Emancipation

If the United States is truly e pluribus unum, then today is the closest thing this nation has to an actual independence day. Its proper name reflects that: Juneteenth National Independence Day, as decreed in the bill President Biden signed two years ago to authorize the federal holiday. However, it would be a mistake to consider Juneteenth purely a celebration of emancipation. As with most victories against racism, there is also a story of resistance to change. Even in Galveston, Texas, where the federal government…

The hit Apple TV Plus movie Emancipation has picked up the Beacon award at this year's African American Film Critics Associated Awards.The win saw star Will Smith return to the awards stage for the first time since he famously slapped Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars. The slap was heard around the world and reportedly caused Emancipation's release to be delayed.Smith accepted the award alongside the movie's director Antoine Fuqua.A slap in the face for the competitionThe Beacon Award "is intended to highlight films that…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeWill Smith recalled a horrifying moment when he was stuck in chains on the set of his new slavery movie, Emancipation.The actor appeared for a special edition of Red Table Talk on Wednesday (14 December) with his children, Willow, Jaden and Trey Smith to discuss his latest role.Smith plays a man called Peter who escapes slavery in director Antoine Fuqua’s thriller, which is based on a…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeWill Smith has discussed the intensity of the six-month shoot for his latest film, the slavery drama Emancipation.In the movie, directed by Antoine Fuqua, Smith plays a slave called Peter who escapes captivity and goes to fight with Abraham Lincoln’s army during the American Civil War.Ben Foster stars as a slave hunter who relentlessly pursues Smith’s character through the swamps of…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeWill Smith recalled being spat on by a fellow actor while filming his new Apple TV movie, Emancipation.The 54-year-old actor appeared on Red Table Talk this week to discuss his role with his three children Willow, 22, Jaden, 24, and Trey Smith, 30.Smith plays a man called Peter who escapes slavery in the film directed by Antoine Fuqua based on a true story.“As the years have gone on…

Will Smith has been quite busy as of late, as the A-lister has been promoting his latest movie, Emancipation. The historical drama has received relatively positive buzz so far, thanks in part to the early reactions to Smith’s movie and a star-studded screening featuring Dave Chappelle and more. Despite all of this, however, it’s hard to deny that Smith’s infamous Oscars slap does cast a shadow over the release. Smith has fielded a number of questions about his televised confrontation with Chris Rock during the press tour…

Antoine Fuqua’s thuddingly unsubtle Will Smith-starring slavery drama is an unusually ugly picture. And while you can make a case that the facts of slavery cannot and should not be prettified, Fuqua’s approach, both in the relentless grind of graphic cruelty and the grim, near monochrome sludge of the cinematography, makes for a gruelling endurance test of a viewing experience.Smith, fresh from his Oscar-winning performance in King Richard last year, delivers a physically committed turn as a character loosely based on a…

Will Smith‘s long-awaited post-slap comeback, Emancipation, has finally received its wide release earlier today via Apple TV Plus, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, given the contentious lens that continues to surround the film’s star and its reportedly uneven dealings with a topic as heavy as slavery, it’s turned out to be a particularly divisive feature. The imbalance of Emancipation‘s consensus is perhaps best exemplified by its pair of scores on Rotten Tomatoes, which, at the time of writing, number a shaky…

Emancipation is now streaming on Apple TV Plus.The film, which stars Academy Award-winner Will Smith and is directed by Antoine Fuqua, tells the story of "Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith, and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom."The film is "inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image,…

Emancipation, which hits Apple TV from Dec. 9, might be about one slave’s fight and his sprint to freedom through the Louisiana swamplands – but audiences will be watching or not for one reason, and one reason only – Will Smith.  The movie star has been deserted by film studios, seen projects cancelled, and suffered untold humiliations since that slap, a fact which means any roles which survived the cull will come under fire more than usual.  On this occasion, that means a visually exquisite civil war drama, where…