Aunt Harriet

Author(s): Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“Aunt Harriet"

Directed by Bennett Miller
Written by Dan Futterman
Music by James Horner
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classic

Principal Cast:

Jennifer Connelly- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Woody Harrelson- Calvin Ellis Stowe
Bob Balaban- William Lloyd Garrison
Liam Neeson- President Abraham Lincoln
Nicolas Cage- Gamaliel Bailey
Jaden Smith- Harry

Tagline: “She made people think…"

Synopsis: In 1850 the Fugitive Slave laws were reinstated and Harriet Beecher Stowe (Connelly) was livid and was then moved to the abolitionist side of slavery. Stowe’s sister-in-law inspired Harriet to write something that would alert the nation about the horrendous nature of slavery. Stowe started to research slavery the best she could. She interviewed countless slave owners, slaves and different society members getting as many points of view as possible. Harriet met many slaves whom she touched there lives and included them in her stories. With the help of her husband Calvin (Harrelson), Harriet was able to write some stories for newspapers including The Liberator and The National Era. The editors of The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison (Balaban) and The National Era (Cage) published the stories in the newspaper which grew to acclaim. With the success of her stories, Harriet decided that she would compile the stories into a book called, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852 and was released to critical acclaim in the north; it sold 10,000 copies within a week of its initial release. In the south however, the book was hated and was called “Untrue,” and “Full of lies,” even with those statements Harriet’s goal was achieved, thousands soon agreed with her views that slavery needed to end.

The book was widely embraced in Great Britain; Harriet then went on a Europe tour speaking about her book. While in Europe, Stowe spoke out against the decision Great Britain had made to join the south in the Civil War. After the Harriet’s tour through Europe, Great Britain decided to stay neutral throughout the war. In 1862, sine President Abraham Lincoln (Neeson) did not carry out his promise to sign the Emancipation Proclamation; Stowe decided to talk to him herself. On January 1, 1863 the President made a proclamation that the slaves were free. On the day of the announcement was in a balcony of a hall waiting for the proclamation, when it had been made a man stood up, pointed at Harriet and yelled “Look, it’s Mrs. Stowe, the woman who ended slavery.” The crowd then all stood, applauded and cheered for the next few minutes.

What the press would say:

Bennett Miller’s latest film, “Aunt Harriet” may be the finest film of the new century. With an inspirational story that Miller executes so flawlessly, it makes itself one of the greatest biopic films of all time. Miller directs the film so well it is well worth a few awards and he once again teams with Dan Futterman who wrote a script that is full of memorable and inspirational lines that are sure to live on for decades to come. Those two elements alone make a great film but acting is usually what puts films over the top and this film is exception. Jennifer Connelly has given yet another unforgettable performance that is worth multiple Oscar wins just for her performance. Connelly has a natural acting ability that is so magical that you forget that it is Jennifer Connelly and you believe you are watching Harriet Beecher Stowe. A++ acting coming from Jennifer Connelly in this movie and Liam Nesson never fails to grace the screen even in this limited role.

“Two Thumbs Way Up!”- Ebert and Roeper

“A+”- Entertainment Weekly

“**** and then a ton more”- The New York Times

“100% Fresh”- Rotten Tomatoes

“****”- The Oscar Igloo

“The Best Film of the Year by far”- Los Angeles Times

We agree with all of them!

Best Picture (Sony Pictures Classic)
Best Director (Miller)
Best Actress (Connelly)
Best Supporting Actor (Smith)
Best Original Screenplay (Futterman)
Best Original Score (Horner)
Best Editing
Best Cinematography