It’s crucial that we acknowledge all of history, even the more tragic episodes of some slavery movies on Hulu. Slavery is the most notorious crime and has had the worst effects on the human race.
Even when the horrific event has been discussed in the past, the public reacts with the most substantial resentment.
The world developed in a direction that rejected the ironic joys of slavery because of the great Abraham Lincoln’s unceasing efforts. Hollywood has been outspoken and steadfast in its opposition to slavery.
To put an end to slavery forever, numerous successful projects and campaigns have been established. Here are some of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
Exodus: God and Kings (2014)
The forced enslavement of Hebrews by the ruling class and ancient Egyptian pharaohs was the subject of a biblical drama. The movie’s story is portrayed from the viewpoints of two significant biblical figures: Moses and his adopted brother Ramesses.
When Moses’ startling admission that he is a Hebrew threatens Ramesses, the genuine son of Pharaoh Seti, he banishes his brother.
The Bible then describes Moses’ battle with the Egyptian monarch to free the enslaved people from enslavement and God’s possible manifestations that could bring justice to the cursed human race.
However, the performances by Joel Edgerton, Christian Bale, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley make the movie worthwhile. The visual effects and production design also contribute to the film’s aesthetics.
However, the film’s lengthy running time and poor screenwriting at times render it tedious and unpersuasive. This could cause the movie’s box office failure, as it only made $260 million over a 200 million dollar budget.
In Dubious Battle (2016)
Slavery can be based on race, status, or authority, among other things. The Great Depression compelled many workers to accept reduced pay, endangering their families’ livelihood. Their stories are told in the book “In Dubious Battle.”
The workers are forced to work in the oppressive clenches and chains of upper-class management, which causes their agony. At the same time, the authoritarians and badge-wearing individuals impose their power on the helpless and underprivileged.
The movie relates the tale of two workers who organize the nation’s first significant workers’ strike in protest of this cruelty, which ultimately results in the adoption of labor laws and labor unions, as well as workers’ ability to demand fair wages. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
12 Years Of Slavery (2013)
This devastating historical drama is based on Solomon Northup’s memoir of the same name. It follows Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black New Yorker who was abducted in Washington, D.C., and sold into slavery in 1841.
Amazing Gace (2006)
The man whose name has endured through history as being responsible for ending slavery in the United States is Abe Lincoln.
However, little is known about the person William Wilberforce’s struggle and political battle, the man who, through the passage of a law in the British parliament.
It brought about a similar transformation in Britain’s more sophisticated, conventional, and harsher society.
Furthermore, the same man’s 20-year struggle against the British House of Commons to end slavery. And the slave trade in England and its colonies is the subject of the song “Amazing Grace.”
Unbroken (2014)
After Japan’s attack on the Pearl Harbor, tensions between the United States and Japan reached their peak during World War II.
Many young men joined the armed forces after the United States entered the war to support the more significant cause.
The true account of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic distance runner who joined the US Air Force as a bombardier, is followed in the film “Unbroken.”
Zamperini was one of the many American troops held as POWs by the Japanese Imperial Army, where he was exposed to horrific atrocities such as forced servitude.
Unbroken is debatably a PoW movie rather than a “slavery movie.” Yet, it qualifies for the list since it depicts the horrifying atrocities in the Japanese PoW camps at the time. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
Free State of Jones (2016)
The Matthew McConaughey-led film “Free State of Jones” tells the tale of Confederate deserter Newton Knight, who fought against Abraham Lincoln’s US government during the American Civil War. Long before, the country and the US constitution agreed on the issue.
Newton Knight brought free men and enslaved people together in one location when the States were engulfed in the conflict between freedom and slavery.
The movie tells the story of Newton’s life during the war when he formed the “Free State of Jones” in Southeast Mississippi.
In this location, Blacks and Whites had equal rights, as well as his ongoing struggle against racial inequity in post-war and post-Lincoln America. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
The romantic drama centers on Clementine “Tish” Rivers (KiKi Layne), a young woman whose partner is wrongfully detained for a crime he didn’t commit. It is based on James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk. Before giving birth to their child, she tries to establish his innocence with the support of her family.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee, who also played Mookie, produced, wrote, and directed this comedy-drama. The film, set in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a mix of racial groups, centers on Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), a local who feels aggrieved when a pizza owner refuses to feature Black talent in his establishment.
Belle (2013)
Dido Elizabeth Belle, an authentic African-British, is denied her free status in British society despite growing up in an aristocratic family in the true-life story “Belle.”
According to cinema theorists, “Belle” is a movie on the shortcomings of the then-racially, ethnically, and sex-suppressed British culture.
The stories in the movie transport us to the heyday of the slave trade in Britain. The focus of “Belle” is racial prejudice and discrimination rather than the violence connected to slavery, which was itself ingrained in English culture by the actions of slavery and the slave trade ordered by the Empire against Spanish and African inhabitants.
The Birth of A Nation (2016)
It included Nat Turner. The slave uprising in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831 was the impetus for the revolution that ultimately resulted in the emancipation proclamation.
The movie follows his turbulent days and the ongoing struggle to free himself and millions of other enslaved people. Also, it had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and received particular kudos for its script, director, acting, and cinematography.
Due to the alleged involvement of the movie’s director, Parker, in a sexual assault against a woman, she severely damaged its Oscar chances. Unfortunately, it was unable even to receive nominations. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
Ben- Hur (1959)
One of the most popular movies of all time, “Ben-Hur,” is undoubtedly on every other list but this one. It is an epic masterpiece. In the main, the movie tells the tale of Jewish-born merchant Judah Ben-Hur, his relationship with his family, and his conflicts with Messala, his adopted brother.
Ben-Hur is forced to live a life as a slave on a galley after being unfairly deported by his brother, a Roman commander. While the main focus of the movie is Ben-attempts Hur to regain his innocence and rebuild his family and life, there is a sensitive scene in the movie that shows the lives of Jewish enslaved people who were forced to galleys by Roman tribunes and soldiers.
Due to the lack of available information about galley slaves in the 1950s, Ben-portrayal Hur’s of the Roman use of galley slaves garnered significant critical praise. At the time of the release, you only found the last narrative of galley slaves in translations of ancient documents that may have been altered throughout the years.
‘Ben-Hur,’ on the other hand, expertly depicted that period of history and made it a significant part of the whole movie, giving the main actor Charlton Heston enough time on screen to make his mark. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
The Pianist (2002)
Roman Polanski, six, and a famous pianist by the name of Wladyslaw Szpilman were two of the few survivors of the millions of Jews who perished in the horrors of the Holocaust when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Years later, the young man used the film “The Pianist,” a work of art, to introduce the tale of the pianist to the modern world.
The protagonist of “The Pianist” is Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew who was compelled to work as a slave after being saved from certain death by an officer just before his family was executed in front of him in the gas chambers. Szpilman tried to fight for his life until the war’s end, but he was never able to save his family. Instead, he toiled in several slave labor camps.
Sankofa (1993)
Few production companies have approached the subject of slavery with the same ruthless honesty as “Sankofa.” The phrase, “go back, look for, and receive wisdom, power, and hope,” is borrowed from the Ghanian Akan language.
The movie is a symbolic attempt to encourage people of African heritage to rediscover and embrace their African roots and culture. The movie’s premise, which takes the idea of time travel and sends a wealthy model back in time when she is easily captured, reflects this.
Furthermore, A bird and the chanting and drumming of a Divine Drummer represent the film’s captivating premise. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
I Am Slave (2010)
While researching this piece, I came across this movie, which has received little attention from critics and viewers alike and has received no noteworthy reviews or media coverage. However, the narrative and the real-life motivation demonstrate how important it is to watch and appreciate this movie and the main character’s narrative.
Furthermore, Malia is a courageous and intimidating woman from a strong Sudanese tribe, where her father served as the chief. A group of mujaheddin, however, kidnaps her and sells her as a slave in the British slave trade, subjecting her to years of servitude, prejudice, brutality, and unpaid work in the households that “bought” her.
Roots (1977)
The only drawback is that this one isn’t a movie. A miniseries it is. Even so, it’s good. The project received a record 37 Emmy nominations and went on to win nine prizes. Its conclusion still has the third-best Nelsen ratings in television history, which were unheard-of.
LeVar Burton played Kunta Kine, a teenage enslaved person who has huge goals, one of which is to be set free, in the film. It’s a genuine story of Alex Haley’s horrible bondage experiences.
The miniseries is one of the better ones since the writers chose to have the script’s action be volatile to capture the zeitgeist correctly. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
13th (2016)
There have been numerous films made about this topic by various film industries around the world. Still, if you want a fundamental understanding of slavery’s history and how it is being practiced in multiple forms, “13th” is the movie for you.
The documentary film “13th” takes its name from the infamous “Thirteenth Amendment” of the American constitution, which forcibly outlawed slavery. It depicts the origin of slavery and how it has evolved into various virtual and contemporary forms over time, ultimately leading to racial prejudice, crimes motivated by religious and caste differences, and societal divisions.
Tamango (1958)
This one, however, depicts slavery in a slightly warped and unique manner. The first actress of color to be nominated for an Academy Award, Dorothy Dandridge, starred in it. The story takes place on a ship captained by Captain Reiker and his bound crew, and the captain’s slave mistress Aiche was also among its passengers.
One enslaved person, Tamango, plots a rebellion and kidnaps Aiche to carry it out. Tamango begs Aiche to go as Reiker makes a cannon threat to fire them all. However, she doesn’t, and Reiker, true to his word, disbands the group and puts a stop to their songs of emancipation.
Furthermore, Reiker and Aiche’s love scenes weren’t required, but the movie is still worth seeing because it firmly stands by its central idea. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
Amistad (1997)
You anticipate an excellent sensation whenever Steven Spielberg takes to the camera. He is a brilliant raconteur because of the sympathetic simplicity of his storytelling. Also, the historical drama “Amistad” is based on the events in 1839 on the slave ship La Amistad.
The enslaved people from the Mende tribe who were traveling could seize command of the ship and kidnap their original captors to set out for freedom. Also, you curtailed their aspirations, and the US troops quickly conquered them. Also, the Supreme Court rendered a decision on the matter. You won’t soon forget the captivating experience of watching the film.
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Although not directly addressed, slavery is an essential and symbolic theme in the movie. The pinnacle of a historical-romance film, “Gone With the Wind,” is arguably one of the most recognizable films of all time. Despite criticism for celebrating slavery through historical revisionism, it has been acknowledged as changing how African-Americans are portrayed in movies.
The movie chronicles two hazardous people on their beautiful journey together, a cunning woman and a renegade outcast man. The film deftly examines the range of emotions that lingered in the surroundings of the besotted state at the time, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and the chaotic time in the South. Love, as they say, overcomes all. This is one of the best slavery movies on Hulu.
Glory (1989)
This movie on the list is not the first to focus on the American Civil War. But in a very different situation. Except for the officers, who are white, “Glory” follows one of the Union army’s very first military regiments made up entirely of African-Americans.
The story is portrayed from the viewpoint of Colonel Shaw, the white battalion leader, and his everlasting bond with his brave soldiers. The covey is cherished for its bravery displayed at Fort Wagner.
Five Academy Awards were given out for the film, three of which went to the charismatic Denzel Washington. Both crowds and critics gave it excellent marks.
Django Unchained (2012)
Oh, now. This is not the stereotypical narrative where Black people endure suffering in quiet while waiting for the battle to end. No, sir. This is the one where they use a.22 magnum shotgun to shoot their supposed superiors in the head.
The human body is reduced to stinking, repulsive chunks of meat in Quentin Tarantino’s action-packed movie. The narrative centers on the liberation of Django from his chains by Dr. Schultz, a liberal-humble German dentist.
Furthermore, Django’s life takes on a new direction and purpose when the latter offers to join him in his campaign to kill evil white men: to reconcile with Broomhilda. When they locate her, they must contend with a suspicious plantation owner who develops feelings for Django.
Lincoln (2012)
There is more to Spielberg’s great movie than meets the eye regarding the polarized Congress and the President’s momentous emancipation proclamation.
The movie follows the entire political digression that resulted from the amendment, focusing on Lincoln and his unsettling images of the coming conflict.
A soulful background score enhances “Lincoln’s” rich narrative and flawless direction, making it a unique breed of movie. It standout among the best slavery movies on Hulu.
The Wiz (1979)
This entertaining spin on the classic will appeal to The Wizard of Oz fans. Dorothy, a Harlem teacher who is suddenly transported to the fantastical country of Oz, is portrayed by a teenage Diana Ross.
She leaves to meet the Wiz (Richard Pryor), the only person who can assist her in returning home after she unintentionally kills the Wicked Witch of the East. Other stars include Ted Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Michael Jackson.
