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IMDbPro

The Birth of a Nation

  • 20162016
  • RR
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
21K
YOUR RATING
The Birth of a Nation (2016)
Set against the antebellum South, 'The Birth of a Nation' follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities - against himself and his fellow slaves - Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.
Play trailer2:38
26 Videos
82 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Nate Parker
  • Writers
    • Nate Parker(screenplay by)
    • Jean McGianni Celestin(story by)
  • Stars
    • Nate Parker
    • Armie Hammer
    • Penelope Ann Miller
Top credits
  • Director
    • Nate Parker
  • Writers
    • Nate Parker(screenplay by)
    • Jean McGianni Celestin(story by)
  • Stars
    • Nate Parker
    • Armie Hammer
    • Penelope Ann Miller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 251Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 30 nominations

    Videos26

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:38
    Official Trailer
    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:57
    Teaser Trailer
    Hark And Esther Get Married
    Clip 0:48
    Hark And Esther Get Married
    Im Proud Of You
    Clip 0:59
    Im Proud Of You
    False Prophets
    Clip 0:59
    False Prophets
    The Birth of a Nation
    Featurette 4:25
    The Birth of a Nation
    The Birth of a Nation
    Featurette 3:32
    The Birth of a Nation
    Aaron Gilbert
    Interview 3:19
    Aaron Gilbert
    Nate Parker
    Interview 7:51
    Nate Parker
    Aunjanue Ellis
    Interview 5:45
    Aunjanue Ellis
    Aja Noami King
    Interview 6:39
    Aja Noami King
    Armie Hammer
    Interview 3:16
    Armie Hammer

    Photos82

    Colman Domingo, Chiké Okonkwo, and Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Mark Boone Junior and Armie Hammer in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Gabrielle Union in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Mark Boone Junior and Armie Hammer in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Colman Domingo and Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Penelope Ann Miller and Tony Espinosa in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Nate Parker and Armie Hammer in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Nate Parker and Aja Naomi King in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Colman Domingo, Nate Parker, and Chris Greene in The Birth of a Nation (2016)
    Nate Parker and Aja Naomi King in The Birth of a Nation (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nate Parker
    Nate Parker
    • Nat Turneras Nat Turner
    Armie Hammer
    Armie Hammer
    • Samuel Turneras Samuel Turner
    Penelope Ann Miller
    Penelope Ann Miller
    • Elizabeth Turneras Elizabeth Turner
    Jackie Earle Haley
    Jackie Earle Haley
    • Raymond Cobbas Raymond Cobb
    Mark Boone Junior
    Mark Boone Junior
    • Reverend Walthallas Reverend Walthall
    • (as Mark Boone Jr.)
    Colman Domingo
    Colman Domingo
    • Harkas Hark
    Aunjanue Ellis
    Aunjanue Ellis
    • Nancyas Nancy
    Dwight Henry
    Dwight Henry
    • Isaac Turneras Isaac Turner
    Aja Naomi King
    Aja Naomi King
    • Cherryas Cherry
    Esther Scott
    Esther Scott
    • Bridgetas Bridget
    Roger Guenveur Smith
    Roger Guenveur Smith
    • Isaiahas Isaiah
    Gabrielle Union
    Gabrielle Union
    • Estheras Esther
    Tony Espinosa
    Tony Espinosa
    • Young Nat Turneras Young Nat Turner
    Jayson Warner Smith
    Jayson Warner Smith
    • Earl Fowleras Earl Fowler
    Jason Stuart
    Jason Stuart
    • Joseph Randallas Joseph Randall
    Chiké Okonkwo
    Chiké Okonkwo
    • Willas Will
    Katie Garfield
    Katie Garfield
    • Catherine Turneras Catherine Turner
    Kai Norris
    • Jasperas Jasper
    • Director
      • Nate Parker
    • Writers
      • Nate Parker(screenplay by) (story by)
      • Jean McGianni Celestin(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was shot in 27 days.
    • Goofs
      The accents used in the film are typical of the modern deep south, not of the Tidewater region of Virginia in the first half of the 19th century.
    • Quotes

      Nat Turner: [after Nat watches a horrific scene between a slave and slave owner and has to preach to the slaves] Brethren, I pray you'll sing to the Lord, a new song. Sing praise in assembly of the righteous. Let the saints be joyful in glory, let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praise of God be on the mouths of the saints and a two-edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance on the demonic nations! And punishment on those peoples! To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fens of iron! To execute on them this written judgement! This honor have all his saints! PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD! SING TO HIM A NEW SONG! PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD!

    • Connections
      Featured in Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
      Performed by the Wiley College Choir

      SATB Arranger: Stephen Hayes (as Stephen L. Hayes)

      Melody researched by Frederick D. Hall, Sr.

    User reviews137

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    A film that wallows in the shadow of it's story and never really escapes it.
    Nate Parker's stirring portrayal of Nat Turner's rebellion is a film that tries extremely hard to be something more than what it is. This is not the Oscar contender you read it to be, this is not some revelation in the vein of Roots, this is just another slavery film. Nate Parker's film sheds no new light on the brutality of slavery and does his absolute best to make sure you despise the white villains in this as anyone should as they are portrayed with much relish from the actors especially Jackie Earle Haley's menacing slave owner that serves as the main villain of the film. The problems that The Birth of a Nation has are ones that exist in it's director's overbearing ego and overwhelming goal to bring something powerful to the table. Parker succeeds haphazardly unfortunately. The Birth of a Nation tells the story of Nat Turner, a preacher turned rebellion leader as he fights racism in the south with a violent and brutal fist. The film is powerful and Jackie Earle Haley and Gabrielle Union are absolute gems in this film, with Union giving the best performance of her career and Nate Parker giving...well, a performance. The problems here lie with the film itself. The story plays like a more realistic version of Django Unchained, even lifting some inspiration from that film a little too heavily for the scenes in which the slaves are beaten and abused. However, the film also delves into the religious aspects of Turner so heavy handedly that it borders along the fine line of a parody more often than not. The other film that Parker must have had playing on his tablet while directing some scenes is Braveheart because, the last battle in particular, is riddled with countless homages to that film that border plagiarism. Between the way Parker conveys his violence and the way he immortalizes Nat Turner by making him more of a saint than he ought to be, the film gradually feels less and less genuine as the running time winds down. That was my biggest gripe with the film honestly. Nate Parker failed to convey anything human about Nat Turner outside of him witnessing the brutalization that went on around him. There is something divine in the way Parker conveys Turner and it is just too much for a film that is steeped in this much history and realism. It fails to accurately portray to rebellion as it happened. There are very few mentions of what the rebellion actually did in reality as opposed to what it did in the film. While I am not saying that Turner's Rebellion was without cause, the film dilutes the harsh realities of what Turner's Rebellion did. In a sense, I felt it was a bit disrespectful to the victims of his Rebellion both black and white. With that being said, this is a film and not a documentary, so there is some room for some creative liberties, within reason. However, this does stand as Nate Parker's first directorial effort and, for a first film, it is a damn fine effort that should lead to more work as a director. Despite this fact, it still is nowhere near enough to sustain this as a film worthy of accolades and praise. Quite frankly, there is a lot wrong with the film. The pacing is either mind-numbingly slow or so quickly cut and erratic that you can barely grasp what is going on. Also, the extreme close shots are so constant and abundant that it is just another contributing factor to it feeling very incoherent. The story is bland and has been done before and done better despite this being Nat Turner's first on-screen portrayal, the story has inspired many films that have come out in recent years such as the previously mentioned Django Unchained. The sound design, at least on the Sundance version that I saw, was very flat and felt a bit too post-production sounding. Despite all this, I can't fully write this film off. There are some truly powerful performances in the film and some well done battle sequences to enjoy but other than that, this is an average film.
    helpful•103
    80
    • trublu215
    • Jul 17, 2016

    FAQ1

    • Is this based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 7, 2016 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Giải Phóng
    • Filming locations
      • Savannah, Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • BRON Studios
      • Creative Wealth Media Finance
      • Follow Through Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,861,566
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,004,254
      • Oct 9, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $16,779,212
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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