Emancipation (2022 film)

Emancipation
Official release poster
Directed by	Antoine Fuqua
Written by	William N. Collage
Produced by	Todd Black Joey McFarland Jon Mone Will Smith
Starring	Will Smith Ben Foster Charmaine Bingwa
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Conrad Buff IV
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Production companies	Apple Studios Westbrook Studios McFarland Entertainment Escape Artists
Distributed by	Apple TV+
Release dates	December 2, 2022 (2022-12-02) (United States) December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) (Apple TV+)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120–162 million[1][2]

Emancipation is a 2022 American historical action thriller film^[3][4][5] directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by William N. Collage, and co-produced by Will Smith, who stars as a runaway slave headed for Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the 1860s, after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery in secessionist Confederate states,^[6] surviving the swamps while being chased by slave catchers and their dogs. Ben Foster stars as a ruthless slave hunter and Charmaine Bingwa as an enslaved wife and mother.

The film is loosely based on the life of a self-emancipated slave, known as either Gordon or "Whipped Peter".^[7] That story was made famous by the photograph of a man's bare back heavily scourged from an overseer's whippings, which was published worldwide as magazine illustrations in 1863, and gave the abolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of slavery.^[8] Producer Joey 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, with Apple paying US$130 million to acquire the rights to the film, outbidding several other studios.

It was screened in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, and released in select cinemas on December 2, 2022, then streamed on December 9 on Apple TV+. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Smith's performance, but criticized the screenplay and its handling of real-life events.

Plot

In a cotton plantation in 1863, Peter is seen sitting on the floor of a house knelt before his wife, Dodienne, alongside their children sitting around him. Suddenly, a group of white men appear at the doorway and snatch a reluctant Peter out of the house, with him putting up a fight until one of the men points a gun at his wife’s head. Peter is then hit in the back of his head, put into a cage at the back of a carriage, and is taken away from his family to a different site. He shouts to his wife and children that he will come back and they should stay together. On his journey, he sees slaves working at the roadside and the heads of killed slaves on poles. Peter is then sent to work on constructing a railroad in Clinton, Louisiana.

The slaves are treated with cruelty by white guards and their boss, Fassel. 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 in God and pray.

One day, Peter has had enough, and he uses an opportune moment to fight back at the white men along with other slaves. They escape and run away, while being chased by the white men on horseback and vicious dogs. One slave is unable to swim across a river due to fear of alligators and is caught. After revealing the other slaves’ locations to Fassel, he is then freed and tries to cross the river, but he is then shot and later eaten by the gators. The three remaining men split up and go about their separate ways. Peter has many close encounters with being found, but somehow manages to stay hidden from his enslavers. When Peter is close to Baton Rouge, Fassel catches up to him and is about to shoot him, when he is suddenly shot in the neck by a black member of the 1st Louisiana Native Guard.

Peter is taken to a hospital to recover. A photograph of his back is then taken and is vowed to be shown all over the world to aid the end of slavery. Peter then decides to join the army to help free his family. After a victorious battle against Confederate soldiers, he returns to various cotton plantations to free the slaves, while also reuniting with Dodienne and their children. In the epilogue, the text states that it is thanks to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that by 1865, over 4 million slaves have been freed.

Cast

• Will Smith as Peter
• Ben Foster as Fassel the slave hunter
• Charmaine Bingwa as Dodienne, Peter's wife
• Jayson Warner Smith as John Lyons, cotton plantation owner
• Austin Alexander as Trapp, white plantation worker whom Peter bites
• Britton Webb as Bijoux, white plantation worker helping Trapp
• Jesse C. Boyd as Mike Hurley, white plantation worker who puts a gun to Dodienne's head
• Steven Ogg as Ordnance sergeant Howard, a Confederate soldier guarding slaves at the railroad camp
• Grant Harvey as Leeds, a Confederate soldier guarding slaves at the railroad camp
• Gilbert Owuor as Gordon, Peter's slave friend who escapes the railroad camp and makes it separately to the Union Army in Baton Rouge
• Michael Luwoye as John, the branded slave skeptical of Peter who escapes the railroad camp but doesn't make it to freedom
• Jabbar Lewis as Tomas, Peter's slave friend who escapes the railroad camp but gets shot by Fassel in a river
• Ronnie Gene Blevins as Harrington, Fassel's white slave-hunting assistant
• Aaron Moten as Knowls, the former slave who works with Fassel and Harrington capturing runaway slaves, whom Peter calls "the worst kind"
• Imani Pullum as Betsy, Peter's older daughter
• Jeremiah Friedlander as Scipion, Peter's son
• Jordyn McIntosh as Laurette, Peter's young daughter
• Landon Chase Dubois as Little Peter
• Mustafa Shakir as Captain André Cailloux of the First Louisiana Native Guard in the Union Army
• Paul Ben-Victor as Major G. Halstead who inducts Peter into the Union Army
• David Denman as General William Dwight Jr.

Production

Development and casting

On June 15, 2020, it was reported that Antoine Fuqua would direct Will Smith in Emancipation, based on a spec script written by William N. Collage.^[9] Producer Joey 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, and Universal Pictures bid on the film before Apple ultimately won distribution rights for over $130 million.^[8][11][12] In August 2021, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, and Mustafa Shakir joined the cast.^[13] Smith was paid $35 million for his involvement.^[14]

Filming

Principal photography was expected to begin on May 3, 2021, in Los Angeles.^[15] It was later set to begin on June 21, 2021, in Georgia,^[16] but on April 12, it was announced that the film would be shot elsewhere due to the recently-enacted Election 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 in New Orleans from July 12 to August 21, 2021.^[18] On August 2, filming paused for five days due to several positive COVID-19 tests.^[19] Additional casting for the film was announced in November and December.^[20][21]

Music

Main article: Emancipation (soundtrack)

The film score is by Marcelo 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]

Release

A screening of Emancipation was held at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 51st Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2022, with Smith and Fuqua in attendance to give a subsequent Q&A discussion.^[24] It was screened in Los 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] the controversy over Smith slapping Chris Rock at the March 2022 94th 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.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten 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 a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[29]

The slapping incident was referenced in some reviews;^[7] in a positive first-day review from Screen 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]

Accolades

Accolades received by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

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 of Emancipation	Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle	December 19, 2022	Invisible Woman Award	Charmaine Bingwa	Won	[34]

See also

• List of films featuring slavery

References

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2. "Fastlane NextGen: Initial Certification Search" (Type "Sacred Motivation" in the search box). Louisiana Economic Development. April 6, 2022. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
3. Truitt, Brian. "'Emancipation' review: A powerhouse Will Smith lifts the wobbly Apple TV+ action thriller". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
4. Coyle, Jake (December 1, 2022). "Review: Will Smith-led 'Emancipation' is an action thriller". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
5. Dargis, Manohla (December 1, 2022). "'Emancipation' Review: Will Smith in a Brutal Journey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
6. "The Emancipation Proclamation". National Archives. October 6, 2015. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
7. McIntosh, Steven (December 1, 2022). "Will Smith: Have Emancipation reviews been influenced by the slap?". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
8. Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 24, 2020). "Huge Virtual Cannes Battle: Bids North Of $75 Million On Antoine Fuqua-Will Smith Runaway Slave Tale 'Emancipation'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
9. Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 15, 2020). "Antoine Fuqua & Will Smith Runaway Slave Thriller 'Emancipation' To Be Introduced At Virtual Cannes Market; Based On Indelible 'Scourged Back' Photo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
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11. Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 26, 2020). "Apple & Warner Bros Down To Wire On 'Emancipation' At Virtual Cannes; Bids In Record Setting $130 Million Gross Range". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
12. Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 1, 2020). "Apple Wins 'Emancipation'; Will Smith's Westbrook Relationship With Toppers Zack Van Amburg & Jamie Erlicht At Sony Helped Seal Festival Record Pre-Buy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
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16. Fleming, Mike Jr (April 12, 2021). "Will Smith & Antoine Fuqua Confirm Georgia Exit Of 'Emancipation': "We Cannot In Good Conscience Provide Economic Support" After Recent Election Law – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
17. Wicker, Jewel (April 12, 2021). "Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua film pulled from Georgia over voting bill". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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19. Andreeva, Nellie (August 1, 2021). "'Emancipation' Will Smith-Antoine Fuqua Apple Movie Pauses Production After Positive Covid Tests". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
20. Grobar, Matt (November 11, 2021). "Antoine Fuqua's 'Emancipation' Adds Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Blevins & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
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25. Gardner, Chris (October 24, 2022). "Will Smith Hosts "Epic" Screening of 'Emancipation' With Rihanna, Dave Chappelle and Tyler Perry as Guests". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
26. Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 3, 2022). "Apple Sets December Theatrical Release Date For Will Smith's 'Emancipation'; Watch First Trailer & Read Q&A With Director Antoine Fuqua". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
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31. Complex, Valerie (December 15, 2022). "Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced For 23rd Annual Ceremony; 'The Woman King' And 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Lead With 14 Nominations". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
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33. Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
34. Neglia, Matt (December 19, 2022). "The 2022 Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Winners". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2023.

External links

• Emancipation at IMDb