Slaves on Screen

I love this book by the late and much-honored Professor of Early Modern European history for its clarity, concision, elegance of expression, and boldness of interpretation.

It focuses on five outstanding films about slavery beginning as early as the 73-71 BC revolt of soldiers against ancient Rome led by the famed gladiator Spartacus and ending with the United States, Cuba, and other Caribbean countries in the late 19th century.

The author even insists, in a chapter on the film made from Toni Morrison’s ghost story novel, Beloved, that it is possible that some written historical fiction can teach us… show more.

Natalie Davis is a renowned historian and with Slaves on Screen she makes a meaningful contribution to history on film scholarship. As Davis explains in the preface, she has a connection to film, having wanted to work in documentary before being drawn to academia. She also took on the role of historical consultant for the film The Return of Martin Guerre. From the outset you can see that she approaches history on film with a deep appreciation of the medium, acknowledging both its strengths and weaknesses. The book doesn’t sugar-coat some of the shortfalls of the films under discussion,… show more.