In Class Essay

In my US History class, we watched the movies Glory and Twelve Years a Slave, both of which involve pre-civil war history in the United States. Although it might seem to an outsider that we are not learning in this class, the reality I experience is quite different. Through watching these two movies and researching their backgrounds, I was able to further develop my analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances and attitudes.

I started out by researching the historical accuracy of each film. Glory was extremely true to the historical accounts it was based upon. Roger Ebert cites the shoes given to the soldiers, the battle strategy used, and the plot as a whole as examples of the movie’s dedication to historical accuracy. The two instances in which Roger Ebert contends the movie was not a completely accurate account are the tearing of the soldiers paychecks and the three african american soldiers the audience deals with most closely. While the paychecks were torn up after the men found out they were to be paid less than the white soldiers, the problem is not dealt with again in the movie. Ebert noted that in historical accounts, the paycheck inequality was an issue which lasted for several months, and that the film would have painted a more accurate picture of the soldier’s condition had they revisited this conflict later in the film. His other point was that the soldiers we see in the tent represent types of soldiers seen in the actual regiment, but do not reflect any one individual. With only these two minor lapses in historical accuracy, it is no wonder many US History teachers show this film to their students.

Twelve Years a Slave, however, did not maintain as close a relationship with historical accuracy. Artistic liberties are taken with the movie from the very first scene. The Atlantic was unable to find any record of the sexual encounter between Solomon and a female slave ever occurring. Later, the movie shows Robert being stabbed when he tried to stop one of the crew members from raping a female slave. This meant that the escape plan devised by Robert, Clemens, and Solomon was no longer feasible. Time magazine points out that according to the written account however, their plan could not be executed because Robert died from small pox. They point out how silly it is to imagine someone destroying over one thousand dollars of merchandise because the slave annoyed them. In a related note, Solomon also got small pox on the boat ride, and that left him with horrible scarring all over his face. The director chose to leave this fact out of the movie to let us see Solomon’s  unblemished, expressive face.

While the two movies delved into similar time periods, the ways in which they were executed were quite different. Glory was a very accurate film while Twelve Years a Slave succeeded in creating a film to which audiences could relate, and perhaps begin to understand the real horror of slavery. The film was even relatable to people in other countries. According to Box Office Mojo, Twelve Years a Slave grossed $187,733,202, of which only $56,671,993 was domestic. Glory did not share the same universality, and fittingly was not released abroad, and grossed only $26,828,365 domestically. 
      Glory had the historical accuracy but lacked the conviction and intensity of emotion demonstrated by Twelve Years a Slave, and for this reason was less successful in the box office. Glory also chose to focus on a white man as the main character, which is in contrast to Twelve Years a Slave where Solomon is both black and the main character. This is entirely opposite the idea that people wouldn't go out to see a movie with black lead actors. I think Twelve Years a Slave is better able to transform the historical evidence into an engaging story than Glory is, and although the facts may not all line up, Twelve Years a Slave creates the right impression of the time period; i.e., while the account is not completely accurate, it provides moviegoers with an account which is true and that creates the right feeling about slavery. 











Sources:Time Magazine article Provided fact checking for Twelve Years a Slave ,The Atlantic Provided fact checking for Twelve Years a Slave,Interview.com Interview with Steve Mcqueen about Twelve Years a Slave, Box Office Mojo Provided Profits from Glory, Box Office Mojo Twelve years Provided profits from Twelve Years a Slave. Roger Ebert, Expert critique of Glory

Glory Movie Poster

12 Years a Slave Movie poster

Trip

Solomon and others reporting cotton production

Eliza hurting Patsey