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Critic Reviews
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The characters are fleshed out with multiple layers — at one point Aminata is granted something of a reprieve by a British benefactor, but he is by no means saintly — and moments of easy humor and romance are woven skillfully into the story.
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As Aminata Diallo (Aunjanue Ellis) reminds herself and others repeatedly, one must never give up--and it’s this steadfast hope that makes the story a particularly compelling television event.
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The heroine's fearless and clever character, the self-knowledge and self-possession her tormentors lack, and her gift for survival are fixed from first to last. She is sometimes thwarted but never altered. If this makes The Book of Negroes less psychologically complex than it otherwise might be, there are real pleasures and comforts to be had from it.
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Book of Negroes, a six-hour Black History Month miniseries, will be fairly compared to "Roots."
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Although it's not always easy to watch, it kept me riveted over a recent weekend.
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Graphic cruelty, not to mention violence, makes for difficult viewing in this lavishly produced miniseries. But it’s worthwhile, especially as director Clement Virgo has opened a new window on the experience of blacks in Canada.
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A Canadian-South African co-production, it's gracefully directed by Clement Virgo ("The Wire") and gorgeously filmed, mostly in South Africa. Soapy? A little, but so was "Roots."
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Ellis, particularly, gives a lead performance that is strong enough to mask some of the script’s problems.
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Although history obviously mixes with fiction, there’s enough here left under-covered by traditional textbooks to make The Book of Negroes an intriguing window into the period.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 15
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Mixed: 3 out of 15
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Negative: 3 out of 15
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Feb 16, 2015