DVD Reviews
This is a really good miniseries that aired on BET. It
might remind of "Roots" or other similar miniseries. Of
course, it's 2015, so it's more intense, and more accurate
to the time period, and has more violence, blood and sex.
It's definitely not for kids.
If you have any interest in history or historical dramas,
you will enjoy it. It's also very pro-women. The film
follows a young African girl who's ripped from her murdered
parents and her burned village to go on a horrible ship to
America. The title refers to this: The British offered black
slaves the chance to be free if they worked for them during
the Revolutionary War. After the war, they made a list of
these former slaves and sent them to Canada (and later back
to Africa).
The performances are also good; it stars Aunjanue Ellis
as Aminata. You may remember her from "The Mentalist," "NCIS:
Los Angeles," "True Blood," "Missing," "Justice," or
"E-Ring." She does a fantastic job. There are a few
famous faces, such as Lou Gossett, Jr. (who was in "Roots"
as well), Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jane Alexander. It's a huge
cast, though.
The DVD 3-disk set is great to have. My only complaint is
that there's no closed-captioning whatsoever, and I usually
rely on that quite a bit. It's especially tough when there
are accents, but they do a pretty great job on the sound, so
it wasn't like I was lost or anything. Also, I think it's a
little slow-moving compared to most of today's TV shows.
It's definitely well worth watching, especially if you
missed it on BET. There are many good features where the
cast members and others talk about the show, and also the
writer, Lawrence Hill, who wrote the novel that the movie
was based on.
MORE INFORMATION:
LAWRENCE HILL’S TOUR DE FORCE NOVEL,
THE BOOK OF NEGROES,
TO BE ADAPTED TO A MINI-SERIES FOR CBC AND BET
FROM
CONQUERING
LION PICTURES,
OUT OF AFRICA
ENTERTAINMENT AND
ENTERTAINMENT
ONE
DIRECTED &
CO-WRITTEN BY CLEMENT VIRGO
"The Book of Negroes is
a masterpiece, daring and impressive in its geographic,
historical and human reach, convincing in its narrative art
and detail, necessary for imagining the real beyond the
traces left by history." The Globe and Mail
Banff - June
11, 2013 - Conquering
Lion Pictures, Out Of Africa Entertainment and leading
independent studio Entertainment One (eOne) are pleased to
announce the epic mini-series adaptation of The
Book ofNegroes, based on the
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize-winning novel by Lawrence Hill (published
in the US, Australia and New Zealand as Someone
Knows My Name). Production will begin shooting in South
Africa in the fall and will air on CBC in Canada and BET in
the US.
The mini-series
is written by multiple-award winning filmmaker Clement Virgo
(The Wire, Poor
Boy’s Game) and co-written by Lawrence Hill. The
Book of Negroes will
be directed by Clement Virgo.
Selected by Oprah
Magazine as a 2010 top Summer Read and close to a million
copies sold worldwide,The Book of Negroes depicts
the extraordinary life journey of Aminata Diallo – an
indomitable African woman who cuts a swath through a world
that is predisposed to underestimate her. Kidnapped by slave
traders in West Africa and subsequently enslaved in South
Carolina, Aminata must navigate her way through the American
Revolution in New York, the isolated refuge of Nova Scotia
and the treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, before
ultimately securing her freedom in England at the dawn of
the 19th century.
“Lawrence Hill
has given us a gift with his novel The
Book of Negroes and
I’m now thrilled to be able to convey the exhilaration I
felt on first reading it into an exciting cinematic
experience for a worldwide audience," said Virgo.
"We feel
extremely fortunate to have two broadcasters so committed to
this project. The Book of Negroesis
a widely read book in Canada and the CBC has been supportive
of this project from day one. BET are launching The
Book of Negroes as
their first "event" mini-series, adding this first rate show
to their growing slate of original scripted programming,”
added Executive Producer, Damon D’Oliveira.
“Reminiscent of
the classic TV series Roots, The
Book Of Negroes depicts
a universal narrative about love, loss, and human survival
against a critical moment in history which affected the
social fabric of the US, Canada and the UK," said Executive
Producer Lance Samuels.
"We are extremely proud to be a part of bringing this
remarkable novel to life as a mini-series. Adapted by
acclaimed author Lawrence Hill and talented filmmaker
Clement Virgo, we know this important story will inspire and
enlighten Canadians across the country,”
commented Sally Catto, Executive Director Commissioned and
Scripted Programming, CBC English Television.
“We are excited
to partner with Conquering Lion Pictures, Out of Africa
Entertainment and Entertainment One on this historic project
and to bring the acclaimed Book of Negroes to
life for the BET audience,” said Loretha Jones, President of
Original Programming, BET Networks.
The Book of Negroes is
an official Canada-South
Africa co-production, executive produced by Damon D’Oliveira
(Poor Boy’s Game, Lie With Me) along
with Clement Virgo from Conquering Lion Pictures. Other
executive producers include Lance Samuels (Inescapable,
Bang Bang Club), Daniel Iron (Cairo Time, Away From
Her), Michael Levine (The
Republic of Doyle), eOne’s
Carrie Stein (Coco Chanel, Burn Up, Diamonds) and
Bill Niven (Marion
Bridge) of
Idlewild Films serving as the Nova Scotia Co-Producer. eOne
handles the worldwide rights to the mini-series in all
media. The
Book of Negroes will
be produced in association with Canadian Broadcasting
Company and Black Entertainment Television.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB),
is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment,
music, news and public affairs television programming for
the African-American audience. The primary BET channel
reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in
the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom
and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American
consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions:
BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black
entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour
entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old
African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel
and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge
entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection
of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including
DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a
full-scale event management and production company with
festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates
in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET
network programming for global distribution.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and
one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is
a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers
a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and
satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada
is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional
and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight
Aboriginal languages.
About Entertainment One
The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe
including Canada,
the US, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand,
Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa and
South Korea. Through
established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the
company provides extensive expertise in film distribution,
television and music production, family programming and
merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is
exploited across all media formats and includes more than
35,000 film and television titles, 2,700 hours of television
programming and 45,000 music tracks.
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