Just got a chance to catch it yesterday. Wonderful film, everyone knew how it was going to end, but it didn't stop me from being a sobbing mess by the end!

Benedict's character was just great to watch. He completely disappeared into his role as Ford. You could see the warring emotions in his eyes as he first tried vainly to bid for Eliza's daughter, how he was so affected by Eliza's grief at being separated from her children. He tries to compensate for this 'failure' on his part to spare Eliza grief by being extra sympathetic and merciful towards his slaves. The scenes show that Ford's slaves are significantly happier than Epps'. Yet in the end, he yields to the 'convenient solution' of giving Solomon to Epps in order to settle his debts. You could see the disappointment dawning on Solomon's face as Ford tries to explain, "I have a debt to be mindful of." Ford was clearly not the honourable, kind man Solomon hoped him to be. I agree that he's the biggest hypocrite of all; at least Epps doesn't pretend to sympathize with the slaves' plight. 

I can't say much about the accent. It sounded pretty natural to me, and it wasn't grating on the ears as some fake accents are. 

There was one part I didn't really get though: the appearance of the group of Red Indians. Was there a significance to that scene that I missed, or are they simply fulfilling a moment in the book?

I was very impressed, just watched it this afternoon. The films makes no concessions to sentimentality and avoids clichés. I did not manage to see the whole Culture Show special so I cannot discuss Steve McQueen's remark about Ford. However, I wondered if he means that it is worse to see the injustice of slavery and do nothing about it and to make profit form it (Ford) than to be convinced that it is your right to own and mistreat slaves (Epps). Ford is a weak man whereas Epps is plainly evil and sadistic but the outcome for the slaves does not differ very much. And by letting a man like Teabits work on your estate Ford hands over responsibility. 
 

Yes, I liked his performance very much. Sadly the part was so small. 

SolarSystem wrote:

SusiGo wrote:

And by letting a man like Teabits work on your estate Ford hands over responsibility. 
 

Actually, that's a point I've been discussing with my boyfriend quite extensively, because I don't quite get it. Ford should be intelligent enough to know that Teabits isn't a good man and that he enjoys to execute all the power he has over the slaves. But then again maybe you just don't find... better people to do this kind of work for you? Maybe you just have to be the way Teabits is in order to be able to do this work?

Ford acts halfheartedly and cowardly. And he knows that. That choked voice of his speaks volumes to me.

Ford is a weak character who thinks that he can't change anything anyway. So he let it stay as it is and turns to the word of the Lord. He's just helpless. Which doesn't make him any good of course.

I really would have been interested in how Benedict would have portrayed Epps btw.

Here is a scene they cut from the script. I don't know if they shot it or cut it before, but I would love to see it in the movie and probably it would helpe the viewers to understand Ford's behaviour in the last scene with Solomon   
Seasons have passed. It is winter now, and very grey out along the bayou. Ford and Tibeats - who we have seen working around the WORK AREA - stand with Solomon,Tibeats giving Solomon an inspection. Ford carries much lament
TIBEATS Raise yer shirt
Solomon does as instructed.Tibeats looks at Solomon's back, at the scars from lashings he bears.

TIBEATS Troublesome.
FORD He's a good carpenter and quickwitted=
TIBEATS I am familiar with his cleverness.
FORDYou won't find a nigger morethumble
TIBEATSAin't found a nigger yet I cain't humble.
Tibeats heads off. Solomon, highly curious over the preceding.
SOLOMON Sir, have I done something wrong?
FORDNot your concern, Platt. I say twith much...shame I have compiled debts. I have long preached austerity, but find myself hypocritical in that regard. You'll be in the ownership of Mr Tibeats. You are his now. Serve him as you'd serve me.
SOLOMONSir.
FORD And your faithfulness will not beforgotten.SOLOMON Yes, sir.
FORD Pride and want have been my sin.Loss of you is but one of my punishments.  

Last edited by miriel68 (January 29, 2014 8:16 am)

Quite a commom persecution tactic.
Closet gays tend to do it, too.

"A good slave owner" is an oxymoron.  While Ford comes across as reasonable, personable, and well-meaning, that just makes his behavior all the more reprehensible because he also comes across as intelligent.  And presumably any intelligent person knows and understands that owning another human being is wrong.  Yet Ford makes no attempt to counter the insititution of slavery.  In fact, he takes full advantage of what it offers him--he uses Solomon's knowledge of rivers/canals to facilitate the logging and when he needs financial help, he has basically no qualms about transferring ownership of Solomon to Epps, although Ford knows Epps will treat Solomon poorly. 

I suspect Ford was born and raised in the South and, having been surrounded by slavery all his life, cannot conceive of any other way to maintain the lifestyle to which he is accustomed: It's always been that way, for him.  Ford is like a bystander who sees a person being bullied but doesn't do anything about it because he is afraid to get involved.  Ford doesn't want to go against his peers--the other landowners in the area--their opinions of him matter too much to him.  He is a coward who won't stand up for his convictions, even if he does, deep down, have reservations about slavery (which I'm not sure he does).

Tangentially, I had no issue with Ben's accent, although it's been two months since I saw the film. 

TeeJay wrote:

I must say, I thought he gave a good performance, but his accent really threw me off. Just from glancing at the previous post, it looks like I'm not the only one. I'm not even a native English speaker, but I'd like to think I have a good ear for accents. I could clearly hear that there were many British pronunciations in among what I suppose should have been a Southern American accent.

I don't want to belabour the point, but it just makes me ask myself why they couldn't cast someone who would do the accent more genuinely. I'm sure there's plenty of job-seeking actors out there who could have done the accent well and would have delivered just as good a performance. Makes it feel like they just cast Benedict for the sake of casting Benedict. ("He's gonna attract all the Sherlock fans and Cumberbatch fangirls, let's make sure we get him.") I don't know, it leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

As for the accent, as a not native speaker, I cannot tell if it is jarring, but I did read somewhere that the language coach chose for Benedict a very particular pronunciation, typical of XIX century well-bred plantators of English origin - different from Epps, slaves or working-class guys.

As for the casting, the director hasn't even seen Sherlock and didn't really know anything precise about Benedict - he said so much in an interview and I don't see why I shouldn't believe him. BC quite humbly auditioned for this part because he wanted very much to be in this film and to work with McQueens.

@ Davina, I think they underscored Ford's and his wife's hypocrisy in the film and I think it was a good decision. For example, in the book, his financial troubles were caused by the fact that he vouched for his brother business and he had to paid money when it went wrong, not because of his own foolishness. In the film they needed to show more clearly Ford's double standards. Interestingly, there is another scene with Ford which was cut from the final version:

EXT. FORD'S WORK AREA - DAY 70
-MID JUNE, 1841-
The slaves have broken for lunch. They snack on smoked
meat and drink water from gourds. As they lunch Solomon
reads from Sam's Bible to the other slaves.
SOLOMON
But he that is greatest among you,
let him be as the younger; and he
that is chief, as he that doth
serve. For whether is greater, he
that sitteth at meat, or he that
serveth? Is not he that sitteth
at meat? But I am among you as he
that serveth.
A white customer - WINSLOW - irate at the sight and sound
of slaves reading Scripture, crosses over. He grabs the
Bible.
WINSLOW
From where did you thieve this?
SAM
Suh, the book is my property.
The White Customer has no interest in Sam's answer. With
flailing hands he STARTS BEATING ON SAM. Solomon tries
to stop him. That only makes the situation worse,
Solomon now the target of the man's ire.
WINSLOW
Take your hands from me!
Ford comes running over.
FORD
What is the commotion?
WINSLOW
Your niggers are either brazen or
rebellious. This one was readin'
Scripture, and this one claims it
to be his.
FORD
It is. A gift from his Mistress.
WINSLOW
You condone this?
FORD
I encourage it. As a Christian I
can do no less.
1/24/13 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 44.
(CONTINUED)
WINSLOW
You can do no worse, Ford. A
slave that reads is dangerous.
Winslow moves off. He yells back at Ford:
WINSLOW (CONT’D)
And the man who would allow a
slave to read is unfit to own
niggers!
Handing the Bible back to Sam, very matter of factly:
FORD
Pay him no mind. The word of God
applies to all.In that you may
take comfort.

I do regret this scene didn't make into the movie, altough I understand the need not to make Ford into too much sympathetic character. However, what was left on the scree didn't give the chance to BC to show all the aspects of Ford's contradictions.

As a native Southerner I was curious going in as to how well BC would do with the accent.  Thought he did a fine job.