The Xmedia Awards 2013 results

The annual Xmedia Awards were held on June 2nd in the Thistle Hotel.

Presenters, Jak Curtis-Rendall and Hannah Barton Image credit: Niklas Rahmel

The evening saw Exeter’s student media gather to celebrate the best across XTV, Exeposé, Exeposé Online and XpressionFM.

Incoming Students’ Guild President, Hannah Barton, and incoming Vice President Participation and Campuses, Jak Curtis-Rendall, were on-hand to host the ceremony.

The award judges included:

Rhodri Jones – Assistant Editor, the i Newspaper

Matthew Sydney – Senior Producer, BBC News

Chris Cook – Lead Director, BBC News

Ted Kravitz – Pit-lane reporter, Sky Sports

Adam Hunt – TV Producer, former XTV station manager

Adam Walmesley – Journalist, former News Editor from Exeposé

 

The winners are listed below:

BEST FEATURE

1st – ‘The Venue Goes Record Shopping’ (James Tyndall, Henry Coulshed and Jamie Grace – XTV).

2nd – ‘Road to an XTV Music Video’ (Rob Seabrook – XTV)

3rd – ‘How much is your virginity worth to you?’ (Dom Madar – Exeposé)

MOST ENTERTAINING

1st – ‘Wake and Bake’ (Laurence Foreman and Gareth Jones – XpressionFM)

2nd – ‘The Big Broadcast for Children in Need’ (George Graham, Gareth Jones and the Big Broadcast Team – XpressionFM)

3rd – ’10 things to do with Exeposé’ (Zoe Bulaitis, Tom Payne, Ben Murphie and Ellie Steafel – Exeposé)

BEST REVIEW/PREVIEW

1st – ‘Django Unchained’ (Owen Keating – Exeposé)

2nd – ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special (Rob Harris – Exeposé)

3rd – ‘Argo’ (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman, Tini Papatheodorou and Chris Davies – XTV)

BEST INTERVIEW

1st – ‘Martin McDonagh from Cameo: London BFI Special’ (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman and Rob Seabrook – XTV)

2nd – Peter Hitchens (James Crouch and Meg Drewett – Exeposé)

3rd – Mr. Scruff (Eleanor Loftie – XpressionFM)

BEST USE OF PRODUCTION, IMAGERY OR DESIGN

1st – Guild Elections Week 2013 (Amelia Jenkinson, Genevieve Ladd, Hazel Morgan and the XpressionFM production team – XpressionFM)

2nd – Aeternus Terrarum titles (Becki Pantling and Jamie MacLeod – XTV)

3rd – Exeposé 25th Anniversary (Zoe Bulaitis and Tom Payne – Exeposé)

THE i NEWSPAPER AWARD FOR BEST NEWS/COVERAGE

1st – Tuesday Night Sport (Joe Alexander, Will Baker, Simon Dewhurst, Ben Kaye, Alex Manning and Ben Warden – XpressionFM)

2nd – Cameo: London BFI Special (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman, Chris Davies, Tini Papatheodorou and Rob Seabrook – XTV)

3rd – The 2013 Rugby Varsity Pullout (Will Kelleher and Mike Stanton – Exeposé)

THE XMEDIA 2013 AWARD FOR BEST INNOVATION

1st – Sketchpad (Becki Pantling – XTV)

2nd – XpressionFM website (Ron Liong – XpressionFM)

3rd – The Xmedia Music Show (Callum McLean, Anthony Prodromou, Ben Winsor, Daisy Meagre and Eleanor Loftie – Exeposé and XpressionFM)

PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD

Ronald Liong (XpressionFM)

THE XMEDIA 2013 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The NaSTA40 Committee

Congratulations to all winners!

Islamic Society heralded as 'most outstanding' in the South

Image credit: Students’ Guild

Exeter’s Islamic Society has been named the most outstanding Islamic society in the South, by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS).

The group have achieved incredible success this year and are nominated for three Students’ Guild awards, in broadening student engagement, cultural & community contribution and student group of the year.

Mo Mohamed, Isoc’s President, attributes their success to interesting events which entice people to join – including the society’s signature event ‘Poetry Night’, Discover Islam Month and various guest speakers. One such figure, Abdel Rahman Murphy – an international speaker – attracted Muslims from as far away as Plymouth earlier this year, later tweeting “don’t sleep on @UniExeterISoc. They are legit Masha Allah!”

The society, which has six non-Muslim members, was also keen to explain it always attempts to be as welcoming and tolerant as possible, encouraging all students to come along even if they are not religious and stresses one of its main goals is to simply educate people about Islam.

The group are looking to build on this year’s success next term by improving the consistency of events and attracting more people to the society.

There has also been speculation of a FOSIS national ranking (thus far it has only be regional), which Mohamed jokingly suggests that the group would easily top  – since many other Islamic societies have far more resources.

The society also wants to build on this year’s socials, which included laser quest for female members, and offer even more community building activities.

The group appear to be a relaxed and inclusive society and will be looking to replicate this year’s success by becoming more prominent in University life in years to come.

James Beaney

Nominations for Students Guild Awards announced

Image credit: Students’ Guild

The much-anticipated shortlist for the inaugural Students’ Guild Awards was announced today.

The prestigious awards celebrate the “exceptional achievements” of the Guild’s student groups, representatives and members, with accolades for ‘Best Student Group’, ‘Outstanding Dedication to Charity’, ‘Student Staff Member of the Year’ and ‘Exceptional Welfare and Support’, among others.

Be the Change, Community Action, Islamic Society, Malaysian Society and MedSoc were all honored with nominations for the ‘Student Group of the Year’ award.

XTV did exceptionally well. NaSTA40, the annual student television awards, was nominated for both ‘Outstanding Student Led Project of the Year’ and ‘Event of the Year’, while station managers Calum Baker and Rob Seabrook were shortlisted for the esteemed ‘Best Student Leader(s)’ award along with four other nominees.

XpressionFM were also shortlisted for ‘Broadening Student Engagement’, and for ‘Outstanding Dedication to Charity’, although Exeposé was the only media to not receive any nominations.

The 70 shortlisted nominations will now be judged by a panel of “independent judges”, overseen by personnel from each aspect of the Students’ Guild activities, who will decide the winners of the awards.

The Students’ Guild Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 5 June 2013, with further details to be announced closer to the event.

Only individuals and representatives from the shortlisted entries will get invited to the ceremony.

The full shortlist is published in full below.

Student Group of the Year
Be the Change
Community Action
Islamic Society
Malaysian Society
MedSoc

Broadening Student Engagement
Bake Society
Islamic Society
Maths Mentoring Project (Maths Society)
MedSoc
XpressionFM

Exceptional Welfare and Support
Love at the Lemmy (ECU)
Mind Your Head Society
Save Our Streetlights Campaign (The Students’ Guild)
Voice
Welcome Team

Outstanding Dedication to Charity
Amnesty International
Children in Need
RAG
XpressionFM
Yasmin Millican (Oxfam/RSG)

Outstanding Cultural & Community Contribution
Campus Cinema
Discover Islam Month (Islamic Society)
Exeter Care Homes Reading Project (English Society)
Louise Curran (SEA Project)
SWITCH Project (Community Action)

Campaign of the Year
Arms Trade Treaty (Amnesty International)
Conflict Free Campus (Be the Change)
Relax week (Voice)
Safer Sex Ball Campaigns week (RAG)
Sound for Life (Beats & Bass)

Outstanding Academic Contribution
Anh Viet Huynh (Business SSLC)
Classics Society
Joe Thurgood (Geography SSLC)
Katie Williams (Theology SSLC)
Mark Gibbs (English SSLC)

Outstanding Student Led Project of the Year
Exeter Care Homes Reading Project (English Society)
NaSTA40 Conference & Awards (XTV)
Peacock Project (Art Society)
SAM Project (Community Action)
Summer Adventures (Community Action)

Student Representative of the Year
Arda Temizcan (ISC & Turkish Society)
Charlotte Franklin (CEMPs SSLC Cornwall)
Dec Massey (Medical Imaging SSLC)
James Tearle & Heather Bolt (Engineering SSLCs)
Mark Gibbs (English SSLC)

Event of the Year
Children in Need (The Students’ Guild)
Dark Side of the Moon (Timian Brierley)
Diversity Week (International Students Council)
Hit On All Six (Razz My Berries)
NaSTA40 Conference & Awards (XTV)

Student Staff Member of the Year
Emily Vine (Advice Unit)
Jack Calway (Ram Bar Staff)
Janice Lai (Ram Bar Staff)
Laura Yonish (A&V Assistant)
Sophie Reed (Print Room)

Student Leader(s) of the Year
Abi Hinton & Vicky Burrows (Community Action)
Arda Temizcan (ISC & Turkish Society)
Anna Collins & Kevin Manning (St Luke’s Officers)
Calum Baker & Rob Seabrook (XTV)
Hugh Blackstaffe (NaSTA40 Conference & Awards)

Student Group of the Year
Be the Change
Community Action
Islamic Society
Malaysian Society
MedSoc

Outstanding Individual Contribution
Arda Temizcan
Mark Gibbs
Rachel Tait
Sam House
Victoria Burrows

Tom Payne, News Team

Follow @ExeposeNews on Twitter and like us here on Facebook.

NaSTA 40: Streaming live from Exeter!

If you haven’t cottoned on to the excitement, tonight our very own XTV plays host to the 40th National Student TV Awards.

Image credit: NaSTA

The event will reward excellence, innovation and hilarity in student TV, with dozens of stations from around the country descending on Exeter for a night of celebration accompanied by some embarrassing dance moves. Streaming of the awards goes LIVE at 8.10, to see how XTV fare, click here. Don’t forget to like XTV on Facebook, and for more NaSTA coverage, our print counterparts will be live tweeting the event!

Awards Season: Oscars debrief

Senior Screen Reporter Emily Leahy offers her perspective on the curtain closer to the cinematic awards season, the Oscars…

Image Credit: LA Times

The 85th Academy awards was a musical spectacular; reflected in both the award winners and the night’s entertainment. Peppered with dramatic accidents onstage (Jennifer Lawrence’s fall) and outrageous gags from the host Seth Macfarlane, clearly the highlight of the night was the show’s musical theme and its show stopping performances.

 

The biggest winners of the night included Daniel Day-Lewis for his leading male role in Lincoln, Jennifer Lawrence for her leading female performance in Silver Linings Playbook, Christoph Waltz for his supporting role in Django Unchained and not forgetting Anne Hathaway’s win for her supporting female role in Les Miserables. None of these were particularly surprising wins, however; it was always apparent that the academy would choose to favour Lawrence over Jessica Chastain’s fierce character pursuing Bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty.

 

More unexpected was the Best Motion Picture award going to Ben Affleck’s Argo, both because the director was so clearly snubbed in the Best Director category of the awards and because fellow pro-American film Lincoln was firm favourite early on. Ang Lee won the title in the end, which wasn’t undeserved. Life of Pi was in fact the overwhelming winner of the night, taking home four awards for Cinematography, Music: Original Score, Visual Effects and Best Director. Lincoln, the initial favourite ahead of the ceremonies, actually performed fairly averagely, winning only two of the twelve gongs it was nominated for. It was a welcome change for the academy to acknowledge the achievements of films outside the traditional ‘Hollywood’ choice, even if Argo is a film about Hollywood saving the day.

 

This year the awards uniquely carried a theme, celebrating the musical film genre. There was an abundance of musical talent on display, most notably the medley performed by the Les Miserables cast. Additionally, Jennifer Hudson gave a breathtaking performance of ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ from the film she won her Oscar for, Dreamgirls. In contrast, it has been disputed whether Catherine Zeta Jones’ performance was live during her rendition of ‘All That Jazz’ from , nonetheless, she successfully resurrected the character for which she won her Oscar in 2002. In addition Barbara Streisand also took to the stage, performing ‘The Way We Were’ from the Oscar winning film of the same title during the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the ceremony.

 

In extension of this, the British institution of James Bond films was celebrated through its musical contributions. Dame Shirley Bassey performed, in her usual fashion, the classic ‘Goldfinger’, whilst Adele represented the modern Bond with an outstanding performance of ‘Skyfall’. She more than justified her later triumph in winning the award for the Best Original Song, and her pure shock ensured her acceptance speech carried her spontaneous London charm.

 

Conversely, Seth Macfarlane was an underwhelming host, with a mix of average to frankly offensive jokes rather than boundary-breaking humour. Stand out moments included likening the violent Django Unchained to Rihanna and Chris Brown’s relationship and referring to the unoriginal topic of Mel Gibson’s apparent racism. Perhaps his most original moments came in the form of the pre-recorded segments: such as the brief appearance of Captain Kirk pointing out the lack of success in his hosting skills and the subsequent ‘Boob Song’ which documented all the occasions various female celebrities had shown their breasts on screen (or not, in the case of Jennifer Lawrence).

 

Overall, the awards were successful but more due to the musical interludes than the host himself. This was probably for the best, as it focused the attention on the talented nominees rather than the funny man role which has overshadowed the real talent at so many ceremonies before. The most successful films of the year were recognised and although it was disappointing Affleck didn’t even receive a nomination for the Best Director award, for the most part the winners were deserving and gracious.

 

Emily Leahy, Senior Screen Reporter

The Xmedia Screen Show: Valentine's and Oscars Specials

The Xmedia Screen Show, Xpression FM’s film and TV show, run by your Exeposé Screen editors, has had a couple of spectacular specials over the past two weeks (if we do say so ourselves).

Image Credit: hitfix.com

Firstly, the team did their best to ruin your Valentine’s. Sorry, I mean, enrich your enjoyment of the magical day by debating the downsides of romantic comedies. This bumper episode also featured the usual quiz, an interview with some big cheeses from XTV, a round-up of the BAFTAs and a chat about the recent trend of Hitchcock biopics.

 

Then, the following week, your Exeposé Screen editors ditched the guests for a cosy chat about their Oscar predictions (essentially, a more in-depth version of those printed in the last issue of the paper). Do you know which films were nominated for Hair and Make-up at this year’s Oscars? We’ll tell you, in a feature about overlooked Oscar categories. There’s a passionate rant about the wonders and limitations of the Skyfall soundtrack, and a general agreement that the role of music in the success of award winning films is under-appreciated.

 

The second special concludes with some (hopefully) fun ideas for TV spin-offs and an epic Oscar quiz clash between Owen and Louis. Who will win this time? Yes, you could probably guess as there’s only two of them, but why not listen in to be absolutely sure?

 

Remember, The Xmedia Screen Show is on-air every Thursday between 5 and 6. You can listen to the two specials, if you missed them, via the links below.

 

Valentine’s Special: click here.

 

Oscars Special: click here. 

 

Awards Season: Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

Fourth in our Awards Season series, the cinematic adaptation of David Mitchell’s ‘Cloud Atlas’ has polarised critics. Although nominated for various awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Original Score, the film has also appeared on Worst Film lists despite being one of the most expensive independent films of all time. Exeposé Screen Editor, Olivia Luder, takes a look at the book behind the film which required such a bulging budget…

There is a kind of book that can be reassuringly classed as ‘literary enough’. Think David Nicholl’s One Day, or Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, or any not-too-up-itself Ian McEwan. As I stood in Gatwick airport’s WHSmith this December, that is exactly what I was looking for. Thankfully, I plucked David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas off the shelf and it was perfect.

First things first – Cloud Atlas is an epic. Constructed of six separate tales, each distinct in style and genre, you’re unwittingly lead into a rabbit warren of mystery.

We begin with the 1850 diary of Adam Ewing, an American notary. Intrigue builds around his relationship with the ship’s doctor but just as things start to get interesting, we’re dragged into the letters of Robert Frobisher. Frobisher is a penniless English musician seeking to wrangle a job from a famous but aging composer. Intrigue builds up around his relationship with the composer’s wife, but just as things start to get interesting the story of Luisa Rey is thrust upon us. She’s an ‘80s tabloid journalist who begins investigating a new nuclear plant development. Intrigue builds around the depth of the corruption but just as things start to get interesting… you get the idea.

We then rattle through the stories of Timothy Cavendish, an elderly man comically trapped in a nursing home, Sonmi~451, an enslaved clone in the future, and Zachry, a man living in a primitive post-apocalyptic society. And that’s all before we hit the second half!

Being torn away from each story just as it’s about to hit its climax is incredibly frustrating but trust me, stick with it. I don’t want to spoil it but for every infuriating cliff-hanger in the first half, there’s a reasonable moment of pay-off in the second.

Though handling remarkably different stories, Mitchell maintains an uncanny sense of continuity. While the time-periods, circumstances and literary genres diverge wildly, themes, actions and even events reappear time and time again. The subject of power is particularly pervasive, often being at the root of a character’s motivations or the cause of their difficulties. This sense of overall reoccurrence gives the reader a kind of foresight that becomes quite unsettling; you know a character will probably suffer a certain fate, but don’t yet know how, where or why. There’s also this mysterious birthmark that appears on characters throughout, the symbolism of which toying successfully with my English Literature student brain.

Which brings me back to my opening remark about Cloud Atlas being ‘literary enough’. This isn’t excessively beautiful literature – there were no similes that moved me to tears – and the stories are all fairly straightforward and easily digested. Rather, it’s the way Mitchell threads the vastly divergent stories together that makes it so brilliant. I came away feeling as if I had learnt something about humanity… which is a lot to be said about a book I bought for holiday reading!

[poll id=”15″]

By Olivia Luder – Exeposé Online Screen Editor
Ed. by Georgina Holland – Exeposé Online Books Editor

Grammys 2013

It’s that time of year again when the stars come out for some glitz and glamour, the online blogosphere is scrutinising the best and worst outfits and at least one person has to stumble on stage. It’s awards season and last night saw the Oscars of the music world take place in Los Angeles – the Grammys. This year’s 55^th award ceremony was no different, honouring the best in the business and with performances from Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean and Jack White amongst others.

Mumford and Sons scooped the coveted Album of the Year. Photo credit to telegraph.co.uk

There were a few surprise wins on the night with Fun. picking up Best New Artist and also Song of the Year with “We Are Young”. He may have been someone that you used to know but Gotye also came back with a vengeance last night, scooping Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Alternative Music Album. Mumford and Sons also had an unexpected win, picking up Best Long Form Video and the coveted Album of the Year beating Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange and El Camino by The Black Keys. Nevertheless Frank Ocean and The Black Keys still did very well with the former winning Best Urban Contemporary Album and the latter picking up four (including Dan Auerbach’s award for Producer of the Year, non-classical).

Click here for the full list of winners.

Daisy Meager, Online Music Editor

Awards Season: Les Misérables – Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables has inspired generations. Its theatrical adaptation has spent decades touring the West-End and its recent cinematic release has swept through this year’s awards season. With three Golden Globes, nine BAFTA nominations, and eight Academy Award nominations to name but a few, Freya Godfrey takes a look at the book that sparked such a torrent of creative adaptations. With so much material to work with, Freya focuses on the character of Valjean; Hugo’s moral figure, the crux of 365 chapters, and the man that inspired Hugh Jackman’s stunning performance on the silver screen…

Sharing its name with one of the longest-running plays in history and now an Oscar-nominated film, Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, in its original novel form, is often overlooked. Granted, its 365 chapters may put some people off, but for me, it is one of the greatest novels ever written.

Victor Hugo’s novel, in the briefest of summaries, follows the life of John Valjean, an ex-convict, as he struggles to create a life for himself despite his criminal background and the relentless efforts of police inspector Javert to recapture him. However, Hugo does not ‘follow’ Valjean in the conventional literary way. Instead, the novelist introduces a number of sub-narratives, only part way through which we realise that an apparently new character is in fact Jean Valjean. (Indeed, Valjean takes on five different aliases during the novel.) As well as this interweaving of narratives, Hugo entwines his story within a selection of essays. These essays take up almost one quarter of the book and have little connection with the story, instead serving to demonstrate either a moral point or Hugo’s extensive knowledge. However, I would argue that the most pertinent assessment that Hugo makes is not within his essays but through the story of John Valjean: a critique of the nineteenth century French justice system.

John Valjean was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing bread for his starving sister and her children: a menial and, dare I say it, well-meaning crime. Condemned to a further fourteen years imprisonment for repeated escape attempts, we meet Valjean recently released from prison for the first time in nineteen years. Unable to find work due to the yellow papers that identify him as a former offender, Valjean seeks refuge in the home of Bishop Myriel of Digne. Despite the kindness the bishop shows him, the influence of Valjean’s time as a convict is demonstrated in his attempt to steal the bishop’s silverware. Caught by the police and brought before the bishop, Valjean is surprised to hear the bishop telling the police that the silverware had been a gift and even admonishing Valjean for ‘forgetting’ to take his silver candlesticks. Overwhelmed by the compassion shown towards him, this scene acts as a catalyst for John Valjean who vows to live his life righteously from this point.

John Valjean may be an ex-criminal, but he is also the ultimate hero. He is courageous, loyal and strong. He saves the lives of three men, through each demonstrating his unusual strength and perseverance, and even possesses a James Bond-style weapon: a file concealed within a coin with which he escapes capture. However, police inspector Javert sees Valjean in the eyes of the law: a criminal who must be returned for prison. It is only when Valjean has the opportunity to kill Javert and chooses, instead, to set him free that the police inspector realises his internal dilemma: should he continue to pursue a man who has done nothing but good since his release from prison, or should he let him go free and ignore the justice system that is so decisively ingrained in his character?

The wandering epic that is Les Misérables introduces many unforgettable scenes, such as the tragic downfall of Fantine, the beautiful love story between Eponine and Marius and the fierce sense of nationalism expounded at the barricades of the French Revolution. Filled with passion and power, this novel certainly makes an impression on the reader and forces them to ponder their own moral position. As Hugo himself writes, ‘so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, there should be a need for books such as this.’, a statement with which I wholeheartedly agree.

To see what the Exeposé Screen team made of Les Miserables: http://xmedia.ex.ac.uk/wp/wordpress/?p=5693
By Freya Godfrey

Ed. by Georgina Holland – Exeposé Online Books Editor

Awards Season: Django Unchained, a history steeped in blood

Quentin Tarantino’s latest blockbuster hit Django Unchained tracks the story of one slave turned bountyhunter as he searches for his wife and seeks revenge for the injustices that were brought upon them. The film may have been a cinematic success, with five Academy Award nominations and counting, but its plot comes from darker and more sinister sources. Olivia Johnson looks at the literary heritage of Django Unchained and the tradition of slave narratives that have influenced its style…

Poster for Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”

The cinematic power in Tarantino’s Django Unchained comes from its realistic and savage depiction of slavery in 19^th century America. Brutality, powerlessness, even self-racism – themes which pervade the film – are so moving and believable to audiences because they stem from authentic sources. Such difficulties are highlighted in the narratives of the slaves. Anyone moved by the film should also take the time to read some of the literature contemporary to the slave movement. The biographical slave narratives are the true testaments to a bloody and horrific culture and convey the raw pain of servitude.

Django’s rise from oppression is the crux of the film. At the beginning of the film, he is physically unchained by a man, Dr. King Schultz, who Django soon joins as his fellow bounty hunter. Yet, more appealing is Django’s retribution, which comes at the climax of the film. One man against several, he successfully defends himself using logic and skill in marksmanship, until he is forced to stop by threats made against his wife. At the very end, he once again relies on intelligence to revenge the death of his mentor and escape a free man.

The underlying theme, which is so attractive to audiences, is that physical strength and prowess in fighting is the ultimate tool to beating oppression. In many ways this was true; often, brute strength was the only means to power in a savage world. In the narrative of Frederick Douglass, the man is also forced to undergo a similar feat, beating his master in physical combat when he attempted to assault him. Such basic, savage acts draw the admiration of the reader because it is drenched in imagery of good versus bad. It is once again David against Goliath – though both may be matched in strength, prejudice against Douglass, as a slave, weighs him down considerably. When Douglass wins, the victory is as poignant and powerful to the readers as it must have been to the man himself.

The tragic and ironic depiction of self-racism is another powerful element in the film. Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of Stephen, the loyal house slave to plantation owner Calvin J. Candie reflects another, far more disturbing motif. Stephen is a visual manifestation of an “Uncle Tom”, an epithet which has come to depict a person who is excessively subservient to figures of authority, even to the extent that they become an active participant in the oppression of their own group. In the film, Stephen as an “Uncle Tom” serves his master to the detriment of Django and the household slaves; he condemns the slave Broomhilda’s attempts to escape, encourages her horrific punishment and is key in Django’s capture. The “Uncle Tom” stereotype came from spin-off works from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Yet, ironically, the original character of Uncle Tom is very different.

Harriet Beecher Stowe: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

 

In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the titular character is in fact show to be a martyr, who died by refusing to reveal the whereabouts of two women who escaped from slavery; an ironic reversal from the film’s depiction. Like the film, the book also depicts the savagery of slavery – the slaves are cruelly beaten, stripped of almost any identity and even forced to turn on each other. Yet, while Django Unchained conveys scenes of violence against, and between slaves, the protagonist is liberated from oppression, acting as his own agent for most of the film. The book contains the realistic horror of lives confined within claustrophobic quarters. However, the book’s conclusion does satisfy a modern audience to a certain extent. Tom is killed, life goes on, and the readers are filled with a grim acknowledgement of the transience of life in a world where the death of a slave is a common, justifiable occurrence. However, with the journey of two of the characters, Cassy and Emmeline, into Canada, the reader is left with a certain amount of hope and the certainty that Tom’s sacrifice was not in vain.

It is essential that each of us remember the horrors of slavery, which happened not too long ago, so that we do not repeat them. In the same sense, it is important to remember and mourn for a series of lost generations, as well as to acknowledge, even admire, the attempts by individuals like Frederick Douglass to overcome oppression. However, in terms of enjoyment, it has to be said that Django Unchained is far more satisfying as a form of entertainment than many of the slave narratives because it provides us with something they cannot; a cathartic, albeit unrealistic, ending. Tarantino forces us to uncover and remember the brutal past, yet with the victory of the protagonist at the end of the film, exorcises those shadows.

To see what Exeposé Online Screen made of Django Unchained, follow this link:

By Olivia Johnson – Exeposé Online Books Editor
Ed. by Georgina Holland – Exeposé Online Books Editor