[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

I'm with you Gracie. Seems there's enough sadness and trouble in this world without paying money to cry!

Everyone knows the tragic story and no one can change the past. I'm afraid these movies only cause further division and we should be working on ways to unite and solve our current and future problems!

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.

[claricecolin]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

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 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

[quirky3]

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

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by July Hancock

Best Picture, 86th Academy Awards, bravo!!! Kudos to Steve McQueen

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.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

What a powerful movie! But not easy to sit through.

As a former educator, I think it should be shown in every high school classroom in the country.

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.

[shcisamax]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

I'm with you Gracie. Seems there's enough sadness and trouble in this world without paying money to cry!

Everyone knows the tragic story and no one can change the past. I'm afraid these movies only cause further division and we should be working on ways to unite and solve our current and future problems!

I agree. With Gracie and with wendyquat.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

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 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.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

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

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

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/