One Mann’s Movies review of “Harriet” (2019).
Bob the Movie Man’s Rating:
Certification:
US: PG-13. UK: 12.
I’m not talking here about the criminal act in “Harriet” of Edward Brodess (Mike Marunde) at the start of the film, tearing up perfectly legal documents that prove that slave ‘Minty’ (Cynthia Erivo) should be released from servitude. No. I’m talking about the 2020 Academy Awards selection.
This was just about the one and only mainstream film that I didn’t get to see before this year’s awards, and on catching up with it now I feel positively cross with the Academy. Were they looking for an excuse NOT to pour praise on a black-heavy film? Surely not! And yet here we have a standout performance from Cynthia Erivo, that should have been (imho) a more prominent challenger to Renée Zellweger; together with a superb supporting actor performance by Leslie Odom Jr. as her underground railway “Fat Controller” in Philadelphia.
Going underground. Harriet (Cynthia Erivo) and William Still (Leslie Odom Jnr.) stirring things up for the anti-slavery movement. (Source: Universal Pictures).
And don’t get me started on how or why Erivo didn’t get the Oscar for best song with “Stand Up”! (And as both Erivo and Elton John are British, I’m not being partisan here). But did you HEAR and compare those two songs on the night?
Looking for a sign from God. Minty, under the cosh. (Source: Universal Pictures).
The story.
The story is based (many would say ‘very loosely based’) on the amazing life story of Harriet Tubman, who in the run-up to the American Civil War made it her mission to free slaves. Illegally trapped herself on the Brodess farm in Maryland, ‘Minty’ plans to flee north leaving behind her husband John Tubman (Zackary Momoh), her father (an excellent Clarke Peters), her mother (Vanessa Bell Calloway) and four of her six siblings. It’s a perilous pursuit, since being caught by the posse and their hunting dogs will mean severe beatings if not worse.
Fortunately, Minty has an ally…. God. For since a skull fracture, handed out by Gideon Brodess (Joe Alwyn, on great form), at the age of 13, Minty has had seizures where God has shown her flashes of future events.
“Be Free or Die” are the options. Which way will the dice fall for Minty, now reborn as Harriet, as she embarks on ever more perilous missions?
Totally evil and generally unpleasant…. Bigger Long (Omar J. Dorsey) and Gideon Brodess (Joe Alwyn) are out a’huntin’. (Source: Universal Pictures).
Loved it.
I just loved this movie.
I thought Cynthia Erivo was mesmerising as the woman of great substance (you might say, ‘True Brit’). There’s not been a single Erivo film yet shown that I haven’t been impressed with, with “Bad Times at the El Royale” being a particular favourite.
And what a fabulous ensemble cast! Aside from the folks mentioned above, other key performances come from Vondie Curtis-Hall as the Reverend Green (no, not “in the conservatory, with the lead piping”) who delivers some fabulous gospel singing, Janelle Monáe (of “Hidden Figures” fame) as the kindly (but fictional) Marie Buchanon who is a ‘friend indeed’ when needed, and Henry Hunter Hall who we first meet as the tricksy bounty hunter Walter.
Let’s be Civil about this. It’s blue on grey at one point. (Source: Universal Pictures).
Technical Accolades.
Also praiseworthy is the score by Terence Blanchard, which seems to completely fit the mood of the movie, and the slightly blue-washed landscape cinematography of John Toll.
Kasi Lemmons – a lady whose previous work I’m not familiar with – directs with style, and (although I appreciate that the Best Director Oscar category only has five names in it) she must have been disappointed not to have been nominated for this.
Lemmons also contributed to the story/script from Gregory Allen Howard (“Remember the Titans”).
A remarkable lady in anyone’s book. The real Harriet Tubman. (Source: History.com).
Why the hate?
The IMDB user reviews seem to be full of hateful 1* reviews, complaining of perverting the historical record. The comments strike the tone of a concerted smear campaign. I can only conclude that this cohort is composed of a) black people genuinely upset about the portrayal of Tubman (which I can respect) and b) racists who are deadly opposed to the message the film portrays and looking for an excuse to bring it down (which if true is appalling).
Ignore them! If you change the name of the lead character to a fictional one and ignore the “based on a true story” angle, this is a genuinely uplifting and inspiring film. It’s not quite a “12 Years a Slave“: but it’s up there for me. I was sat on a crowded plane, but I genuinely teared up at the finale (and particularly the very final shot) of this movie. It really spoke to me.
Recommended….. dig it out on a streaming service near you and make your own mind up.
Trailer:
The trailer for “Harriet” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqoEs4cG6Uw.
