History Film / TwelveYearsASlave

Solomon Northup is a violinist in Saratoga, New York in 1841. He's a loving husband, a devoted father, a respected man of his community -- and a free-born black man. One day, two men calling themselves Hamilton and Brown entice Solomon to come with them on a tour of cities and counties further south, where Solomon would play for circuses and concert audiences, and win plenty of money, if he only just kept going South. A little further South. And in Washington D.C....

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Not that the ending is by any means completely happy, but the pure hell Solomon goes through for twelve years makes that reunion with his family that much more of a joyous relief.]]

* ForegoneConclusion: We know from the get go that Solomon's ordeal in slavery is gonna last twelve years.

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: Tibeats, Epps and Mrs. Epps were all ''worse'' in real life, if you can believe that to be possible. See HollywoodHistory, below.

* LeaveTheCameraRunning: One where after being rescued from being hung by Tibeats, Solomon has to wait with the noose around his neck and his toes on the ground for Ford to come back. The camera stays on him, forcing to audience to take in this uncomfortable situation the way the slaves forced to do it were.

* NobleBigot: Solomon views Ford as this. He believes that because he's a NiceGuy, he's simply a slaver under circumstance. Ends up getting {{deconstructed}} because a NobleBigot is ''still'' a bigot; while Ford may be nice, he still simply sees slaves as property and end up selling Solomon to an even crueler slaver to get out of a debt.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: The sheriff at the end comes across as this. He adresses the slaves as "boy", just like any other white Southerner, but also insists that Solomon be released once he is sure who he really is.

* StupidEvil: The slave owners had no qualms about beating their workforce half to death or even hanging them, despite their value. In the 1850s a good field slave usually sold for $1000 (about $30,000 in 2014 currency), [[http://acadianahistorical.org/items/show/49 while Epps bought Solomon (as "Platt") for $1500]]. For a rather poor DeepSouth farmer, this was a small fortune. It would have been expected they might treat their slaves better, if only to get them more productive in the fields.

* VillainousBreakdown: Epps succumbs to hysterical fury [[spoiler:when Patsey is unaccounted for on the Sabbath. He is so furious that she went somewhere without his knowledge or permission that he has her whipped on the spot.]] His fury is also great, but not quite as destructive, when [[spoiler:Solomon is freed from him forever.]]

** Epps was, if anything, [[HistoricalVillainDowngrade far, far worse]] in RealLife than he was in the movie. For a start, in addition to his "dancing moods", he also had ''whipping'' moods where he would start whipping and chasing his slaves randomly for no reason. He was much more abusive to Patsey as well, and the savage whipping he gives her (and makes Northup give her) lasted even ''longer'' than it did in the movie. In addition, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Epp's didn't slip in the mud]] when chasing Northup.

* DeadGuyJunior: After Solomon is freed, he returns to discover that his daughter is married and Solomon now has a grandson who is named after him]].

** Ford is portrayed as more of a hypocrite here than in the book, and is shown to be somewhat troubled by slavery but to go on being a slaver anyway; in the book, Northup has nothing but praise for him and says that he was totally blind and innocent to the evils of slavery due to his cultural upbringing. Also, he actually ''sold'' Northup to Tibeats, so protecting him was more charitable than presented (he's not protecting his own property - except technically, since Tibeats was slow on payment) and it was ''Tibeats'' who sold Northup to Epps. The overseer who saves Northup's life is portrayed as a more merciful man in the book as well.

The film ''[[TheFilmOfTheBook Twelve Years a Slave]]'' was released across the United States in October of 2013 and has received rave reviews, including commendation for its unrelenting, yet straightforward portrayal of slavery, and the astounding performances of its cast, including English actor Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor as protagonist Solomon Northup, breakout star Creator/LupitaNyongo as Patsey, and Creator/MichaelFassbender's harrowing turn as the unhinged sadist, Master Edwin Epps.

It was nominated for, and later won, the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Picture of 2013. Creator/LupitaNyongo won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and John Ridley won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

** Solomon Northup had three children when he was kidnapped, not two. The film omits his eldest daughter, Elizabeth. He was a carpenter by trade, not a musician, although he did play the violin and was indeed lured to Washington with promises of getting paid to do so, exactly like in the film. Also, it was not until after the book was published that he learned for certain that the two men he met at the start really had drugged and kidnapped him-he'd thought of it, certainly, but he always had doubts until a judge read his book and recognized them (and it was subsequently found that they had used false names and were actually a pair of known/suspected con men).

** No sailor raped or tried to rape Eliza or a female slave on the barge to New Orleans-apart from anything else, that would have been considered "vandalism /destruction of property" and could see the sailor fired at the very least. The slave-to-be Robert was not stabbed either; he died of smallpox. He, Northup and Andrew really ''did'' consider fighting the crew for the ship, but as in the movie, Robert's death scuppered that plan. Northup himself caught smallpox while on the boat and [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate his face was permanently scarred afterwards.]] It should be noted this event was included in the screenplay by John Ridley, but was possibly cut and simplified for time or budget reasons.

** Northup wasn't resold by Ford after the assault and hanging by Tibeats; in fact, Tibeats was a slave owner himself and Ford sold Northup to ''him'' to repay a debt. Keeping Northup safe from Tibeats was thus not Ford protecting his property (somewhat-Tibeats had not paid Ford the full price for Northup), and Ford sent Northup to his brother-in-law to keep him safe and tried to convince Tibeats that killing Northup would gain him nothing. A second, later attack by Tibeats, who ended up chasing Northup with an axe, led to Northup running from the plantation, but couldn't survive the swamps and returned to Ford some time later. Ford didn't sell him to Epps, either-it was ''Tibeats'' who sold him.

** Patsey never had tea with Mistress Shaw; she also never tried to bribe Northup to kill her. The latter is based on a misreading of the book- in fact, ''Mrs. Epps'' tried to bribe Northup to kill Patsey and dump her body in the swamp, though Northup muses that had Patsey known about this murderous request, she might have considered it. Ultimately, though, what Patsey wanted was to escape.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ford is horrified and disgusted when the man who sold him a slave cons him out of buying the slave's children as well just to earn more money-by pimping her out. She is a ''child''.

** Ford is portrayed as more of a hypocrite here than in the book, and is shown to be somewhat troubled by slavery but to go on being a slaver anyway; in the book, Northup has nothing but praise for him and says that he was totally blind and innocent to the evils of slavery due to his cultural upbringing. Also, he actually ''sold'' Northup to Tibeats, so protecting him was more charitable than presented (he's not protecting his own property- except technically, since Tibeats was slow on payment) and it was ''Tibeats'' who sold Northup to Epps. The overseer who saves Northup's life is portrayed as a more merciful man in the book as well.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Solomon ''finally'' manages to get word to his friends in the North via Bass, and they come to rescue him and bring him home to his family - but nonetheless the pain of those lost twelve years still hits hard, and moreover Patsey and millions like her are still enslaved. What's more, without Solomon in her corner it's unlikely Patsey will survive much longer. The notes at the end of the film reveal that Solomon never got justice against his kidnappers and died under unknown circumstances]].

* {{Irony}}: An incredibly gut-wrenching example occurs when Solomon is first held captive in Burch's dungeon. As he tries futilely crying out for help from the single barred window, the camera then scales up the building until it rests at the top, where the US Capitol Building can be seen in the background...

* ApatheticCitizens: We see slaves on the Epps' plantation quietly working together as the screams of fellow slaves being whipped fills the air. But they aren't accepting of it, so much as they know that the first move they make to help will have them under the lash themselves.
** Exemplified by the scene where Solomon spends hours on his tip toes to avoid hanging while the rest of the slaves go about their daily business around him as if he weren't there. Slave owners had likely done so their entire lives, as had generations before them. Even the Fords, who were not cruel to their slaves, clearly saw them as nothing more than property. This is {{lampshaded}} by Eliza when she tells Solomon that he views him as he would a prized steer.

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: We see slaves on the Epps' plantation quietly working together as the screams of fellow slaves being whipped fills the air. But they aren't accepting of it, so much as they know that the first move they make to help will have them under the lash themselves.
** Exemplified by the scene where Solomon spends hours on his tip toes to avoid hanging while the rest of the slaves go about their daily business around him as if he weren't there. Slave owners had likely done so their entire lives, as had generations before them. Even the Fords, who were not cruel to their slaves, clearly saw them as nothing more than property. This is {{lampshaded}} by Eliza when she tells Solomon that he views him as he would a prized steer.

* WinYourFreedom: Solomon's goal. His two best options are very risky: write a letter to his friends up North, while keeping it hidden from his masters that he can read and write, or trust someone else to go and write a letter, and risk that this person will rat him out or simply not follow up for fear of breaking the law. [[spoiler:The first option ended in failure as the person he trusted his money to, a former overseer named Armsby, ratted him out and revealed his ability to write to Epps. The second option succeeded with Samuel Bass, who writes and delivers the letter with the intended results.]]

* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Michael Fassbender's interpretation of Epps' character. [[http://www.flicksandbits.com/2013/09/10/michael-fassbender-interview-for-steve-mcqueens-12-years-a-slave/56371/ Read more here.]]

* InsaneTrollLogic: While [[NobleBigot Ford]] deals with his guilt by turning a blind eye to the more vicious and degrading aspects of slave life, Epps uses this trope to justify nearly everything immoral he does.

* DeadGuyJunior: [[spoiler: {{Inverted}}. After Solomon is freed, he returns to discover that his daughter is married and Solomon now has a grandson who is named after him]].

* CantHoldHisLiquor: When he's sober, Epps whips his slaves for every slight he can think of. When he's dangerously, deliriously drunk and in one of his "whipping moods," he'll whip them [[ItAmusedMe just for his own amusement]].

* {{Contortionist}}: In the film, Solomon is lured on the offer to provide music for a group of them.

* MercyKill: When Patsey asks Solomon to help kill her, he adamantly refuses because he believes he will commit a sin. Patsey then points out that what he will be doing is an act of mercy and since God is a god of mercy, then He will forgive him.

* TheOner: The absolutely ''horrific'' scene where Epps confronts a terrified Patsy for leaving the plantation, has her stripped and bound to a pole, forces ''Solomon'' to begin lashing her, and then finishes the lashing himself is all done in a single, four-minute take.

* SexSlave: Master Epps makes very little secret of the fact that Patsey is his toy in bed, and not just his "Queen of the Field." His wife doesn't like it.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: An odd variety. A key thing to remember is that legal slavery was not invented in the American south a few years before the events of this film. It had been going on in the American states and their preceding colonies for a little over 200 years. One of the reasons (other than the obvious ones) the audience sympathizes so much with Solomon is because he and Eliza are the only significant characters who've lost freedom and thus know the hell they're living in. To the other slaves being whipped, beaten, humiliated, separated permanently from loved ones, even lynched was just part of daily life. This is exemplified by the scene where Solomon spends hours on his tip toes to avoid hanging while the rest of the slaves go about their daily business around him as if he weren't there. Slave owners had likely done so their entire lives, as had generations before them. Even the Fords, who were not cruel to their slaves, clearly saw them as nothing more than property. This is {{lampshaded}} by Eliza when she tells Solomon that he views him as he would a prized steer. Even Mrs. Ford's callous comment about children being soon forgotten was likely a legitimate attempt to be compassionate based off of likely seeing it happen many times before. Of course the Epps' are just sadistic assholes. Thus, when Samuel Bass, an outsider and a Canadian abolitionist, lets Epps know what he thinks of slavery, Epps is completely baffled at someone criticizing a labor system he sees as completely normal.

** [[NobleBigot Master Ford seems like a nice guy at first.]] He tries to buy Eliza's daughter before learning that the price is too high. He treats Solomon well and appreciates his talents, but steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that Solomon was ever more than a slave. He seems prepared to defend Solomon's life against attack, yet immediately sells him to a "slave-breaker" to pay off a debt.

* PetTheDog: Epps is a thoroughly despicable character, but he is shown to dote on his biracial bastard daughter with Patsey. She may actually be the only person in the film Epps is genuinely nice to. And considering how big a bigot Epps is, it's quite jarring to see.

* HollywoodHistory: Mostly averted; the movie is a ''very'' accurate retelling of Northup's story (it should be noted that historical research has confirmed a great deal of the story) and a brutal and unflinching look at the realities of Southern slavery. That said, it does take a handful of liberties.
** Solomon Northup had three children when he was kidnapped, not two. The film omits his eldest daughter, Elizabeth. He was a carpenter by trade, not a musician, although he did play the violin and was indeed lured to Washington with promises of getting paid to do so, exactly like in the film. Also, it was not until after the book was published that he learned for certain that the two men he met at the start really had drugged and kidnapped him-he'd thought of it, certainly, but he always had doubts until a judge read his book and recognized them (and it was subsequently found that they had used false names and were actually a pair of known/suspected con men).
** Epps also had children; they are not shown in the movie.
** No sailor raped or tried to rape Eliza or a female slave on the barge to New Orleans-apart from anything else, that would have been considered "vandalism /destruction of property" and could see the sailor fired at the very least. The slave-to-be Robert was not stabbed either; he died of smallpox. He, Northup and Andrew really ''did'' consider fighting the crew for the ship, but as in the movie, Robert's death scuppered that plan. Northup himself caught smallpox while on the boat and [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate his face was permanently scarred afterwards.]] It should be noted this event was included in the screenplay by John Ridley, but was possibly cut and simplified for time or budget reasons.
** The film makes it appear that Northups' family had no idea what happened to him until near the end of the movie; in fact, Northup got a sympathetic sailor to deliver a letter to them explaining his abduction. They weren't able to find him because they had no idea what barge he was on or where it took him. There was also a lengthy and complicated legal process they underwent offscreen to prove that Platt was really Northup, and Bass had to post several letters, not just one.
** Northup wasn't resold by Ford after the assault and hanging by Tibeats; in fact, Tibeats was a slave owner himself and Ford sold Northup to ''him'' to repay a debt. Keeping Northup safe from Tibeats was thus not Ford protecting his property (somewhat-Tibeats had not paid Ford the full price for Northup), and Ford sent Northup to his brother-in-law to keep him safe and tried to convince Tibeats that killing Northup would gain him nothing. A second, later attack by Tibeats, who ended up chasing Northup with an axe, led to Northup running from the plantation, but couldn't survive the swamps and returned to Ford some time later. Ford didn't sell him to Epps, either-it was ''Tibeats'' who sold him.
** Epps was, if anything, [[HistoricalVillainDowngrade far, far worse]] in RealLife than he was in the movie. For a start, in addition to his "dancing moods", he also had ''whipping'' moods where he would start whipping and chasing his slaves randomly for no reason. He was much more abusive to Patsey as well, and the savage whipping he gives her (and makes Northup give her) lasted even ''longer'' than it did in the movie. In addition, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Epp's didn't slip in the mud]] when chasing Northup.
** Patsey never had tea with Mistress Shaw; she also never tried to bribe Northup to kill her. The latter is based on a misreading of the book- in fact, ''Mrs. Epps'' tried to bribe Northup to kill Patsey and dump her body in the swamp, though Northup muses that had Patsey known about this murderous request, she might have considered it. Ultimately, though, what Patsey wanted was to escape.
** Northup never had sex with another woman while in slavery (or if he did, he never mentioned it in the book); the film also downplays how devoutly Christian he was. Also, although the men who kidnapped him did indeed get away with their crime, he managed to publicly draw attention to the illegal slave trade in the North; and though Northup was forbidden to testify against Burch and co. in Washington (for the record, he was suing them), he did in fact later testify against the two con men (as did a judge who had met the three of them at the time of the abduction and personally knew both men). In the latter case, there were simply several legal complications, such as a lengthy argument about whether they should be tried in Washington or New York, i.e. a place a black man could testify against them versus a place he could not - it was decided it would be tried in New York, where he could and did (albeit at a hearing, they never got a trial), but this meant that three of the four charges against them were dropped as they took place in Washington. There were a number of arguments in their favor such as the plain and simple difficulties that come with the fact that the crime was committed over a decade before; in the event, the two men appealed which ended up going through the lower courts, to the New York Supreme Court, and finally to the New York Court of Appeals. Ultimately the case was simply dropped due to the legal difficulties and insufficient evidence. Had he been allowed to testify against Burch and co., he might have still faced these same legal problems.

* LeaveTheCameraRunning: One where after being rescued from being hung by Tibeats, Solomon has to wait with his neck around the noose and his toes on the ground for Ford to come back. The camera stays on him, forcing to audience to take in this uncomfortable situation the way the slaves forced to do it were.

A memoir by Solomon Northup, and later a film by artist and filmmaker Steve [=McQueen=] (no relation to the actor).

** When his wife sees Eliza weeping desperately at the loss of her children, she pities her, and says, "Have some food and rest. Your children will soon be forgotten." It doesn't seem to occur to her that slaves might love their children as much as white people.
*** In addition, while she at first seems sympathetic to Eliza's plight (despite not considering that slaves might love their children as much as white people do, as the above point illustrates), she later has Ford sell Eliza because she "makes too much noise," (meaning, she cries over the loss of her children too much for the wife's tastes) which casts some doubt on how genuine her pity was in the first place.