"django unchained" made 160 million dollars at the box office. "lincoln" made $182 million. "12 years a slave," made $56 million, but only cost $20 million to make. this sort of mini-upsurge has provoked a lot of debate and discussion about depictions of slavery and freedom in film and other forms of media. in television, documentaries, and youtube shorts, different series. we are continuing the conversation today. all of our panelists are fierce scholars of the american south and of race and gender. they have also written about, reviewed, taught courses on, and consulted for films about slavery. catherine clinton has been teaching at queens university belfast since 2006, but will be coming back to the united states this fall to be a professor of u.s. history at the university of texas san antonio. she is the author of numerous books about gender, race, and the civil war, including biographies of mary todd lincoln. and harriet tubman. she has edited the diaries and memoirs of susie king taylor. professor clinton served on advisory committees to t

""django unchained"" made 160 milli million. "lincoln" made 182 million. "12 years a slade made $26 million but only cost $26 million to make. roughly the same. this mini upsurge has provoked a lot of debate and discussion about the depictions of slavery and freedom of film and other forms of media, visual media and television and documentary, youtube shorts and different series. we are continue iing that conversation today. all our panels are fierce scholars of the american south and gender and they have written and reviewed, taught courses on and consulted on films about slavery. kathryn clinton has been teaching at queens university belfast since 2006 but will be coming back to the united states this fall to be the professor of u.s. history at the university of texas san antonio. she's the author of numerous books about gender, race and the american civil war including biographies of mary todd lincoln, harriet tubman and mary kimball and susan king taylor and mary chestnut. professor clinton serves on the virginia commission

then, we come to "12 years a slave" and even "django unchained." i think part of what they do so well is feature female characters who take on as much or more abuse as do their male protagonists. in "django," quentin tarantino the most macho treatment of slavery. the most macho western spaghetti and racial revenge fantasy. it's over the top as in so many fronts. the plot is fueled by an attempt to rescue django's much tormented slave wife played by kerry washington which makes for some of the most poignant moments but also accounts for its absurdly happy ending as they blow up the plantation and everybody in it and ride happily off into the suddenset. in "12 years," it's the harassment, both physical and mental abuse inflicted on patty by her master and mistress that gets far more attention unfortunately in the film than in the narrative. this is something that's been expanded on by the screenwriters. and as you know earned an academy award for lupita, the actress who played patsy. it's one of the few films other than "roots," i can't think of any o

appearance of such films as "django" and unchained and "lincoln" and afro british director asante, the, "belle." these films not only raised the profile of american history in slavery but profile of academics and scholars not just to debate their work and students within the campus bubble but reach outside the halls of the academy and discuss this with a larger public audience. this intersecretary wits of a t larger questions, our role in society and crisis and academics to prove they are engaged in public service and dialogue. i certainly became aware of the way academics are being invited to play a role in the reception of film during the past few decades, thinking of campaigns to woo civil war scholars with the screenings of "cold mountain." certainly one of the best gambits of all was to include scholars on-screen as extras in the 1983 film "adaptation of killer angels gettysburg." even if we are brought on for advisors we may have crucial contributions to the screening of slavery. many of my colleagues had strident objections to blacks in spielberg's "lincoln" or interpretation or

not in terms of film, but in terms of popular perceptions. >> i don't think "django unchained" is aboutslavery. it is a fantasy. i could not find one grain of reality in the film that dealt with slavery at all. i look at it and laughed at it, but it was really funny and interesting. the costumes were nice. but for me it was not a film about slavery at all. i know tarantino was upset because historians said it was not about slavery, and he seemed to be success -- upset when steve mcqueen won for best picture. i do think, as i said, that "12 years a slave" is a masterwork. without a doubt, it is an incredible film and achievement. but there's -- nothing's perfect. i look particularly at the way he deals with women, because in solomon northrup's narrative, if we go by the narrative, it is clear the way which patsy is depicted. he doesn't mention love. love is not part of it. he is talking about a man who ts to ownbody, who wabtan her soul, and feels he is right to do so and ask accordingly -- acts accordingly. the earlier films you talk about, john, i teach a class on slave narrative novel