| Emancipation | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Antoine Fuqua |
| Written by | William N. Collage |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Edited by | Conrad Buff IV |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Apple TV+ |
Release dates |
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Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $120–162 million[1][2] |
Emancipation is a 2022 Americanhistoricalaction thriller film[3][4][5] directed byAntoine Fuqua, written by William N. Collage, and co-produced byWill Smith. Smith stars as arunaway slave headed forBaton Rouge, Louisiana, in the 1860s, after PresidentAbraham Lincoln issued theEmancipation Proclamation to end slavery in secessionistConfederate states,[6] surviving the swamps while being chased byslave catchers and their dogs. The film co-starsBen Foster as a ruthless slave hunter andCharmaine Bingwa as an enslaved wife and mother.
The film is loosely based on the life of aself-emancipated slave, known as eitherGordon or "Whipped Peter".[7] That story was made famous by the photograph of a man's bare back heavilyscourged from anoverseer's whippings, which was published worldwide as a magazine illustration in 1863 and gave theabolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of slavery.[8] ProducerJoey McFarland began researching that 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, withApple payingUS$130 million to acquire the rights to the film, outbidding several other studios.
It was screened inWashington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, and released inselect cinemas on December 2, 2022, then streamed on December 9 onApple TV+. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Smith's performance but criticized the screenplay and its handling of real-life events.
At a Louisiana cottonplantation in 1863, a slave named "Peter" is praying with his family when his owner, John Lyons, and a group of white men drag him out of his home at gunpoint. As the wagon carrying him pulls away, Peter cries out to his wife Dodienne and his children that they must stay together until he can find his way back to them. Reaching aConfederate encampment inClinton, Louisiana, he is put to work alongside other conscripted slaves.
The slaves are poorly fed and clothed despite the grueling labor and endure cruel treatment at the hands of their white guards. They are whipped, set upon by dogs, branded and dragged by horses if they try to run away, or shot if they stop working because of exhaustion. Peter tells the disheartened slaves to just believe inGod and pray.
One day, Peter snaps and attacks one of the guards, triggering an uprising. He and several other slaves escape into the nearby swamps, pursued by theslave catcher Fassel and his men. One slave is unable to swim across a river due to fear ofalligators and is caught. After revealing the other slaves' plans, Fassel shoots him and leaves his body for the gators. The three remaining men split up and go their separate ways.
With no supplies or even a clear idea of where to go, Peter nevertheless manages to evade his pursuers time and time again. Just as he is about to reach the safety ofUnion-heldBaton Rouge, Fassel ambushes him and offers to spare his life if he returns to slavery. Peter refuses, but before Fassel kills him, he is fatally shot in the throat by a black member of the1st Louisiana Native Guard.
Peter is taken to a Union field hospital to recover.A photograph of his back is then taken and distributed throughout the United States to help rally public support for the end of slavery. Peter enlists in the Native Guard; while under fire from Confederate troops, he demonstrates great bravery and is quickly promoted. He spends the rest of the war helping to liberate Confederate plantations, while also reuniting with Dodienne and their children.
In the epilogue, the text states that thanks to the momentum fromLincoln'sEmancipation Proclamation, over four million slaves were freed by Union forces by the war's end in 1865.
On June 15, 2020, it was reported thatAntoine Fuqua would directWill Smith inEmancipation, based on aspec script written by William N. Collage.[9] ProducerJoey McFarland, who had started researching and developing the film in 2018, recruited Collage to write the script.[10] Fuqua said:
It's almost two years now from when I first read the script. It hit my heart and my soul in so many ways that are impossible to convey but I think you understand. We're watching some of the feeling that I had, in the streets right now. There's sadness, there's anger, there's love, faith and hope ... That's important to see, and the most hopeful thing that I'm seeing, that they're not going to stand for it anymore.[9]
Warner Bros,MGM,Lionsgate, andUniversal Pictures bid on the film beforeApple ultimately won distribution rights for over$130 million.[8][11][12] In August 2021,Ben Foster,Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, andMustafa Shakir joined the cast.[13] Smith was paid $35 million for his involvement.[14]
Principal photography was expected to begin on May 3, 2021, inLos Angeles.[15] It was later set to begin on June 21, 2021, inGeorgia,[16] but on April 12, it was announced that the film would be shot elsewhere due to the recently enactedElection Integrity Act of 2021. 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."[16][17] The location move was reported to have cost approximately$15 million.[16] Filming was announced to take place inNew Orleans from July 12 to August 21, 2021.[18] On August 2, filming paused for five days due to several positiveCOVID-19 tests.[19] Additional casting for the film was announced in November and December.[20][21]
The film score is byMarcelo Zarvos, who described the music as "spiritual and untraditional" per Fuqua's suggestions.[22] He employed a 70-piece orchestra, a 40-member choir, and soloists from around the world, for traditional American and African sounds. The soundtrack was released by Lakeshore Records on December 9, 2022.[23]
A screening ofEmancipation was held at theCongressional Black Caucus Foundation's 51st Annual Legislative Conference inWashington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, with Smith and Fuqua in attendance to give a subsequent Q&A discussion.[24] It was screened inLos Angeles, on October 24, 2022.[25] The film premiered in theaters on December 2, 2022, and was streamed on Apple TV+ on December 9.[26]
While Smith had been attached to the film in 2020,[9] and principal photography had moved forward in the summer of 2021,[18] thecontroversy over Smith slappingChris Rock at the March 202294th Academy Awards was cited in May 2022, when the film's release was delayed to a tentative 2023 date; production delays and an overcrowded film release schedule from Apple were also cited in the May announcement.[27] It was subsequently moved to its final date.
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 45% of 155 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Emancipation works as an action movie – albeit one that's uncomfortably at odds with its awkward handling of the real-life events that inspired its stirring story."[28]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[29]
Theslapping incident was referenced in some reviews;[7] in a positive first-day review fromScreen International's Tim Grierson, before the collective mixed to average reviews had been published, he hoped that enough positive reviews might overcome the possibility that the "scandal may temper audiences' enthusiasm" to see the film.[30]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Awards | February 6, 2023 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Charmaine Bingwa | Nominated | [31] |
| Outstanding Cinematography | Robert Richardson | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2022 | Original Score in a Feature Film | Marcelo Zarvos | Nominated | [32] |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 25, 2023 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Emancipation | Nominated | [33] |
| Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | Antoine Fuqua | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Francine Jamison-Tanchuck' | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Will Smith | Won | |||
| Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | The cast ofEmancipation | Nominated | |||
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2022 | Invisible Woman Award | Charmaine Bingwa | Won | [34] |
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