(Los Angeles) It was intended to be a poignant film about a slave’s escape through the swamps of Louisiana, but before its release, Emancipation was given an unexpected label: it was Will Smith’s first film since he was slapped at the Oscars. Which worries its director Antoine Fuqua.
Posted on December 2nd
Andrew MARSZAL Agence France-Presse
Hollywood pros instead gambled on a postponement over the scandal, but Apple, which is producing the feature film, decided to bring it to US screens this weekend, despite fears of a possible public boycott.
“I’m very concerned about this,” Mr Fuqua told AFP, hoping his film’s message wouldn’t be swallowed up by the sulfur smell that surrounds its leading actor.
“I hope we have enough compassion […] at least look at the work he has done, because his work on the film is extraordinary,” adds the director.
Before shocking the world by slapping comedian Chris Rock on the Oscars stage for a shady joke about his wife’s hair loss, Will Smith had conquered Hollywood since the 1990s and “was a good man before all of us for 37 years.” . the filmmaker remembers.
Inspired by true events
Emancipation is inspired by the story of Whipped Peter, a black slave remembered for the barbaric treatment he received from his masters before fleeing a cotton plantation during the American Civil War.
The photos of his back, completely torn from the flogging, have gone down in history as indelible proof of the brutality of slavery.
Will Smith embodies this character who escapes the clutches of cruel masters and whose escape is imagined by Antoine Fuqua through the sticky swamps of Louisiana riddled with alligators, snakes and other dangers.
The director films this quest for freedom like a suspense thriller, more than a historical drama, showing head-on the abuse inflicted on slaves. The violent scenes are brutally reminiscent of the multiple Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.
Will Smith’s performance is undeniable, but many critics are wondering if the actor’s return to screens is premature, just eight months after his slap in the face.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel Air, who was banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years after retiring from the Academy himself, can theoretically still be selected and win a statuette. The December release of Emancipation also allows Apple to submit its film to the Oscars.
commemorative debates
Will Smith, who has publicly apologized, “was wrong” to get carried away at the last few Oscars, insists Mr. Fuqua and hopes he reconciles with Chris Rock away from the spotlight.
But “Will is a good guy, I support him,” adds the director. During the difficult shooting in the swamps of Louisiana, the actor “never complained,” he points out.
The filmmaker insists on the imperative to release Emancipation at a time when slavery commemoration issues are causing much tension in the United States.
“There are discussions about not teaching slavery in certain schools […]as if they wanted to erase the past,” says Mr. Fuqua indignantly.
The Republican Party has strongly opposed reforms that consider changing the way slavery is taught and addressing systemic racism.
American children “shouldn’t learn that our country is inherently evil,” conservative Senate leader Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers said last year.
Mr. Fuqua draws a parallel between this resistance and the whipped Peter clichés that were necessary to silence the voices trying to minimize the atrocities committed in the name of slavery at the end of the 19th century.
“That’s why it’s so important to keep museums open, to bring all these things to life,” he said. “Many children don’t even know what slavery is. »