Director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender London born artist Steve McQueen is enjoying an illustrious career which seems to be going from strength to strength, especially when it comes to his work on the big screen. After producing several short films, his debut feature length effort, released in 2008 was a stark, hard hitting drama called 'Hunger' which dealt with the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. Critics world wide praised the film and it proved so much of a popular choice at the Cannes Film Festival of that year that McQueen became the very first Brit to receive the Camera d'Or (first time director) Award. He followed this up in 2011 with another critically acclaimed movie, 'Shame', a modern day tale set in New York about a sex addict.
Now McQueen is set to return with what looks to be a highly provocative as well as engaging piece of work. The film, set in the highly oppressive pre Civil War period of America is called '12 Years A Slave' and is based on the true story of Soloman Northup, a free black New Yorker with a family, who in 1841 travelled to Washington DC to take up the job of playing the fiddle in a circus, but instead was sold into slavery in Louisana, and there he stayed until 1853, only after someone got word to his family back in New York. Amazingly his wife had to go to court to secure his freedom. Oh yes, this is a true story!
Now McQueen is set to return with what looks to be a highly provocative as well as engaging piece of work. The film, set in the highly oppressive pre Civil War period of America is called '12 Years A Slave' and is based on the true story of Soloman Northup, a free black New Yorker with a family, who in 1841 travelled to Washington DC to take up the job of playing the fiddle in a circus, but instead was sold into slavery in Louisana, and there he stayed until 1853, only after someone got word to his family back in New York. Amazingly his wife had to go to court to secure his freedom. Oh yes, this is a true story!
Soloman Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and family '12 Years A Slave' boasts an impressive cast, headed up by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Soloman Northup and Michael Fassbender as a brutal plantation owner. Incidentially this will be the third time Fassbender has appeared in a Steve McQueen film, as he starred in both 'Hunger' and 'Shame'. These two talented dudes are fast gaining a 'star-director' high quality double act reputation along the lines of Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Also included is Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodward, Michael Kenneth Williams ( who played the deadly Omar in HBO's 'The Wire'), Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's 'Sherlock') and Academy Award nominee Quivenzhane Wallis ('Beasts Of The Southern Wild').
No doubt comparisons will be made with Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained', however from the look of the first trailer, which just recently went online, McQueen will not be playing this story for any laughs whatsoever. Indeed expectations are high from all quarters and '12 Years As A Slave' may well be play a prominent role come award season. It is due for release in October and I am biting at the bit to see this!
No doubt comparisons will be made with Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained', however from the look of the first trailer, which just recently went online, McQueen will not be playing this story for any laughs whatsoever. Indeed expectations are high from all quarters and '12 Years As A Slave' may well be play a prominent role come award season. It is due for release in October and I am biting at the bit to see this!
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