Pat Young's Review of New Film Harriet

jgoodguy

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rittmeister

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while i agree on the red pants stuff (i'd still like to know why they do it*) i have a bit of a problem with hollywood's tendency to make up romance and/or action in their 'historical' movies. cecil b demille should really be left dead and burried.

good review (from a professional pov) - i'll watch it

---

* looking at their track rekord when it comes to uniforms i'll certainly not assume any bad intentions - they just don't know better
 

Viper21

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I took the afternoon off to see the new film Harriet. Here is my review. -Pat Young
https://thereconstructionera.com/pa...ilm-harriet-about-the-life-of-harriet-tubman/
Good review. I will watch it myself, when it comes to DVD.

I have to say though..... Pat, with a flannel shirt, you'd fit right in around here with that beard. :D I realize you are a year round, full time bearder. I am only a part timer... kinda. Goatee year round but, full beard usually from November to April/May. If I had you in a flannel shirt, & posed with a splitting maul in your hand, nobody around here would believe you were from NYC. :cool: I spent most of the weekend, in the woods cutting firewood. Which, immediately brought that thought to my mind.
 

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Good review. I will watch it myself, when it comes to DVD.

I have to say though..... Pat, with a flannel shirt, you'd fit right in around here with that beard. :D I realize you are a year round, full time bearder. I am only a part timer... kinda. Goatee year round but, full beard usually from November to April/May. If I had you in a flannel shirt, & posed with a splitting maul in your hand, nobody around here would believe you were from NYC. :cool: I spent most of the weekend, in the woods cutting firewood. Which, immediately brought that thought to my mind.
I used to always wear flannel, but as I headed into my 60s I looked a little too grandpa-ish.

I am growing out my beard because I am Santa Claus at church on Dec. 15. I use my own hair, beard, and (unfortunately) belly.
 

jgoodguy

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while i agree on the red pants stuff (i'd still like to know why they do it*) i have a bit of a problem with hollywood's tendency to make up romance and/or action in their 'historical' movies. cecil b demille should really be left dead and burried.

good review (from a professional pov) - i'll watch it

---

* looking at their track rekord when it comes to uniforms i'll certainly not assume any bad intentions - they just don't know better
Dull movies gather no profits.
The great majority of Americans sleep through history class.
 

PatYoung

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Not in my classes.
I had some good history teachers in high school. Unfotunately in my junior year I was tossed out of Honors English and wound up in the regular class. My English teacher, of course, was the football coach. A very nice guy, but as the Fall went on, his team just could not win a game. He got fired as a losing coach, believe it or not. Talk about your priorities being in the wrong order. Also, imagine a high school firing a coach mid-season.
 

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I am growing out my beard because I am Santa Claus at church on Dec. 15. I use my own hair, beard, and (unfortunately) belly.
I was mustered a Santa (with my own beard) when I was 25 (30 years nearly 31 years ago)

& for the belly part German proverb: Jedes Pfund muß durch den Mund (every pound has to pass the mouth)
 

dedej

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Great review Pat. I didn't go see it -- nor do I plan too.

Especially, after seeing the numerous scene clips on Twitter and Instagram. The film is a pretty hot topic amongst Black Americans - and not for good reasons.

After learning about the Black Bounty catcher -- and seeing some of the clips online showcasing his violence, language and overall character in the film --- I like many - were turned off and upset.

To add in a fake character - a Black man - who portrays violence and harsh language (that did not fit the period/era) to not only Harriet but the other added in character played by Janelle Monae was absolutely terrible IMO.

The Black bounty hunter also is set on getting "white whores" -- which didn't happen -- as black men would be immediately killed for even looking at a white woman. So, to make this character so ......I don't even know ...I guess "stereotypical" - was a mess.

The only violence in the film was the added in character "Bigger Long" stomping on and punching a black woman to death.

This was pitched as a historical film -- and that it is not.

I am worried about younger children going to see this film - and thinking "Bigger Long" was real and truly the villain to Harriet Tubman and Black women in general.

https://twitter.com/Mont_Jiang/status/1190736950585634817

https://twitter.com/zoebchance/status/1191038133879627776
 

PatYoung

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Great review Pat. I didn't go see it -- nor do I plan too.

Especially, after seeing the numerous scene clips on Twitter and Instagram. The film is a pretty hot topic amongst Black Americans - and not for good reasons.

After learning about the Black Bounty catcher -- and seeing some of the clips online showcasing his violence, language and overall character in the film --- I like many - were turned off and upset.

To add in a fake character - a Black man - who portrays violence and harsh language (that did not fit the period/era) to not only Harriet but the other added in character played by Janelle Monae was absolutely terrible IMO.

The Black bounty hunter also is set on getting "white whores" -- which didn't happen -- as black men would be immediately killed for even looking at a white woman. So, to make this character so ......I don't even know ...I guess "stereotypical" - was a mess.

The only violence in the film was the added in character "Bigger Long" stomping on and punching a black woman to death.

This was pitched as a historical film -- and that it is not.

I am worried about younger children going to see this film - and thinking "Bigger Long" was real and truly the villain to Harriet Tubman and Black women in general.

https://twitter.com/Mont_Jiang/status/1190736950585634817

https://twitter.com/zoebchance/status/1191038133879627776
Good points.

I will note that Bigger says he wants to go to white women as a provocative joke, which is why he is not killed for saying it.

The audience I saw it with was mostly African American and generally liked it. My sister saw the film and did not. She did not like the invented characters. There were three main ones including Long, the woman he killed, and the son of the slaveowner Gideon.

Long was definitely not the only violent person in the film, by the way.
 

dedej

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Good points.

I will note that Bigger says he wants to go to white women as a provocative joke, which is why he is not killed for saying it.

The audience I saw it with was mostly African American and generally liked it. My sister saw the film and did not. She did not like the invented characters. There were three main ones including Long, the woman he killed, and the son of the slaveowner Gideon.

Long was definitely not the only violent person in the film, by the way.
Thanks for adding more context and information.

From my understanding -- and the clips I saw - the violence scene of "Bigger Long" stomping on and beating the other Black woman (Janelle Monae) was the most violent scene that actually showed the visual of extreme violence.

And the audience worries me -- cause five years ago - that would have been me. Not even thinking that those two invented characters were invented. I would have walked away thinking that really happened - since the film is touted as a historical bio - and true story.

Bigger Long says "enough white whores to last me to Atlanta" -- yeah - I guess it was a joke -- but in terms of era/time/race -- that joke would have gotten him killed immediately - and he would have known not to make it.

It's just not realistic - and disappointed at the team and historians behind the film who thought all of this was ok..


https://twitter.com/RickyRawls/status/1190528483178496000

and then... the use of "n-word" and saying "you gonna die B-word" to Harriet. Just sad.

 

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sorry there were "what ever You can imagine" slavers, being a member of a usualy enslved group of people does not make You honest.
 

PatYoung

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Thanks for adding more context and information.

From my understanding -- and the clips I saw - the violence scene of "Bigger Long" stomping on and beating the other Black woman (Janelle Monae) was the most violent scene that actually showed the visual of extreme violence.

And the audience worries me -- cause five years ago - that would have been me. Not even thinking that those two invented characters were invented. I would have walked away thinking that really happened - since the film is touted as a historical bio - and true story.

Bigger Long says "enough white whores to last me to Atlanta" -- yeah - I guess it was a joke -- but in terms of era/time/race -- that joke would have gotten him killed immediately - and he would have known not to make it.

It's just not realistic - and disappointed at the team and historians behind the film who thought all of this was ok..


https://twitter.com/RickyRawls/status/1190528483178496000

and then... the use of "n-word" and saying "you gonna die B-word" to Harriet. Just sad.

When Long makes that remark, the white patrollers with him begin reaching for their weapons.

I agree that the Long character is unrealistic. The incident I know of involving a black slave catcher and Tubman was during the Troy NY rescue and in that case he was not pursuing Tubman.
 

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sorry there were "what ever You can imagine" slavers, being a member of a usualy enslved group of people does not make You honest.
Yes but there were a lot of reasons that a black man would not have been a slave catcher. He would have had a hard time moving through the countryside, for example.
 

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I had some good history teachers in high school. Unfotunately in my junior year I was tossed out of Honors English and wound up in the regular class. My English teacher, of course, was the football coach. A very nice guy, but as the Fall went on, his team just could not win a game. He got fired as a losing coach, believe it or not. Talk about your priorities being in the wrong order. Also, imagine a high school firing a coach mid-season.
Period One, we're doing Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Just finished up with Auschwitz
Period Two: we're studying the Constitution, we just finished the Great Compromise and the 3/5s Compromise, and how the Congress is divided into two houses. I'm going to hit that again tomorrow, although I was pleased when I said "what do we call it when the government counts people for representation?" "Starts with a C?" ventured one student. I was so pleased, because "census" does start with a c and a student felt engaged enough to participate.
Period Four: World War I, and I crushed it, with Alvin York and Charles Whittlesey(of Lost Battalion fame), chunking the material for the students who struggled. "What do we call the war damages?" I asked, hoping for "reparations" since it was the highlighted word in the text. One of the students said "PTSD" which was a better answer and related to the material on Whittlesey we had just covered. Heartwarming! Even better was one of the students who struggled with basic reading helping another student with a question.
Period Five: Rehearsal for Wizard of Oz. "I wanna be the f-king Lion" said one student enthusiastically, (but the f-king Scarecrow role is still open) I thought. Great energy. Had a one to one conversation with students around expectations. The toughest student experiences anxiety around public performance. Wizard, which is performed before little kids, is something they can do.
Period Seven: Graphs of exponential functions. I try to engage the students by showing pictures of the bog corpses to illuminate the idea of exponential decay and half life. But will repeat tomorrow.
With lots of graphs and practice. Which the students hate!
 

PatYoung

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Period One, we're doing Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Just finished up with Auschwitz
Period Two: we're studying the Constitution, we just finished the Great Compromise and the 3/5s Compromise, and how the Congress is divided into two houses. I'm going to hit that again tomorrow, although I was pleased when I said "what do we call it when the government counts people for representation?" "Starts with a C?" ventured one student. I was so pleased, because "census" does start with a c and a student felt engaged enough to participate.
Period Four: World War I, and I crushed it, with Alvin York and Charles Whittlesey(of Lost Battalion fame), chunking the material for the students who struggled. "What do we call the war damages?" I asked, hoping for "reparations" since it was the highlighted word in the text. One of the students said "PTSD" which was a better answer and related to the material on Whittlesey we had just covered. Heartwarming! Even better was one of the students who struggled with basic reading helping another student with a question.
Period Five: Rehearsal for Wizard of Oz. "I wanna be the f-king Lion" said one student enthusiastically, (but the f-king Scarecrow role is still open) I thought. Great energy. Had a one to one conversation with students around expectations. The toughest student experiences anxiety around public performance. Wizard, which is performed before little kids, is something they can do.
Period Seven: Graphs of exponential functions. I try to engage the students by showing pictures of the bog corpses to illuminate the idea of exponential decay and half life. But will repeat tomorrow.
With lots of graphs and practice. Which the students hate!
Sign me up.

My nephew Pat Young is a world history teacher in Brooklyn.
 
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