The Underground Railroad Movie - Free Essay Sample

The Underground Railroad is a movie that is set in one of the most troubled and dramatic periods in the American history. It is a story of bold conductors or heroic fugitives who risked their lives by ensuring that they took charge of their destiny in the bid to get the chance of freedom. The focus of the film is about Harriet Tubman who had escaped herself from slavery and was now assisting other slaves to escape. At the time, it was very dangerous to be a runaway slave. There was a huge bounty of about $400, 000 for anyone who captured Harriet Tubman.

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The Underground Railroad Movie

Underground Railroad is a film about individuals struggling for their freedom. The Underground Railroad is a group of secret white abolitionists who work in a secret network that shelters and guides escapees towards the Ontario border northwards (Foner, 133). It is believed that the organization through Isaac hopper hid and aided slaves to escape. The individuals who opposed slavery used their homes to be called stations whereby the escaped slaves could be provided with food and shelter. There were almost fourteen routes that went through the northern states and Canada.

The volunteers in the Underground Railroad were called conductors. Their main purpose were to go down south and help the slaves to safety. Harriet Tubman was one of the key conductors. She travelled down south nineteen times. Harriet Taman was responsible for leading more than three hundred slaves to freedom.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Movie

Usually, the Underground Railroad stations were almost twenty miles apart. The wagons that were used by the conductors were usually covered or had false bottoms to carry slaves from one station to the next. The conductors, would ensure that the slaves hid during the day and then travel during the night. The Conductors had some way of notifying about their runaway slaves that they were hiding. The drama in the film constantly runs hot and cold as the slaves continue with their flight. It is the good acting that enables the features of the film to be more elaborate. The individual’s features in the film are those who only see black people as slaves and are supposedly less human. Additionally, there are conversely different individuals who are white who have taken the risk to help the slaves since they have the belief that every person should have their own freedom. In the film, the characters are those individuals whom the viewer will ultimately like and care about while the bad people are the real villains. It is fascinating to note that at the end of the film, there are notes that show that by 1861, during the onset of the Civil War, the fugitives who had escaped to Canada were almost 40,000 (Whitehead, 34). After the Emancipation Proclamation, most of these fugitives remained in Canada.

By using Canada’s role as the sly provocateur in the slave movement, a new fresh angle is depicted concerning the issue of slavery. What may give the film thumbs down is the on location filming which is done entirely in Ontario. This is because it limits the supposedly cross-country odyssey and gives the film a low budget look.

In conclusion, the film can be rated well for persons over the age of twelve since there are some intense scenes and some violent moments. The directors also ensured that there were no overly graphic scenes. The movie grabs one’s attention as one wants to learn how the film will end.

Works cited

Foner, Eric. Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of America's Fugitive Slaves. , 2015. Print.

Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad. , 2016. Internet resource.