“12 Years a Slave” Oscar-winning film that rewrote history with a tailwind

Who is Solomon Northup?

The main character of this movie is Solomon Northup. Most people probably don't know his name.

Solomon Northup is not included in history textbooks like Martin Luther King Jr. in ``Glory '' (14) who fought against racial discrimination , or Malcolm X (1992), Like Jackie Robinson in ``The Man Who Changed the World' ' (2013), he did not break down racial barriers in the major leagues. Also, he was not a global superstar like Ray Charles in ``Ray '' (2004) or James Brown in ``James Brown' ' (14).

Solomon Northup was a civilian who was a slave for 12 years... It became an autobiographical book, a bestseller, and more than 100 years later, it was made into a movie, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, the highest award in the film industry.

“12 Years a Slave” (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Solomon Northup, on the other hand, was a free black man. In English, the term "free black people" can be clearly divided into "Free" and "Freed." "Free" is a black person who was born free, and "Freed" is a black person who was born a slave and was given freedom. This difference is large among blacks.

Solomon's father was a slave but was later freed, so he is called "Freed," but his son Solomon, who was born after he was freed, was born free.

However, on a journey to play the violin, Solomon is trapped and taken to the South to be sold as a slave. From there, Solomon's harsh 12 years began.

By the way, this is actually the second time that the story of Solomon Northup has been made into a movie. When it was first made into a movie, it was a TV movie called ``Solomon Northup's Odyssey'' (unreleased in Japan in 1984), directed by Gordon Parks, known for `` The Black Jaguar '' (1971). This work is very easy to understand, so please check it out if you have a chance. It will be interesting to see the differences with this work.

The diverse backgrounds of the staff and cast