12 Years A Slave: Difference Between Book And Movie

“But remember, there are two ways to dehumanize someone: by dismissing them, and by idolizing them.” This quote, attributed to David Wong, sums up the difference between the book Twelve Years a Slave from its film counterpart. Characters and situations that Solomon Northrup wrote down were altered in the making of the film, and by dismissing some people as villains and idolizing others as angels, the filmmakers dehumanize both the slaves and their owners. Changes to the material made by the film creators in an effort to make the film more entertaining changed important aspects of the story, and did not further the truth of the story. The movie 12 Years a Slave frequently adjusts or blatantly ignores details of the book for shock value. There is more violence in the film, and not all of it can be attributed to the difference between reading a line and playing a part. A slave is murdered on the ship by a sailor, when in the book, the slave dies of small pox, a disease that Solomon also contracts. There is more nudity than in the book, especially in the auction scene. Solomon explicitly states that the slaves were given new suits, and the filmmakers decided the slaves should be naked. Later, when Tibeats tries to kill Solomon, it is portrayed much differently. In the novel, Tibeats ties Solomon up in the …show more content…
The slight details rob both the slaves and the slave holders of their humanity and autonomy. Neglecting to mention Solomon’s job as a slave driver and making Ford no better than any other slaveholder allows the filmmakers to paint a picture different from the one that actually existed. Solomon spent twelve years of his life in slavery, and he freely admitted to all of his actions and the actions of those around him. Changing those actions changes the story, changes the script, and masks the truth of Solomon’s