Last year, “Emancipation” drowned with critics and barely registered with audiences. It finished with a 53 on Metacritic and 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. DOA.
Those who did love the film, and there aren’t many, theorized that the film’s negative reception was due, in no small part, to Will Smith starring in it — this was Smith’s first film back after his Oscar slap on Chris Rock.
In an interview with Above The Line’s Jeff Sneider, “Emancipation” producer Todd Black claims that his slavery epic deserved Oscar recognition:
Can I comment on that? We 100 percent didn’t get a fair shake. I get the Will Smith of it all and I get the Academy feeling that way, I totally understand, but I don’t get [snubbing] our director, who put his entire life into it. I don’t get all the department heads and their teams, I don’t get Ben Foster not getting acknowledged — I mean he was so good, and all the other actors. I don’t get the producers not getting acknowledged. I thought it was a beautiful film. I thought the story was so well told by our writer, I thought Antoine hit it out of the park, and to not get any acknowledgment because of what Will did as an actor? Not right, not fair. That’s my opinion.
“Emancipation” director Antoine Fuqua agrees, saying “Correct. 100 percent right. 100 percent”.
One of the film’s most fervent supporters was Paul Schrader who showered the drama with lots of praise. He went on social media to rave about the film and Fuqua’s direction:
“I'm not a Civil War film buff but it is hard to imagine a battle sequence like the union attack toward the end being more meticulous and brutally realistic. Any competitors? […] Extremely well-made. Monochromatic in theme and look, and relentlessly brutal. An impressive achievement.”
Judging by the title, you’d think this film was about Will Smith’s marriage, but, no, “Emancipation” was set in 1863, and Smith played an iconic real-life slave named Peter from a Louisiana plantation.
Apple wanted to crash the Oscar race with this one. They released “Emancipation” in early December to qualify for awards contention. Oscar voters, and critics, didn’t want to touch this $120 million movie with a ten foot pole.
I though “Emancipation” wasn’t very good, but one does wonder if it would have been better received had it not had any of the Will Smith baggage on its shoulders.
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