And before 'SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY', he had only directed eight films, his most successful being the 1971 movie 'SHAFT'. Gordon Parks was a well-established photographer who had worked for 'LIFE' magazine and a documentary director, before turning his attention to directing films. After all, the movie had not been directed by someone from the established Hollywood community or from any of the film industries overseas. I really did not know how I would react to 'SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY' when I first saw it so many years ago. With the help of a childhood friend and son of his father's former owner, Henry Northup, Solomon is free and returns to his family in Saratoga Springs. Solomon spends another nine-and-a-half years at Epps' plantation until his meeting with a Canadian-born carpenter named Bass allows him to send a letter to Anne of his whereabouts. After two years at Ford's plantation, Solomon has a violent encounter with one of the planter's white employees and is sold to a second owner, a self-made planter named Edward Epps. Upon their arrival in New Orleans, all three are sold to a planter named Thomas Ford. And during the sea journey to Louisiana, he meets another female slave named Eliza and her children during a stopover in Norfolk.

He also meets a Virginia-born slave named Jenny, with whom he strikes up an immediate friendship.

At Birch's slave market, Solomon is beaten by Birch in an attempt to coerce the former into accepting his new name of Platt. Unfortunately, not long after his arrival in the nation's capital, Solomon is drugged and sold to a slave dealer named Jim Birch. This was considered a good wage in 1841 Believing the trip to be short, Solomon decides not to notify his wife, Anne. They claimed that they wanted to hire Solomon to play his fiddle in a circus in Washington, D.C., for the rate of one dollar per day and three dollars per musical performance. Because of his reputation as a skilled violinist, he attracts the attention of two men calling themselves Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton. The movie turned out to be 1984's 'HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY'.ĭirected by photographer Gordon Parks, 'SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY' told the story of an African-American carpenter and musician from Saratoga Springs, New York named Solomon Northrup. Being a history nut about 19th century America, I decided to check it out. Years ago, I had come across a television movie, at my local video store, about a 19th African-American who found himself kidnapped into slavery. 'HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY' (1984) Review

Solomon northup's odyssey