Films by season & age - Slavery (Ages 15-18)

Seasons are a great way to explore different ideas through watching a group of films. Why not try watching all the films in a season and make some time for discussion. Topics and discussion points are included.

On the 22nd of March 2007, a very special anniversary takes place - it will be 200 years since the abolition of the British slave trade. To mark this momentous day, FILM CLUB presents a season of films based around the subject of slavery. Many of these films are emotionally hard-hitting, but they are also, we hope, all highly rewarding.

Among the movies in this special FILM CLUB season, director Steven Spielberg's Amistad presents an unforgettable portrait of the injustices suffered by African men and women in the terrible era of the slave trade. Meanwhile, the same director's adaptation of the acclaimed novel The Color Purple provides a moving account of the way that one black woman becomes a slave to the men around her even after slavery has been legally abolished. On one level a light-hearted adventure yarn, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huck Finn also has a far more serious side in showing Huck's friendship with an escaped young slave. In the superb Ride With The Devil, we see the conflicting loyalties that slavery left in its wake. Finally, in the shocking "mockumentary" CSA - The Confederate States of America, the issue is brought right back into the present day with a glimpse of what the modern US might look like had slavery never been abolished there.

Whether you choose to watch all five films, or simply pick one from among the list, we hope every movie in this season shows why it was so important that Britain took the step it did 200 years ago - and why we must all fight to stop the dark days that existed beforehand ever returning.

TALKING POINTS [For any of the films included in the season]

What kind of emotions did the movie make you feel?

Did your emotions change by the end of the film?

Did watching Amistad make you feel more angry at the slave traders themselves - or at the system that allowed them to ply their trade?

Did you feel that Celie's treatment at the hands of Mister in The Color Purple could be compared to that of a "real" slave in the years beforehand?

Do you think CSA - The Confederate States of America was just designed to shock, or did parts of it remind you of what America is really like today? Could you imagine similar scenes ever taking place in Britain?