We are doing something different in this review. We had two slightly opposing views of the movie, so we decided to showcase them both and let you draw your own opinion of the movie.
REVIEW 1:
The Journey to Freedom: A Review of the Movie, Harriet
Review by: Natasha Tucker
“Fear is your enemy. Trust God.” This quote has stuck with me since I saw the new film, Harriet. This movie details the life of the famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. It is starring Cynthia Ervio as Harriet Tubman who acts alongside Leslie Odom Jr, Janelle Monae and Joe Alwyn with a host of others. Ervio is a British actor, known for her lead role as Celie in the Broadway play of “The Color Purple,” in which she won a Tony Award for best
Actress in a Musical. This movie details the life of Harriet Tubman as a slave and takes you on a dramatic journey unveiling the ups and downs she experienced becoming the Moses of her time.
In my opinion, Ervio did a phenomenal job acting as Harriet. She acted with true passion and nothing ever felt forced. The whole cast did a great job. Alwyn played the role of her owner. His portrayal will have you hating him. I particularly loved Leslie Odom Jr’s role as abolitionist, William Still. I enjoyed seeing him help lead the abolitionist movement as a free Black man. I also loved, Henry Hunter Hall, who played as Walter, a black slave tracker. His change of heart from witnessing Harriet’s passion and drive is admirable. The biggest issue I had with the film is how they portrayed Harriet when she would hear from the Lord. Those parts were strange and unrealistic. When she would receive visions from God, she
would black out. I didn’t necessarily like how that was portrayed. That doesn’t happen in real life and it could possibly cause others to be misinformed about the Christian religion. However, other than that, I don’t have any other negative remarks.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie because it was beautiful to see how Harriet depended on the Lord and how she never let anyone tell her what she couldn’t do. I’ve always admired Harriet Tubman. As a young, African American woman – to see how she didn’t settle for comfort and how fearless she was – it really touched me. It’s not just a movie for African Americans, but for all races. It is also a family film that is perfect for all ages. I definitely have told my family and friends to check it out. You won’t be disappointed after seeing it, either.
5 out of 5 crosses.
Vision Chronicle’s “Cross” Meter:
5 Crosses - “And Heaven and Angels sing….” This was truly anointed!
4 Crosses - “TGBTG” This endeavor was “sho’nuff” blessed!
3 Crosses - That was decent. Good-ish. The saints are pleased.
2 Crosses - Pray for Me. What made me watch that?
1 Crosses - I can’t get that time back. Pray for them.
0 Crosses - The Devil is a Liar.
REVIEW 2:
Review by: Rekkai Steed
Self-Revision: I had to go back and watch Harriett a second time (which I never do but I was on the comfort of my couch - don’t judge me). I hardly ever watch for a second critique. But I had to make sure my first assessment was on point when there were so many people who did not see what I saw. Nothing wrong with being sure.
Harriett is a film that is supposed to be uplifting and indicative of the intestinal fortitude of not only black people, but black women in particular. Harriett Tubman, the “Black Moses, who shepherded over 1000 slaves to safety is the perfect icon for strength, perseverance and a real-life superhero.
First of all, let’s check the boxes. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was it worthwhile? Yes. Did I feel uplifted as I exited the theater? Yes. So what’s the problem? I am a history buff. Social Studies
teacher for nearly 20 years. I taught this in my class. Well, NOT this. And much of what this film has to offer is correct, historically. Harriet did travel back and forth through the south relentlessly to bring people north and free as many slaves as she could. She did often carry guns, for a multitude of reasons. She did hire a lawyer to seek her lawful release but the outcome was much different than the movie. She did often wear disguises in order to blend in and not be noticed. Another thing, only mentioned in the epilogue of the movie to my dismay, is Harriet’s time spent as a spy for the Union army.
What has upset me? Oh so many things…. Let’s start with the most obvious. A slave bounty
hunter (of which most of us learned actually existed from Django, but I digress…) who was a black man named “Bigger Long” - I'm just going to leave that alone - was the villain of the movie. A movie about slavery…that managed to make a black man the villain. Wow. And in the same Twilight Zone-ish turn, the angry grandson of Harriet’s former owner, who sent the bounty hunter after her, saved her by shooting Mr. Long in the head. So a slave movie has a black man as the villain and the SLAVE OWNER as the hero. WOW!!!!
I try to support all black movies. And I encourage people to definitely go see this one. This movie has been called a liberation movie and not a slave movie. It is very easy to come to that conclusion. However, something gnawed at me. Could it be the completely fictional account of the slave owner’s grandson or the ebony hued negro tracker? Quite possibly. In this political climate, the media is so influential that I feel they owe us some due diligence when it comes to putting this type of material on the screen for us to consume. I am a little disappointed in the
director Kasi Lemons. This movie DID NOT dot all the i’s and cross all the T’s for me. I wanted to like it. I mean REALLY like it. I just… didn’t. I am glad that I saw it. But if I never see it again…. Oh well.
Upon 2nd viewing: I am impressed with the Nigerian born, British lead actress, Cynthia Erivo. Despite her disdain for the “Ghetto American accent”, she pulled off one pretty convincingly. I think my contempt lie in Gideon. Everything about his character perturbs me. Even his weak diatribe at the end of the movie vexed my spirit. This movie is strong in being uplifting and if you are able to cut off your “woke” button and enjoy a slice of black history, then you can find this movie enjoyable and liberating. My third eye wouldn’t take a nap, so, I guess I will look for purpose in the next piece of edu-tainment.
Sources Cited:
3 out of 5 crosses.
Vision Chronicle’s “Cross” Meter:
5 Crosses - “And Heaven and Angels sing….” This was truly anointed!
4 Crosses - “TGBTG” This endeavor was “sho’nuff” blessed!
3 Crosses - That was decent. Good-ish. The saints are pleased.
2 Crosses - Pray for Me. What made me watch that?
1 Crosses - I can’t get that time back. Pray for them.
0 Crosses - The Devil is a Liar.
View the trailer for the film here:
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