'Lincoln' vs. 'Django Unchained'

If you didn’t notice, two rather huge films were released recently, both dealing with the issue slavery. ‘Django Unchained’ I was anticipating for a long time, especially as a half-Jamaican girl with a keen interest in slavery. On top of that I was left wanting more after Inglorious Basterds, and Tarantino certainly delivered. 'Lincoln' was released quite recently (in the UK at least), and didn't really stir my interest.

No matter what critics say about possible racism in the ‘Django Unchained’, I always find myself in defense of the film. Sure, a film about slavery by a white man is going to be filled with flaws, and slavery is usually done wrong when dealt with by the mainstream. However, ‘Django Unchained’ is definitely far more progressive in dealing with slavery than Spielberg’s film ‘Lincoln’. 

Not often does a film leave me feeling disgusted and angry afterwards. For ‘Lincoln’ it wasn’t the fact that it was an incredibly boring dross, but the gross historical inaccuracy in painting Lincoln as some saintly leader who single-handedly freed the slaves. Lincoln was not a fierce fighter for equal rights. Lincoln frequently used the n-word, expressed racist sentiments and in fact wasn’t as fiercely opposed to slavery as we are made to believe. He wanted slavery to stop spreading, but didn’t want it completely abolished, in fact, he was in favour of sending the slaves to work elsewhere. He only became a fan of abolition when he saw how it benefitted white Americans in the civil war, as slaves could join the army.

In the film, the slaves play no role in their own liberation, once again an example of the portrayal of black people as passively waiting for a white saviour. This, like so many representations of slavery, blatantly ignores the fact that time and time again the slaves rose up. The slaves didn’t just sit twiddling their thumbs, they fought for their freedom, wrestling it from the unwilling hands of the state. This was what put pressure on the government to do something about slavery. Actually, slave revolts were rife (one example being the largely unrecognised Black Seminoles revolt in 1835-1838) and abolitionists lobbied much harder than the undeniably racist Lincoln ever did.

So while you could pick apart ‘Django Unchained’, at least we get a slave who actually gets up and takes action, as opposed to just waiting for Waltz to save his wife for him. In ‘Django Unchained’ they are undeniably in a partnership, both contributing equally to their cause. ‘Lincoln’ simply rattles a stream of lies about  the end of slavery and a massively flawed president. Of course, ‘Lincoln’ will pick up all the awards and be lauded as a classic because it draws upon the known patriotism of its American audience. Meanwhile, history will be rewritten to further obliterate the role of black people and racism will continue to preside in our society.