Trivia: This was the first film from a black director to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Trivia: Michael Fassbender passed out after filming the whipping scene.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
2 trivia entries
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael K. Williams
Factual error: In the close-up of the violin being strung, it is obvious the strings are of contemporary origin. You can see they are translucent plastic; not exactly historically accurate.
Solomon Northup: I don't want to survive. I want to live.
Question: In one of the very first scenes set in one of the plantation slave huts, Solomon is struggling to sleep. He is sleeping on the floor squashed amongst many other slaves. During this scene, what looks like a white youngish woman encourages him to touch her. A little earlier we see her sitting on the porch of the slave hut eating alone whilst the slaves are eating. As far as I could tell, she doesn't appear again in the film. Who is she? Does she play a greater role in the book? Was there more of a story here that ended up on the cutting room floor?
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Answer: It was a fellow slave. As to whether or not she has a greater role in the book I can't say, but I interpreted the scene to demonstrate how far removed from his former life Solomon had fallen; rutting on the floor in front of everyone else like an animal.
Phixius ★