''Emancipation'' is a 2022 American
historical
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
action thriller film set in
Louisiana in the 1860s after President
Abraham Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
to end most
slavery in the US. The film was directed by
Antoine Fuqua and co-produced by
Will Smith, who stars as a
runaway slave headed for
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
. He must survive the swamps while being chased by
slave catchers and their dogs. Written by William N. Collage, the
biographical film
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
is loosely based on a possibly conglomerated story of the lives of either or both of two formerly enslaved Black men named
Gordon and "Whipped Peter". That story was made famous by the photograph of a man's bare back heavily
scourged from an
overseer's whippings, published worldwide as magazine illustrations in 1863, and gave the
abolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of slavery.
Ben Foster stars as a ruthless slave hunter and
Charmaine Bingwa as an enslaved wife and mother. The film employs an artistic desaturated color palette reminiscent of
black-and-white film
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
.
Producer
Joey McFarland began researching the story in 2018, and hired Collage to write the script. The film was officially announced in June 2020, with Fuqua to direct and Smith to star. Filming was in Louisiana between July and August 2021, with
Apple paying to acquire the rights to the film, outbidding several other studios.
It was screened in
Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2022, and released in
select cinemas on December 2, 2022, then streamed on December 9 on
Apple TV+. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Smith's performance, but criticized the screenplay and its handling of real-life events.
Plot
In the 1860s, the African-American enslaved
Peter escapes from Louisiana to freedom. In the opening scene, Peter is seen sitting on the floor knelt before his wife. His children are sitting around him, eagerly listening to the words he speaks as he washes his wife’s feet. Suddenly a group of white men appear in the doorway and tells Peter to "come on boy". They snatched him out of the house and Peter puts up a brief fight until one of the men points a gun at his wife’s head. He then tell the men that he will walk. Peter is then hit in the back of his head, put into the back of a cage, and taken from his family to an unknown destination. He works on a railroad in Clinton, Louisiana.
Cast
*
Will Smith as
Peter
*
Ben Foster as Fassel
*
Charmaine Bingwa as Dodienne
*
Steven Ogg as Sergeant Howard
*
Mustafa Shakir as
Andre Cailloux
*
Timothy Hutton as Senator John Lyons
* Gilbert Owuor as Gordon
*
Grant Harvey as Leeds
*
Ronnie Gene Blevins as Harrington
* Jabbar Lewis as Tomas
*
Michael Luwoye as John
* Aaron Moten as Knowls
* Imani Pullum as Betsy
*
David Denman as General
William Dwight
Production
On June 15, 2020, it was reported that
Antoine Fuqua would direct
Will Smith in ''Emancipation'', based on a
spec script written by William N. Collage.
Producer
Joey McFarland, who had started researching and developing the film in 2018, recruited Collage to write the script.
Fuqua said:
Warner Bros,
MGM,
Lionsgate, and
Universal Pictures bid on the film before
Apple ultimately won distribution rights for over .
In August 2021,
Ben Foster,
Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, and
Mustafa Shakir joined the cast.
Smith earned $35 million for his part in the film.
Principal photography was expected to begin on May 3, 2021, in
Los Angeles.
It was later set to begin on June 21, 2021, in
Georgia,
but on April 12, it was announced that the film would be shot elsewhere due to the recently-enacted
Election Integrity Act of 2021
The Election Integrity Act of 2021, originally known as the Georgia Senate Bill 202, is a law in the U.S. state of Georgia overhauling elections in the state. It mandates voter identification requirements on absentee ballots, limits the use of ...
. Smith and Fuqua said in a joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access."
The location move was reported to have cost approximately .
Filming was announced to take place in
New Orleans from July 12 to August 21, 2021.
On August 2, filming paused for five days due to several positive
COVID-19 tests. Additional casting for the film was announced in November and December.
Release
A screening of ''Emancipation'' was held at the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 51st Annual Legislative Conference in
Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, with Smith and Fuqua in attendance to give a subsequent Q&A discussion. It was screened in
Los Angeles, on October 24, 2022. The film premiered in theaters on December 2, 2022, and was streamed on Apple TV+ on December 9.
In May 2022, the film's release was reportedly delayed to a 2023 date, due to numerous production delays, the
controversy over Smith slapping Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
at the
94th Academy Awards, and an overcrowded film release schedule from Apple.
It was subsequently moved to December 2022.
Reception
Accolades
See also
*
List of films featuring slavery
References
External links
*
{{Apple TV+
2022 action drama films
2022 action thriller films
2020s American films
2020s chase films
2020s English-language films
2020s historical action films
2020s historical drama films
2020s historical thriller films
Action films based on actual events
American action drama films
American action thriller films
American chase films
American films based on actual events
American historical action films
American historical drama films
American historical thriller films
Apple TV+ original films
Drama films based on actual events
Escape Artists films
Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films about American slavery
Films directed by Antoine Fuqua
Films produced by Will Smith
Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos
Films set in Louisiana
Films shot in New Orleans
Overbrook Entertainment films
Thriller films based on actual events