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An original film based on actual African history

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Movie looks interesting enough. I'll echo the "a bit too Hollywood," sentiment, parts of it reminded me of The Scorpion King as far as actiony bits, and that's a huge red flag. Also, trailer music was a bit too on the nose, but I'm far outside of the demographic they were probably gunning for with that choice. Interested in hearing reviews.
 

Bragr

Banned
Historical films and TV shows should strive to be as historically accurate as possible rather than create a false narrative.
I don't think they can. The market wouldn't allow it.

America thinks the europeans landed ships in africa and took africans. But the slave trade in africa thrived because africans was making tons of money by selling other "lesser africans". These ideas of "tribal africans" being "less" than others were deeply rooted in africa itself as in europe. Not to mention the muslim overclass in northern africa viewed tribal africans as slave animals and had been enslaving them for centuries.

Stuff like this would be viewed as americans trying to shift blame. Nobody wanna hear stuff like this because people feel it's a way of looking away from the north-atlantic trade.

Even in america, hundreds of thousands of slaves found decent lives in america, many found better lives being slaves than their life in africa. You try to say anything like that and it would be taken as blashempy, trying to excuse what happened or some of the horrible conditions some people found themselves in. Like a white excuse sort of thing, like you are trying to dispell the evils of slavery.
 

Bragr

Banned
Despite the real history there are still good and interesting stories to tell about Stalin. Let's make a movie where they make him look badass.
Just wait, in 50 years time you will have movies trying to make mao, hitler and stalin look cool, just like djenghis khan and the roman empire.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I don't think they can. The market wouldn't allow it.

America thinks the europeans landed ships in africa and took africans. But the slave trade in africa thrived because africans was making tons of money by selling other "lesser africans". These ideas of "tribal africans" being "less" than others were deeply rooted in africa itself as in europe. Not to mention the muslim overclass in northern africa viewed tribal africans as slave animals and had been enslaving them for centuries.

Stuff like this would be viewed as americans trying to shift blame. Nobody wanna hear stuff like this because people feel it's a way of looking away from the north-atlantic trade.

Even in america, hundreds of thousands of slaves found decent lives in america, many found better lives being slaves than their life in africa. You try to say anything like that and it would be taken as blashempy, trying to excuse what happened or some of the horrible conditions some people found themselves in. Like a white excuse sort of thing, like you are trying to dispell the evils of slavery.

Enslaved Africans in America had better lives than in Africa?!

The actual FUCK?!?!
 
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Konnor

Member
Trailer looks very cool. I generally don't care about accuracy in movies like Braveheart or Gladiator, I just want interesting characters, good motivations and great action set pieces. This film looks to deliver in those respects.


Jesus Christ, this isn't just about the film being a little historically inaccurate, these dipshits fought the "colonizers" because the latter wanted to ban the slave trade. Let me make this clear, the African "heroes" in this movie were actually fighting the "bad" white people because they wanted to continue the slave trade and when the bad white people eventually won they banned the slave trade. Hollywood is fucking retarded.
 

Bragr

Banned
Enslaved Africans in America had better lives than in Africa?!

The actual FUCK?!?!
Some had for sure, half of africa lived, and still lives, hand to mouth.

If you go back long enough, slavery was a way out for many people, as it allowed you to feed your family. Some entered slavery willingly. You can travel to many places today too and find people who would accept being under ownership if they get access to food and medicine for their kids. It's crazy, especially for us today, but people lived, and still lives, in the fucking dirt many places and would do anything to get out.
 

sol_bad

Member
Jesus Christ, this isn't just about the film being a little historically inaccurate, these dipshits fought the "colonizers" because the latter wanted to ban the slave trade. Let me make this clear, the African "heroes" in this movie were actually fighting the "bad" white people because they wanted to continue the slave trade and when the bad white people eventually won they banned the slave trade. Hollywood is fucking retarded.

What's your point? The movie is made to entertain.
 

Konnor

Member
What's your point? The movie is made to entertain.

If it's that historically inaccurate to the point they make slave traders the good guys and the people trying to stop them the bad ones they might as well make an original story not based on true events. But we all know why this shit happens, the Hollywood hacks are trying to virtue signal even if that means glorifying slave traders.
 

sol_bad

Member
If it's that historically inaccurate to the point they make slave traders the good guys and the people trying to stop them the bad ones they might as well make an original story not based on true events. But we all know why this shit happens, the Hollywood hacks are trying to virtue signal even if that means glorifying slave traders.

Maybe there is a plot twist in the film or it has a dark ending. How do you know? Stop judging shit you haven't seen.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Some had for sure, half of africa lived, and still lives, hand to mouth.

If you go back long enough, slavery was a way out for many people, as it allowed you to feed your family. Some entered slavery willingly. You can travel to many places today too and find people who would accept being under ownership if they get access to food and medicine for their kids. It's crazy, especially for us today, but people lived, and still lives, in the fucking dirt many places and would do anything to get out.

I'm sorry... But you think chattel slavery was a CHOICE?!

Did you know there are/were multiple systems of slavery? And most weren't what Chattel slavery was? In Chattel slavery, you have NO RIGHTS! You can be raped, abused, killed, your children sold off, your spouse or partner sold off, you couldn't read, you were fed scraps, etc... And your owner would never face any repercussions for doing ANY of that! Not to mention under chattel slavery, you weren't even considered human!

That's FAR different from pawnship or Domestic slavery... Where the slaves had some rights and were still treated as humans! And could even be freed after a time (PAWNSHIP) or even own land (Domestic slavery).

You're FAR off about everything you said!

EVERYTHING!
 
drake-lets-go.gif
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Btw... I don't see anyone going this hard against "historical inaccuracies" with the recent Elvis biopic. Or any of the other ones where it's not about famous white person from history. Except PT Barnum.
 
Dahomey became an adversary to the British Empire after the abolition of slavery during the 19th century. The British sent diplomatic missions to Dahomey, in an effort to convince King Ghezo to abolish human sacrifice and slave trading. In 1851, the Royal Navy imposed a naval blockade against Dahomey, forcing Ghezo to sign a treaty in 1852 that immediately abolished the export of slaves. However, the treaty was broken and slave trading efforts continued in 1857 and 1858.

Historian Martin Meredith quotes Ghezo telling the British

The slave trade has been the ruling principle of my people. It is the source of their glory and wealth. Their songs celebrate their victories and the mother lulls the child to sleep with notes of triumph over an enemy reduced to slavery.

time punchline GIF
 

Bragr

Banned
I'm sorry... But you think chattel slavery was a CHOICE?!

Did you know there are/were multiple systems of slavery? And most weren't what Chattel slavery was? In Chattel slavery, you have NO RIGHTS! You can be raped, abused, killed, your children sold off, your spouse or partner sold off, you couldn't read, you were fed scraps, etc... And your owner would never face any repercussions for doing ANY of that! Not to mention under chattel slavery, you weren't even considered human!

That's FAR different from pawnship or Domestic slavery... Where the slaves had some rights and were still treated as humans! And could even be freed after a time (PAWNSHIP) or even own land (Domestic slavery).

You're FAR off about everything you said!

EVERYTHING!
I have said nothing of chattel slavery being a choice. I am talking about africa and landowners. A lot of people willingly went into slavery to earn. People still do, do you know how many could be considered slaves today? it's quite a lot.

This is what was discussed earlier, people don't wanna hear about real history, it's always skewed into this american horror picture where all slaves were fed scraps and raped every day. That doesn't mean some weren't, or that slavery is good, it just means the circumstances were different for different people.
 

Bragr

Banned
Btw... I don't see anyone going this hard against "historical inaccuracies" with the recent Elvis biopic. Or any of the other ones where it's not about famous white person from history. Except PT Barnum.
What was wrong with the elvis one?

Plenty of biopics of all races are dumb and leave out all the ugly sides, from ghandi, to mother theresa to malcom x.

And some of them should leave out the ugly parts, as it doesn't translate to a modern viewpoint. Like hitting your kids, for example, it's not the same today as it once was.
 

Konnor

Member
Btw... I don't see anyone going this hard against "historical inaccuracies" with the recent Elvis biopic. Or any of the other ones where it's not about famous white person from history. Except PT Barnum.


If Elvis was diddling kids and they showed him as a protector of children for example I suspect more people would have a problem too. This isn't about some innocent inaccuracy
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
If Elvis was diddling kids and they showed him as a protector of children for example I suspect more people would have a problem too. This isn't about some innocent inaccuracy

Most people gloss over the fact that his wife (Priscilla Presley) was only 14 when they were married. That's diddling a kid.
 
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Hari Seldon

Member
I can't speak for anyone else but speaking for myself I could give less than 2 shits what is in some Elvis movie lmfao. Now a movie about African history is actually interesting because it is so rare.

As an aside, I have always wondered if actual Africans were pissed that basically all representation of them in movies is about African-Americans, who I suspect have absolutely nothing similar to native Africans.

As a second aside, there are thousands of years of incredibly interesting African history to mine into movies and TV shows which is completely ignored. The different regions of Africa are as varied in history as any other continent, if not more so. If you were really serious about representation in Hollywood maybe start doing this? I'd kill for a HBO style series on Carthage or Mali.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Most people gloss over the fact that his wife (Priscilla Presley) was only 14 when they were married. That's diddling a kid.

No. They got married when she was 22. They *met* when she was 14. Incredibly creepy in today's standards, yes. But it was much more normalized back then compared to today. Context is always important, so why is it that you fail to do basic research and ignore context? Plus literally no one is defending Elvis for doing this. It has been called out since the 80s.

I can't speak for anyone else but speaking for myself I could give less than 2 shits what is in some Elvis movie lmfao. Now a movie about African history is actually interesting because it is so rare.

As an aside, I have always wondered if actual Africans were pissed that basically all representation of them in movies is about African-Americans, who I suspect have absolutely nothing similar to native Africans.

As a second aside, there are thousands of years of incredibly interesting African history to mine into movies and TV shows which is completely ignored. The different regions of Africa are as varied in history as any other continent, if not more so. If you were really serious about representation in Hollywood maybe start doing this? I'd kill for a HBO style series on Carthage or Mali.

To Hollywood, America is the center of the universe. Plus plenty of folks as seen above are ignorant on the history of Africa and its people, still living in their own mental realm of perceived victimhood.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
No. They got married when she was 22. They *met* when she was 14. Incredibly creepy in today's standards, yes. But it was much more normalized back then compared to today. Context is always important, so why is it that you fail to do basic research and ignore context? Plus literally no one is defending Elvis for doing this. It has been called out since the 80s.



To Hollywood, America is the center of the universe. Plus plenty of folks as seen above are ignorant on the history of Africa and its people, still living in their own mental realm of perceived victimhood.

So you're a scholar of African history? Which regions? Which countries? What time period(s)? Which kingdoms? Or are you a scholar on African mythology? Which pantheon? What stories are you knowledgeable in? Do you know anything about African martial arts? Are you versed in the MANY languages of the continent?

I mean, since you're saying I, and presumably others, am ignorant of Africa and its history... Which spans A LOT of different places, kingdoms, peoples, languages, religions, folklore, traditions, etc.

Please educate us, o' wise one!
 
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So you're a scholar of African history? Which regions? Which countries? What time period(s)? Which kingdoms? Or are you a scholar on African mythology? Which pantheon? What stories are you knowledgeable in? Do you know anything about African martial arts? Are you versed in the MANY languages of the continent?

I mean, since you're saying I, and presumably others, am ignorant of Africa and its history... Which spans A LOT of different places, kingdoms, peoples, languages, religions, folklore, traditions, etc.

Please educate us, o' wise one!
You are being educated in this thread. But instead of listening, you’re pointing to the Elvis movie.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
So you're a scholar of African history? Which regions? Which countries? What time period(s)? Which kingdoms? Or are you a scholar on African mythology? Which pantheon? What stories are you knowledgeable in? Do you know anything about African martial arts? Are you versed in the MANY languages of the continent?

I mean, since you're saying I, and presumably others, am ignorant of Africa and its history... Which spans A LOT of different places, kingdoms, peoples, languages, religions, folklore, traditions, etc.

Please educate us, o' wise one!

Yes, I am. From modern day nations that reside in much of the northern regions, such as Mali, Egypt, Sudan, etc. to some of the earliest nations that resided in those regions such as Kemet, the Kushite Empire, Songhai, Carthage, and more. I only have a passing familiarity with the various pantheons that reside across Africa as a whole, aside from the various Egyptian gods that were worshipped heavily between the days of the old kingdom to the new kingdom. I do not speak any of the languages natively, however I have studied enough of linguistics to get an understanding of how their cultures shaped each of their languages. Anything I do not know for certain, I try to extensively research before I comment on. Something I would highly suggest you do for once in your life.

So yes, I am saying you in particular are a horribly ignorant, bullheaded person who has been proven wrong on the general history of African peoples in this very thread, yet you try to use whataboutism and strawman arguments ad nauseoum to push this mentally ill victim hood mentality you so desperately love to show on this site. It is fucking sad. You are a sad individual. Do better.
 
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DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Yes, I am. From modern day nations that reside in much of the northern regions, such as Mali, Egypt, Sudan, etc. to some of the earliest nations that resided in those regions such as Kemet, the Kushite Empire, Songhai, Carthage, and more. I only have a passing familiarity with the various pantheons that reside across Africa as a whole, aside from the various Egyptian gods that were worshipped heavily between the days of the old kingdom to the new kingdom. I do not speak any of the languages natively, however I have studied enough of linguistics to get an understanding of how their cultures shaped each of their languages. Anything I do not know for certain, I try to extensively research before I comment on. Something I would highly suggest you do for once in your life.

So yes, I am saying you in particular are a horribly ignorant, bullheaded person who has been proven wrong on the general history of African peoples in this very thread, yet you try to use whataboutism and strawman arguments ad nauseoum to push this mentally ill victim hood mentality you so desperately love to show on this site. It is fucking sad. You are a sad individual. Do better.

You had me until the last paragraph...

Although, tit for tat. Fair game. Good post.
 

daclynk

Member
finally watch the trailer for this movie, its going to be awesome. Hoping it premiers at the Sliverbird Cinemas. Anyone here hoping to go watch it in Cinemas in Gh DM me.
 
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Kev Kev

Member
Trailer looked ok but the choice of music and lack of using their native language with English substitles has me worried about the other choices they made.

I think someone said earlier it looks a little too Hollywood and I’d say that’s a fair assessment. Still tho, even with that it could be great. I look forward to checking it out. I love watching elite women kicking ass. Just watched Black Widow the other night and there was a whole lot of bad ass chicks doing bad ass shit. Fuckin love it.
 

belmarduk

Member
Btw... I don't see anyone going this hard against "historical inaccuracies" with the recent Elvis biopic. Or any of the other ones where it's not about famous white person from history. Except PT Barnum.

Weird how it’s only an issue when race is involved. I wonder if decades ago the same people were criticizing Wild Wild West for starting Will Smith when nearly everything about the movie is historically inaccurate.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Weird how it’s only an issue when race is involved. I wonder if decades ago the same people were criticizing Wild Wild West for starting Will Smith when nearly everything about the movie is historically inaccurate.
That's an interesting pull. WWW was a commercial failure and IIRC some folks were a mite upset that Jim West was played by Smith. But Smith was pretty big back then so I think the handful of folks that did see the film accepted him in the role.
 
Btw... I don't see anyone going this hard against "historical inaccuracies" with the recent Elvis biopic. Or any of the other ones where it's not about famous white person from history. Except PT Barnum.
You’re the one who called this an actual historical epic. You should have just said that it’s fiction based on historical facts.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
You’re the one who called this an actual historical epic. You should have just said that it’s fiction based on historical facts.

Most historical biopics are partly fiction based on facts. Either when details aren't known or the details we DO know are unsavory and it's whitewashed... Or a bit of both.

It's par for the course in nearly all historical dramas.
 

Kimahri

Banned
Trailer looked ok but the choice of music and lack of using their native language with English substitles has me worried about the other choices they made.

I think someone said earlier it looks a little too Hollywood and I’d say that’s a fair assessment. Still tho, even with that it could be great. I look forward to checking it out. I love watching elite women kicking ass. Just watched Black Widow the other night and there was a whole lot of bad ass chicks doing bad ass shit. Fuckin love it.

I hated the music choicr too, but what's the issue with no native tongue? It's not like vikings are speaking old norse in viking movies. Most of the time english is default, no matter the production.

Can't wait to see this though.
 
Most historical biopics are partly fiction based on facts. Either when details aren't known or the details we DO know are unsavory and it's whitewashed... Or a bit of both.

It's par for the course in nearly all historical dramas.
Which is I never trust them to tell the true story.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Which is I never trust them to tell the true story.

I look at it like this: it motivates me to look into the actual history.

I was actually ignorant about the kingdom of Dahomey's slavery business practices... Until someone posted about it and I actually went into it to look it up just in case they were posting in bad faith with edited info since there was no link.

The fact is I learn a lot, indirectly, through movies.
 

belmarduk

Member
That's an interesting pull. WWW was a commercial failure and IIRC some folks were a mite upset that Jim West was played by Smith. But Smith was pretty big back then so I think the handful of folks that did see the film accepted him in the role.

It ended up making about $50 million.. so not too much a commercial failure. It also was the best movie either smith Klein or braunagh ever did.. so there's that.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
It ended up making about $50 million.. so not too much a commercial failure. It also was the best movie either smith Klein or braunagh ever did.. so there's that.
Tha fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu???

Do you mean the best film they did...together?

'Cause each of those guys have like 5 films, EASY, that are indisputably better than WWW. Sure, they have some stinkers in there but WWW is far from a highlight for any of them.

And WWW cost 170 million, ended up barely breaking that at the BO. Doubt WB or whoever made it saw any profit even after video sales.
 
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DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Saw it late last night right after work. It was GREAT!

And they didn't shy away from their kingdom's part in the slave trade... No spoilers but the action was amazing! Viola Davis is almost 60 and she did an amazing job with the action! The young actress brought on to be the audience surrogate and a member of their army is one to watch.

And the film had some genuinely funny moments, too!
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
African LOTR show dropping at the end of the month


ZERO diversity, I expect some members here will take extreme issue with the monoethnic portrayal of a fantasy series set on a continent with the highest diversity in the world...../s

My interest in watching this is 100% based on the TV-MA rating. Some fine looking women in there. Did you see the size of the axe that one guy had?
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
ZERO diversity, I expect some members here will take extreme issue with the monoethnic portrayal of a fantasy series set on a continent with the highest diversity in the world...../s

My interest in watching this is 100% based on the TV-MA rating. Some fine looking women in there. Did you see the size of the axe that one guy had?

If RoP had an all white cast like the movies did, I would still be watching it. I just don't care that they added in POC. They could have added in white folks to that trailer and I wouldn't have blinked an eye. Especially since it seems like it's set in a future version of Africa in the same vein as Wheels of Time.
 
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