When it was first released, Mandingo was promoted as the one movie willing to tell the truth about American slavery. It features graphic depictions of every horror that slavery inflicted upon African Americans, ranging from brutal punishments to rape. In many respects, it is an antidote to the benign depictions of slavery in films such as Gone with the Wind and Birth of a Nation.
It is also just as gross a distortion of slavery as they were.
First of all, missing from the film is the most fundamental aspect of the slave experience: labor. Slaves were first and foremost used as workers. Based on this film, one would get the impression that slaves served no other purpose than to be beaten by or have sex with their masters and mistresses.
More damning, despite the film's appeal to an African-American audience, Mandingo strips its black characters of all dignity. Yes, black slaves were subject to horrific abuses. However, they were also able to maintain their own religious practices, and formed families of their own. They were not simply the helpless victims Mandingo depicts them as.
Furthermore, the film fails on a basic cinematic level. Most of the acting is downright terrible, with Susan George giving a histrionic, career ending performance.
The only good things about this film are an opening theme by Muddy Waters and the atmospheric sets, which capture the dark, grim reality of a plantation house before the gaslight era.
It is also just as gross a distortion of slavery as they were.
First of all, missing from the film is the most fundamental aspect of the slave experience: labor. Slaves were first and foremost used as workers. Based on this film, one would get the impression that slaves served no other purpose than to be beaten by or have sex with their masters and mistresses.
More damning, despite the film's appeal to an African-American audience, Mandingo strips its black characters of all dignity. Yes, black slaves were subject to horrific abuses. However, they were also able to maintain their own religious practices, and formed families of their own. They were not simply the helpless victims Mandingo depicts them as.
Furthermore, the film fails on a basic cinematic level. Most of the acting is downright terrible, with Susan George giving a histrionic, career ending performance.
The only good things about this film are an opening theme by Muddy Waters and the atmospheric sets, which capture the dark, grim reality of a plantation house before the gaslight era.