negro Overseers which are older black men that keep the young ones in check. I also enjoyed how the film hit on “Selling out aka C**nin”. Basically Nat Turner was selling out his people by doing these preacher tours for money for his master. While on tour he sees the brutality even more than on his plantation. Arnie Hammer did a fantastic job in his role as Nat Slave Owner. He actually played what seemed during the film as a pretty nice Slave Master most of the movie until his true colors were revealed (At the end of the day he’s still a slave master).
Sexual Abuse was a part of the movie and it should be. Black Men, Women and Children were raped against their will constantly during slavery. I also enjoyed how it showed slaves still using African traditions. I thought the women did well even though Gabreille's part was small, she still had a very powerful scene in the film. The Slave Auction where he found his wife (Aja King was great and beautiful) was horrible beyond belief. Both the Mother and Grandmather reminded me of how tight my mother and her grandmother are as they kept the family together. The movie was able to completely take you right back to slavery and show you what truly happen. Nat Master falls on hard times with a cotton drought and decides after convincing to take Nat on Bible Tours to keep other slaves in check on different plantations. After doing tours to over 10 plantations, Nate began to change his tune as he saw more and more brutality.
He used the scriptures against the Slave Owners in the way Martin Luther King used the constitution to get Civil Rights Laws eventually passed. Using their own words against them. In Nat case, he used the word of God and Religion against them. The same God that as forced on to him through Bible and White Christianity indoctrination. After a buildup of many factors he decided it was time to finally fight back. The Rebellion was raw as with nothing more than farming tools, he takes out his Slave Master and all the crew in the house. Soon he gathers more and more slaves and they went to plantation after plantation boding Slave Masters and their families. Every time it happen at night to catch them off guard. The climax was in a town called Jerusalem (How symbolic). It was an Epic Slave Battle with Police Overseers and military men and slaves with Nat Turner holding a sword (Like Exacliber) out there. Nat and the Slaves ran right into bullets and he inspired them with scripture, it was deep. You have to remember, this was a small town in South Hampton. So the scale was perfectly fine. Sadly, as we all know Nat and his team of slaves were ambushed and many of them killed. He goes on the run for a while before turning himself in. In front of a public square he’s hanged before seeing a Black Angel before him. They played Nina Simone showing bodies hanging from trees. Powerful.
This movie is the anti-thesis to the original “Birth of Nation” that treated Black men as savages who only wanted to rape White Woman while glorifying the murderous and terrorist that are the KKK. This movie shows the true history of the birth of our Nation. The controversy surrounding the film is calculated and a smear campaign. Because there is an agenda to not show Black People Liberating ourselves. Nope, no White person came in at the last minute and saved Nat Turner. He saved himself and took many slaves with him. Though the rebellion failed in the end, it succeeded because for that small time they were all free. This movie should be nominated so several of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor and Supporting Actor. Nate past is being used as a smokescreen from the reality that there are White people still in denial abou the brutality of Slavery and yes there are Black people who don’t want to be empowered. some of it from self hatred programed in us from Slavery. They’d rather believe everything that is spoon fed to them by the same people that have enslaved us.
Yes White Society at large has hidden Black History from not only Black people but White people as well. The fact they want us to “Move On” or “Get Over” Slavery is because they don’t want to be held accountable for the sins that have allowed White Society to be where it is today. We are owed Reparations YESTERDAY. It’s long overdue. Overall I’m very proud of Nate. He took a shoestring budget and made a work of art. Technically the film was on point, I was floored by a lot of the shots Nate used. The dream sequences were dope. The african tribal stuff, The movie was shot so beautifully. The cotton fields looked amazing. The country landscapes are why the South will always be very majestic. I don’t what to hear any more excuses from these Hollywood Blacks talking about “Nobody will LET me make this or make that”. B.S., Just make it and be unapologetic about it.
Thank You Nate the movie hurt because of all the truth you put on screen but I left a better man because I got to see for the first time my ancestors didn’t lay down. History will be the final judge of this film not all these bias and agenda driven hit pieces. See this film to understand no we weren’t “Happy Slaves”. We fought back and we fought back HARD no matter how they tried to bury it. Lastly there are reports that “A Rape was the reason he started the rebellion instead of a full eclipse”. This is false, it was a combination of several things and the full Eclipse was shown in the film. This is what I mean, agenda driven. They do not want Black People to be empowered and see what this country truly did to us. This is why the History books in school lied about slavery. This is why the movies are always sanitized. It’s a way to keep the truth hidden from us. This is why they are just now opening an African American History museum hundreds of years later.
I don’t want to call this “The Black Braveheart” because this is a whole different movie but the themes are similar. Also Nate last line was just as dope as Mel Gibson, but Christopher Wallace not William would be so proud (I caught that Nate, dope). Better than Django because it was realer and the Black Man didn’t need a savoir or help. He picked up those farming tools and did it himself. Better than “12 Years” because it didn’t fall into the “White Savior” trap (Cough, Brad Pitt saves the day, Cough) though “12 Years” was still amazing. This is the slave movie they don’t want us to see which is why they’ve done everything to destroy the movie but it won’t work. History will reveal “Birth of a Nation” as a Classic. Nate will be talking about this movie for the rest of his career. Salute. After 100 years of Slave movies told "To" us. We finally have our own FUBU film (For Us By Us).
"Birth of a Nation 1915"
"Birth of a Nation 100 Years Later On Columbus Day Weekend, Order and Balance has been restored"
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Lord_Chief_Rocka
Superstar
I completely disagree with thisIt would of made many times more on Netflix.
Fox bought this to bury it. It isn't even in every theatre, its limited release and they let the rape nonsense overshadow it, purposefully.
All the double theatres are only showing Storks and the Miss Pregrine's home for Peculiar Children.
Its only at major cineplex in black areas and arthouse theatres.
Netflix would have gotten immediate mass release.
Also, some ppl don't feel safe going to see it because they believe sharing a theatre with nutso degenerate cacs is unsafe.
Its the highest critic reviewed film out right now in theatres 75/100 (followed by the Disney movie Queen something at 71, and Deepwater Horizon at 68) but its also simyktaneously the lowest user reviewed 51/100 cause cacs that haven't seen it simply 1-stared it.
Its literally in half the theatres Storks is in. Its in less theatres than Kevin Hart's stand-up film next week. .. but its Fox.
Terrible release, and also a poor release date.
Its out against a samuel jackson movie (Peculiar Children) and a black thriller (Bough Breaks). Next week is Kevin Hart's stand-up special, week after that is Tyler Perry's Madea.
Completely burried.
Fox spends 17 million on an indie project, almost double what it cost to make, to bury it
It would of made many times more on Netflix.
Fox bought this to bury it. It isn't even in every theatre, its limited release and they let the rape nonsense overshadow it, purposefully.
All the double theatres are only showing Storks and the Miss Pregrine's home for Peculiar Children.
Its only at major cineplex in black areas and arthouse theatres.
Netflix would have gotten immediate mass release.
Also, some ppl don't feel safe going to see it because they believe sharing a theatre with nutso degenerate cacs is unsafe.
Its the highest critic reviewed film out right now in theatres 75/100 (followed by the Disney movie Queen something at 71, and Deepwater Horizon at 68) but its also simyktaneously the lowest user reviewed 51/100 cause cacs that haven't seen it simply 1-stared it.
Its literally in half the theatres Storks is in. Its in less theatres than Kevin Hart's stand-up film next week. .. but its Fox.
Terrible release, and also a poor release date.
Its out against a samuel jackson movie (Peculiar Children) and a black thriller (Bough Breaks). Next week is Kevin Hart's stand-up special, week after that is Tyler Perry's Madea.
Completely burried.
notPsychosiz
I started this gangsta sh-
I completely disagree with this
Fox spends 17 million on an indie project, almost double what it cost to make, to bury it
First, they only spent 7 mil in aquesition cause 10 was recoup for the cost of the project. They purchased a finished 10 milion dollar film for 7m.
Second, you disagree because you think 17 million dollars is alot. It isn't. Not to a major studio.
And third, you confuse the film not veing profitable with Fox taking a loss.
Fox is not taking a loss, they got what the service they paid for. They wanted it buried, its buried. Successful transaction.
You think Rupert Murdock spends hundreds of millions putting out anti-black rhetoric via Fox News and somehow doesn't have 7 million to bury a slave revolt flick.
He's worth 12 billion dollars.
Wake up.
I'll reduce the math to a more digestable level.
Its like if you had twelve thousand dollars and spent 7 dollars.
You could lose 7 (or 17 dollars) and literally never even notice.
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Lord_Chief_Rocka
Superstar
Birnin Zana
Honorary Wakandan
LeBron cosigns the film 
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Maxine Shaw
#ColiFam gave more $ 2 my students than my school
Hell, no. It's dead in the water. The brehs will spin the ever-loving fukk out of this, though.
Jokes aside, please check out Underground if you didn't watch it was on. Not sure if some of you brehs will appreciate black women doing something other than sitting around waiting to be raped, but it's still amazing. I thought it did an amazing job of showing how
house slaves didn't have it nearly as easy as we would've suspected. As the show helps us see, field slaves definitely had more gruesome conditions, but they had a family and a community and support amongst themselves, whereas field slaves were very much in the proverbial cage, which screwed them over in a lot of ways.
Hell, no. It's dead in the water. The brehs will spin the ever-loving fukk out of this, though.
Jokes aside, please check out Underground if you didn't watch it was on. Not sure if some of you brehs will appreciate black women doing something other than sitting around waiting to be raped, but it's still amazing. I thought it did an amazing job of showing howBonus points for the lack of white saviors, too. Yes, there is a white couple who are abolitionists, but they are just a piece to the puzzle, and the show makes it clear that what they were risking was mild compared to what the escaping slaves were facing.house slaves didn't have it nearly as easy as we would've suspected. As the show helps us see, field slaves definitely had more gruesome conditions, but they had a family and a community and support amongst themselves, whereas field slaves were very much in the proverbial cage, which screwed them over in a lot of ways.
@ the Oprah gif
R.E.N. Spells Ren
Veteran
I do agree the ending felt rushed. I'm not concerned with comparing gore, it's just that the whole movie was building to the revolt and it was planned and executed too fast. I don't think it has anything to do with Parker holding back, tho.
The Christianity angle is one where I think he may have held back (tho I don't know the history here). I, too, was impressed with how they showed it being used to control slaves, but thought they held back driving that point home. Especially with him saying "for every verse there is to support them keeping us in chains there's a verse condemning them for keeping us in chains". I thought they would go in on the brainwashing effect of religion. But I don't know the history, so maybe it's accurate that he never turned on Christianity.
LeeDoubleLee
Pro
well outside of all the controversy, this was not a good movie. there was zero indication or acknowledgement of the magnitude of what nat accomplished. the way it was filmed made it seem like the rebellion only lasted 8hrs. also there wasn't enough killing of white folks. we saw the slave masters torture their slaves but they got the kindest death possible in the movie (sudden and not that gory of scary).
ITA agree with @GoldenGlove
ITA agree with @GoldenGlove
loyola llothta
☭☭☭
Birnin Zana
Honorary Wakandan
A very good rebuttal to the "Birth of a Nation is an Epic fail" article (the historical inaccuracies article) that has been circling around.
Why Nate Parker’s 'The Birth of a Nation' Is an Epic Triumph
"In conclusion I’d like to address a recent article in The Nation by Dr. Leslie M. Alexander who tells us that, ”The Birth of a Nation is an Epic Fail,” because, ”Nearly everything in the movie is a complete fabrication.” (6) One has to wonder where Dr. Alexander’s sharp eye for historical inaccuracies was when “The Free State of Jones” came out last June. In any case, the real question regarding her attack of the film is, ”Why is it an epic fail when a Black filmmaker takes dramatic license with historical events, but White directors are often lauded for their diligence at making history ‘more’ dramatic to the modern (read: White) spectator?” Even though the director, Gary Ross, was admonished by critics (including yours truly) for the historical inaccuracies in “The Free State of Jones,” the film itself was not called an epic fail just because of these inaccuracies. What we have here regarding Dr. Alexander’s criticism of “The Birth of a Nation” is the selective application of a double standard which reveals the deep aesthetic segregation that exists between how Black filmmakers and Black films are judged, and how White filmmakers and White films are judged. Is it that we’ve grown so accustomed to White filmmakers white-washing history and removing people of color from the stage of historical progress that we refuse to extend the right of dramatic license to Black filmmakers? (7)
Two wrongs may not make a right, but a double standard surely makes fools of us all. Knowing that no cinematic representation could ever be 100% historically accurate, I would argue that Dr. Alexander’s criticism is really just another form of this aesthetic segregation against Black filmmakers writ large as film criticism. As long as Whites are changing the representation of history for dramatic purposes, only a minority of critics complain; but when a Black filmmaker makes changes to the representation of history for dramatic purposes, all of a sudden, one’s entire film is a “fabrication”.
In truth, I find Dr. Leslie Alexander’s complaints against “The Birth of a Nation” to be a thinly veiled attack against the director Nate Parker and his acquittal of rape charges 17 years ago, rather than any kind of meaningful criticism of the film itself. Only in America can you be a Black man acquitted of a crime and still be held morally accountable for it decades later; but a White police officer can murder a Black man in cold blood and not be held accountable criminally or morally for the act at all – whether or not it has been captured on camera. This is not a false equivalency, this is a statement against a broken justice system within a racially prejudiced society that considers all Black men guilty until proven innocent, and if that system can’t find the Black man guilty then the society attaches the stigma of guilt to the Black man to continue to besmirch his innocence and question his moral character. That some Blacks themselves are even joining in the besmirching of Nate Parker’s character after his acquittal, reveals the depth of our own internalized oppression. Do we let the White man go because it’s his system, but punish the Black man with impunity because it’s his fault he’s trapped in the White man’s system?
If it is just not possible in the art form of cinema for any film to be 100% historically accurate, then we should be judging the film not only by what it intends to represent, but also by the themes it explores and its dramatic execution and integrity. And to my eye, Nate Parker and all those who have worked on the film, “The Birth of a Nation”, have triumphed at bringing this much talked about, but still obscured historical event of Black collective rebellion and resistance to slavery to the screen."
Why Nate Parker’s 'The Birth of a Nation' Is an Epic Triumph
"In conclusion I’d like to address a recent article in The Nation by Dr. Leslie M. Alexander who tells us that, ”The Birth of a Nation is an Epic Fail,” because, ”Nearly everything in the movie is a complete fabrication.” (6) One has to wonder where Dr. Alexander’s sharp eye for historical inaccuracies was when “The Free State of Jones” came out last June. In any case, the real question regarding her attack of the film is, ”Why is it an epic fail when a Black filmmaker takes dramatic license with historical events, but White directors are often lauded for their diligence at making history ‘more’ dramatic to the modern (read: White) spectator?” Even though the director, Gary Ross, was admonished by critics (including yours truly) for the historical inaccuracies in “The Free State of Jones,” the film itself was not called an epic fail just because of these inaccuracies. What we have here regarding Dr. Alexander’s criticism of “The Birth of a Nation” is the selective application of a double standard which reveals the deep aesthetic segregation that exists between how Black filmmakers and Black films are judged, and how White filmmakers and White films are judged. Is it that we’ve grown so accustomed to White filmmakers white-washing history and removing people of color from the stage of historical progress that we refuse to extend the right of dramatic license to Black filmmakers? (7)
Two wrongs may not make a right, but a double standard surely makes fools of us all. Knowing that no cinematic representation could ever be 100% historically accurate, I would argue that Dr. Alexander’s criticism is really just another form of this aesthetic segregation against Black filmmakers writ large as film criticism. As long as Whites are changing the representation of history for dramatic purposes, only a minority of critics complain; but when a Black filmmaker makes changes to the representation of history for dramatic purposes, all of a sudden, one’s entire film is a “fabrication”.
In truth, I find Dr. Leslie Alexander’s complaints against “The Birth of a Nation” to be a thinly veiled attack against the director Nate Parker and his acquittal of rape charges 17 years ago, rather than any kind of meaningful criticism of the film itself. Only in America can you be a Black man acquitted of a crime and still be held morally accountable for it decades later; but a White police officer can murder a Black man in cold blood and not be held accountable criminally or morally for the act at all – whether or not it has been captured on camera. This is not a false equivalency, this is a statement against a broken justice system within a racially prejudiced society that considers all Black men guilty until proven innocent, and if that system can’t find the Black man guilty then the society attaches the stigma of guilt to the Black man to continue to besmirch his innocence and question his moral character. That some Blacks themselves are even joining in the besmirching of Nate Parker’s character after his acquittal, reveals the depth of our own internalized oppression. Do we let the White man go because it’s his system, but punish the Black man with impunity because it’s his fault he’s trapped in the White man’s system?
If it is just not possible in the art form of cinema for any film to be 100% historically accurate, then we should be judging the film not only by what it intends to represent, but also by the themes it explores and its dramatic execution and integrity. And to my eye, Nate Parker and all those who have worked on the film, “The Birth of a Nation”, have triumphed at bringing this much talked about, but still obscured historical event of Black collective rebellion and resistance to slavery to the screen."
the kid
Real Esquire, Not the Magazine
Good movie. Great message.