- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,416
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
An entire century separate two films that deal with similar situations in very different ways.
D.W. Griffith's film, which today is more of an educational exercise, than a pleasant experience to watch, cast white actors in negro roles in 1914, for his epic production about the Klan, based upon the novel The Clansman, by Thomas F. Dixon, Jr.
It's difficult to view today for many reasons.
A hundred years later, Nate Parker and company tell a variant of the same story, from a totally different perspective.
Still difficult to watch, it is however, both a reminder as well as a condemnation of the treatment of black Americans beginning early in the 19th century, and following a specific group of families, both black and white, through to the period of the antebellum South.
To me, Mr. Parker's work gave us everything that was lacking in the remix of Roots, which told a similar tale, but was prettified.
I first saw the film a couple of months ago on DVD, and while the story came across with almost full impact, Fox's new 4k UHD release adds a huge layer of purely visceral power to the mix.
I've noted that this isn't a pleasant film to watch, but it should be seen, as it tells a tale that needs to be remembered. While Lincoln freed the slaves a century and a half ago, and while much has been accomplished since the confrontations of the 1960s, we have quite a ways to go.
Will this film help?
It just might.
A beautifully constructed and produced film, and a gorgeous 4k UHD experience.
Shot with an Arri Alexa and a Red Epic Dragon in 2.8 and 5k, the film was finished as a 2K DI.
Image - 5
Audio - 5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Pass / Fail - Pass
Highly Recommended
RAH
D.W. Griffith's film, which today is more of an educational exercise, than a pleasant experience to watch, cast white actors in negro roles in 1914, for his epic production about the Klan, based upon the novel The Clansman, by Thomas F. Dixon, Jr.
It's difficult to view today for many reasons.
A hundred years later, Nate Parker and company tell a variant of the same story, from a totally different perspective.
Still difficult to watch, it is however, both a reminder as well as a condemnation of the treatment of black Americans beginning early in the 19th century, and following a specific group of families, both black and white, through to the period of the antebellum South.
To me, Mr. Parker's work gave us everything that was lacking in the remix of Roots, which told a similar tale, but was prettified.
I first saw the film a couple of months ago on DVD, and while the story came across with almost full impact, Fox's new 4k UHD release adds a huge layer of purely visceral power to the mix.
I've noted that this isn't a pleasant film to watch, but it should be seen, as it tells a tale that needs to be remembered. While Lincoln freed the slaves a century and a half ago, and while much has been accomplished since the confrontations of the 1960s, we have quite a ways to go.
Will this film help?
It just might.
A beautifully constructed and produced film, and a gorgeous 4k UHD experience.
Shot with an Arri Alexa and a Red Epic Dragon in 2.8 and 5k, the film was finished as a 2K DI.
Image - 5
Audio - 5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Pass / Fail - Pass
Highly Recommended
RAH
