I believe it depends on how it is handled. These kind of movies can be used quite well to educate our youth about problems in the past which may rear their heads in the present. I remember how much pride an avid Lakota student at the University of Minnesota Law Library had when Dances with Wolves won the Best Picture award. This pride also seemed to go throughout the Lakota communities in the Dakotas and Minnesota.

In this vein Fox Search Light is making available to high schools across the country the book by Solomon Northrup, a study guide and the film. It will be available to be taught in school as I expect Gravity will be taught in film school

That's wonderful news, and a very positive, constructive way for so many to benefit from the movie's message.

Been trying to watch 12 Years a Slave and I will have to take this one in increments. It is one of those stories that if it were a book and it had a happy ending, I would keep turning to the last pages just to get through the book. Hopefully, it has a happy ending as otherwise if would not just be limited to 12 years. Horrible to watch just how inhumane humans can treat other humans.

It reminded me of "The Passion Of The Christ" which I went to see with my lady friend. We both wished we hadn't gone to see it because it was too graphic.

12 Years a Slave I saw by myself at home on DVD and I thought it was also too graphic. The story was based on a true story but it's the director who gets to dramatize what may have already been dramatized in the book.

At least it had a happy ending with the man being reunited with his family. No more slave movies for me.

I agree. With Gracie and with wendyquat.

I could only watch The Passion of the Christ twice. Not sure I could watch it again. I got through 30 minutes of 12 Years a Slave but decided to return it to RedBox. I will watch some more of it on another night. At that price, I can just get it again. Not a DVD I would like to own unless I get it by winning a The-Numbers prediction contest. http://www.the-numbers.com/interacti...hp?newsID=9044

Another movie about evil ran rampant but in a small Iranian village is The Stoning of Soraya M. -- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stoning_of_soraya_m/. Very graphic in nature but worth a look.

I felt jerked around by gratuitous torture. got the movie at redbox, at least I wasted itty bitty $$.

I believe after watching the entire movie, the torture scenes were quite necessary to communicate just how bad some situations were involving slavery. A hard movie to watch and you do not find out what happened with the hero or really the villains either. There's an indication that Solomon Northrup became involved with the Underground Railroad and abolitionist movement but not much else than that. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/...years-a-slave/