Cinematic Slave Narratives

Good to know

The representation of African Americans, race and identity in popular media has noticeably changed in the hundred years since the emergence of modern cinema and, consequently, has shaped our biases and perceptions. The construction of race on screen influences the viewer’s identity as well as social attitudes towards others. These constructions are as complex as they are deeply personal, notably in terms of what tropes are used to represent specific racial identities and, indeed, how these form and change over time.

In this context, a new form of the historical epic, that of the cinematic slave narrative, has developed and stabilised over the past decade. In recent years, the development of the cinematic slave narrativehas been exponential; we have witnessed how “slavery has been re-introduced as a theme in American popular culture” (Hill). As Justene Hill suggests, film, television and new media have become the “safest space for viewers to contend with the complex history of slavery and race in America” (n.pag.). The struggle to understand the past and present now takes place “before a flat-screen television, through streaming movie websites, and in the comfort of movie theaters”. Films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (2013), Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation (2016), Ava DuVernay’s 13th (2016) and television series such as The Book of Negroes (Virgo and Hill, 2015), the remake of Roots (Van Peebles et al., 2015) or Underground (Green and Pokaski, 2016) have had considerable success in the theatres and in listings ratings, as well as with critics. They have inspired filmmakers “to bring slavery to the fore of American entertainment”, offering viewers a “more vivid, and perhaps more historically accurate, representations of slaves’ lived experiences in the United States” (Hill). With their capacity to display iconic images to mass audiences and in reimagining and influencing views of history, cinematic slave narratives have become key players in the public conversation about race, representation and African-American identity.

Increase & popularity

Due to its popularity, the cinematic slave narrative (both film and TV series) has also become lucrative. According to IMDb, Django Unchained scored $425.4 million at the box office, 12 Years a Slave earned $187.7 million, $556 million for DuVernay’s 13th, while The Book of Negroes accrued more than $360 million in DVD sales. It is probable that since a commercial imperative tends to drive the cycle of popular themes in film, it will also impact the production of future cinematic slave narratives.

The increase in the production of cinematic slave narratives goes hand in hand with a highly divisive political climate and a general trend in black cinema to keep an informative and educational conversation at the cultural forefront. As Dexter Gabriel argues, “slave films tend to reflect the politics of the moment. … We have a hard time talking about slavery to each other, so films become the surrogate”. Moreover, the increase in black film and series productions has given black actors and characters greater agency within the industry, as well as the opportunity to portray historical figures with greater depth. For example, TV shows such as Roots or The Book of Negroes exemplify the proliferation of the long-format series, where characters may be gradually developed, and their stories more richly articulated.

Background info

It is important to consider how the political and social milieu of twenty-first-century America has contributed to the positive reception of cinematic slave narratives. Critics argue that the build-up of enthusiasm behind films about slavery has been informed by prevailing social concerns such as the accumulation of frustrations and racial tension, for instance in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as the final months of Barack Obama’s presidency and the protracted 2016 election campaign. In a time characterised by, among other issues, the resurgence of white nationalism, cinematic slave narratives have sparked considerable public dialogue about race, and continue to make a timely contribution to current debates on the role of minority groups in American society in the early twenty-first century. The release of films such as The Birth of a Nation (2016) or Moonlight (2016) also dovetailed with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and seemed to provide a belated corrective in the aftermath of the #OscarsSoWhite debate (Barnes, “Tricky Goal”). These movements were created to protest police brutality and the decades-long rise of for-profit prisons, a judicial system which appears biased against black communities, and the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan’s rebirth in some Southern states (Archibald). As Hill suggests, in this time of political uncertainty, when right-wing populist groups are gaining traction in the press and high-level public affairs, the role of popular culture and media is essential in helping viewers take in and digest the stark reality of the “failed idea of a ‘post racial’ America”.

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