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Mar 28, 2013Keogh rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A blend of documentary and drama from PBS, exploring the abolition of slavery movement in the nineteenth century. The filmmakers use the traditional methods of documentaries, with commentary from historians, photographs and other images, and narration, mixing it with actors playing parts. The key players are five individuals whose lives intersected in different ways, and who had strong influences on the abolitionist movement. Four of them are well known: Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown all played pivotal roles in the fight against slavery. Lesser known, perhaps, is Angelina Grimke, a Southern aristocrat who found the institution unacceptable and became a strong advocate for the abolition of slavery until retiring from public life. The mixture of drama and documentary works well, which I didn't expect; the key roles are well cast, mostly with unknown actors. Richard Brooks, who spent time on Law and Order at the beginning of that series, is the best known of the actors, and he's come to the point where he possesses the gravitas needed to play Douglass. The other actors inhabit their roles just as well, and the final result gives insight into the people behind the movement, once considered radicals and troublemakers, and ultimately the driving force behind the American Civil War.