Movie Review -- The Woman King

[ColCampbell]

Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I went to see the new movie "The Woman King" starring Viola Davis as the leader of the Dahomian Agojie all female warrior unit of the Kingdom of Dahomey. We both enjoyed the movie.

Granted that all but one of the main characters are fictional, the movie succeeds in telling the story of Dahomey and its Abojie warriors at a specific point in time – 1823. There are several large battle scenes between the Dahomey army and the forces of the rival Ojo Empire [  https://www.britannica.com/place/Oyo-empire ]

There are a number of on-line articles about the Aboujie ("African Amazons") but I found this one, which ties into the movie, well-written -- [ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/real-warriors-woman-king-dahomey-agojie-amazons-180980750/ ]

So, bottom line, if you are interested in Victorian colonial wargaming go see this movie. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Jim

[vodkafan]

The article tells the real story, which is the complete opposite of the film's premise- the Dahomey WERE the Slavers and the Agojie were an instrument of slavery, they took part in slave taking raids. The King of Dahomey was actually known as "The Slave King". That is historical fact. As the article says, Britain pressured Dahomey to stop it's slave trading in 1852.
Lupita Nyong'o was originally going to play the main part but she pulled out after finding out the true history and talking to actual descendants of slaves taken by the Agojie.
I like Viola Davis as an actress but she sold out.
I won't watch this film as I don't want to encourage Hollywood to think it can make more like it.

[Old Contemptable]

This movie is a lie. Boycott it.

[robh]

........if you are interested in Victorian colonial wargaming go see this movie. I don't think you will be disappointed......

As already said it is a complete lie and a bastardization of the historical facts (deliberately rather than carelessly like usual Hollywood), this is a woke propaganda movie.
If you must see it as a "fantasy" colonial movie wait for the pirate copies.

[FifteensAway]

It's a movie.  Expecting history from a movie is just silly.  If it is a well made movie, great.  If it doesn't adhere to the real history, that's Hollywood, baby.  (And every other movie making area.). If you want history, with a huge dose of luck, watch a documentary - a lot of docs are mere diatribes.

I have a decent inside track on the business and getting any sort of historical period drama to the screen is a Monster Lift, believe me.  Viola Davis took a paying gig and like as not required script changes before she decided to appear in the film.  And Hollywood loves a happy ending so the reversal of reality is no surprise.  Oh, and before you dump on Hollywood for its love of happy endings, guess what?  They do those happy endings because that is what we, the audience - in general, maybe not you in particular, want.

So, thanks to the OP for a report on the movie.  Some others might want to lighten up a bit. 

And, of course, chattel slavery was - and is - horrifying.  But it also did happen.  Round about a quarter million or so slaves brought to what became the US - and about 15 million to lands further south under the dominions of Spain and Brazil.  And those numbers are from one of the world's preeminent scholars on the black American experience, Henry Louis Gates III.

[Plynkes]

This is something of a hot button topic so just a friendly word from your mod. It's been fine up to now but I've seen how these things go too many times. If this discussion gets too heated or overtly political it will get locked, so if you find yourself about to type anything inflammatory just stop and have a think before you do. 

[vodkafan]

OK my last word. I do expect the basics of historical accuracy. This film is the equivalent of Imperial Japan in 1945 dropping an A bomb on New York. If they made THAT film and said it was based on true events (because hey, there WAS a war between those countries and an A bomb DID get dropped somewhere, so the exact details don't matter, right? So long as it's a good film with good action scenes?)
  What do you think people would say?

[Inkpaduta]

I totally agree that. You don't have to be 100% correct but it must be in a ballpark.
Or to have the South win the Civil War and then say "it only a movie."

[Inkpaduta]

Or better, in a movie the north (US) had slaves and the South fought
to free them and you said it was the Civil War.