Harriet – NOVEMBER 1st, 2019

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

MOVIESinMO REVIEW

I have a serious love/hate for this film. I love the fact that someone decided to make a film about a historical figure, not too many people knew that much about. I hate the fact that it took this long to do it. I’m sure there will be those that will doubt the events of Harriet’s life ever existed, but those people also doubt slavery happened at the scale on which it did or not at all. The other group of people is the ones that wish slavery never ended and for some of us, it hasn’t. This film is for the ones that need to know this really happened. For all that want to know if it was just as bad then as it is now, our present is paradise by comparison. The past of African Americans is a painful one that most would rather credit the imagination of a fearmongering society than to believe it actually took place. I refuse to let our past turn into folklore that is treated like a made-up story by our elders trying to scare us to behave. There are movies about slavery that have no story, bad acting, and exist only to make a quick dollar by feeding off of the horrific history of Black people. Harriet is not one of those movies. Harriet is about the extraordinary life of Araminta “Minty” Ross, better known as Harriet Tubman. As the film progresses, you get a better understanding of how life as a slave was and how their “Masters” treated them like any other piece of property they owned, if not worse. This is also why so many White people have that undeserved sense of privilege. This is how it started during slavery times. Many White people still feel superior to other races, especially Blacks, and therefore feel as though whatever they do is good and righteous. That was and still is the mindset of many White people on this planet and why it is so important to continue to remind the younger generation about real slavery. Harriet is a movie about actual slavery and what it takes to stand up against it. Every part of this movie has meaning. The buildings they stay in, the clothes they wear, the way they talk and carry themselves all mattered. Even the songs they sang were used to communicate instructions to freedom. The only thing they didn’t show was a slave being whipped, and for what’s it worth, that would have been entirely unnecessary for this movie since it has been shown in other films about this subject and would have only been used as a distraction. I truly recommend this film as an alternative to the ones already made. Harriet IS about slavery, but it has so much more to offer. It has a spiritual connection the other films don’t have. Other films about slavery concentrate on hate. Harriet Tubman was Methodist, and so there’s a lot of praying from Minty. After seeing this, don’t stop researching her. She was so much more than a two-hour movie.

DVD/BLU-RAY/DIGITAL

Genre – Drama

Street date

Digital – January 14^th 2020

DVD/Blu-Ray – January 28^th 2020

Video – 1080p

Screen size – 2.39:1

Sound – English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1, French: DTS 5.1

Subtitles – English SDH, Spanish, French

Extras

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 16 minutes) – Seven excised scenes supply a few extra character beats but not much substance. In one scene, we meet some of the towering historical figures of the era, including Frederick Douglass. In another, we see a hint of romance between Harriet and William (Leslie Odom, Jr.). Thankfully, a melodramatic moment when Harriet raises a gun toward her estranged husband was cut.

• Featurette: “Her Story” (HD, 6 minutes) – The cast and crew talk about the inspirational aspects of the Harriet Tubman story, how the film fits into our current era, and how it was decided to emphasize the hopeful aspects of Tubman’s life rather than focus on harsh and intense episodes.

• Featurette: “Becoming Harriet” (HD, 4 minutes) – This brief featurette celebrates Cynthia Erivo, and covers how she was cast, how she inspires others, and the extraordinary commitment she brought to the role.

• Audio Commentary – Director and co-writer Kasi Lemmons provides an absorbing commentary that includes a wealth of historical background the film doesn’t provide. She discusses the themes of hope and family she sought to emphasize, identifies the story’s fictional aspects, shares some behind-the-scenes anecdotes, addresses casting, and praises the actors and crew. Her passion for the project is evident and her remarks are worth hearing.