Introduction
“Alex Haley’s Queen,” which is frequently referred to as “Queen,” is a movie by John Erman that comprises three parts, actually being a miniseries. This is an adaptation of the novel by Alex Haley, where the author traces his paternal family history four generations back. The writing serves to complement Haley’s previous work, “Roots,” where he investigates in a similar way on the history of his mother’s side.
The novel, hence the movie, depicts the problems that derived from interracial tensions back at the time. Notably, it tells the story of Haley’s grandmother, a biracial former slave named Queen who is struggling to fit in both black and white cultures. The discrimination against her from each side is a bright example of how xenophobic human beings are, notwithstanding their identities and backgrounds.
Historical Analysis
The Context of the Setting
The miniseries under review covers the period of approximately a decade and a half before and after the Civil War, when a collision between old and new values destabilized the relationships in the society. In one respect, “white Southerners carried the mindsets of enslavers with them into the post-emancipation period” and continued to insult the black (Southern Poverty Law Center 2018, 6). The negative attitude encouraged many of the former slaves to try resettling to the north. However, the closing scenes of the first episode reveal that the residents of that region, who are the members of the Union Army, find it normal to brutalize the population of color as well. Therefore, the protagonist, Queen, is recommended to live with “[her] own people” for safety reasons, which apparently means joining the black community (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 1 of 3 1993, 1:31:58). There is no place for her among the white because she is a mulatto with associated slavish background.
By contrast, the liberation inspired some of the formerly exploited to inhabit the role of enslavers themselves, commanding and berating not solely their masters of yesterday, but their fellows as well. Thus, the early scenes of the second episode depict the store that belongs to Mr. Henderson. He used to be a slave overseer at the same estate as Queen, and now he and his wife offend the main character freely (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 2 of 3 1993). Her white heritage is apparent on the list of the reasons why black culture shuns her. This actually happened long before the emancipation, when other slave children bullied the protagonist because of the light color of her skin (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 1 of 3 1993). Such behavior is dissonant to the common knowledge about African American history since it shows the black as chauvinists and supremacists similar to the white.
Another aspect that may seem to be inaccurate at first sight is the unwillingness of several ex-slaves, including Queen, to leave the estate and be free after they were allowed to do that. However, there is primary evidence that situations of such a kind were common in the 1860s. Thus, according to the memories of Ezra Adams, neither he nor his fellows ever sought emancipation, living in comfortable conditions and receiving sufficient care. He highlights that hardly anyone could understand the essence of “somethin’ called freedom, what they could not eat, wear, and sleep in” (The Library of Congress 1941, 5). For such people, physical well-being and quiet life were the main priorities, therefore, the collapse of the routine to which they had been used since birth shocked them.
The Context of Movie Making
John Erman filmed “Alex Haley’s Queen” in the early 1990s, at the beginning of the downward trend in racial stratification in the USA. The process of integration was, however, gradual, non-linear, and strongly dependent on the sociocultural peculiarities of each specific region (Williams and Emamdjomeh 2018). Subsequently, the American society of that time assumedly was as heterogeneous in terms of its attitude to racial identity as it had never been before. On one side was a growing acceptance of the black, but the outdated race-based stereotypes remained on the other, which may have caused numerous misunderstandings.
The social contradictions of the 1990s presumably reminded the director of Haley’s novel, which focuses on the essentiality of mutual tolerance. Another possible reason why Erman sought to propagate respect towards those who differ from the majority was his homosexuality (Barnes 2021). Collaborating with top actors and actresses, such as Halle Berry, who actually played Queen, enabled the artist to attract a broad audience, hence simplifying the transmission of the message on the unacceptability of xenophobia.
Gendered Analysis
The numver of male and female characters in the movie under review is approximately equal, but their behaviors are dissimilar. Men, notwithstanding their skin color, age, and social status, are more likely to insist and force their will on the other. For instance, James, the owner of the plantation and Queen’s father, decides the fate of his offspring, although his wife and lover oppose his plans (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 1 of 3 1993). Such actions were apparently typical of males in the 19th century, when it was crucial for survival to follow a single direction, for which reason the father’s word was normally final.
The above allows assuming that the ideal of being a man during the period of the film involved reasonability as well as responsibility, which traits make an individual a good decision-maker. In addition, the plot makes it clear that a respectable male should not be aggressive or rude, especially to those who were weaker than he was or subordinate to him. This is assumable from the fact that Queen did not marry any of those who disappointed or neglected her, unlike Alec, who was caring and considered her opinion (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 3 of 3 1993). After several regrettable love stories, the eventual match with him rather than anyone else drives to the conclusion that he is the closest to the perfect man of that time.
Regarding the ideal of being a woman, it apparently involved chastity. This is apparent from the scene where Queen’s mate Alice dislodges her after she became a victim to a rape (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 2 of 3 1993). Later, one of the two elderly ladies at whose place the protagonist finds herself stigmatizes her for having a baby out of wedlock opinion (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 3 of 3 1993). These situations embody the dramatically limited and prejudiced view of female sexuality that Americans most probably had in the 19th century.
Housekeeping, handcraft, and caretaking were apparently the most important activities, at which a woman of that time had to be good. Even Miss Mandy and Miss Giffery, who are unmarried and childless, are able to deliver a baby, which they actually do when Queen gives birth to Abner (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 2 of 3 1993). This allows assuming that most of the American women of the period that the film covers had to know how to sick-nurse. Another example appears in Episode 2, where the mother of the plantation owner, who has slaves to do housework, nevertheless knits (Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 2 of 3 1993, 3:58). Apparently, that is her hobby and a way to self-actualize. The degree to which the society appreciated handcraft is guessable from the autobiography of Mrs. Amanda Smith (1893), where she describes how people wondered at the clothes that her mother sewed in the 1870s. Female slaves, including the main character of the movie, were normally maids, which work combines all of the three activities that are mentioned at the beginning.
Conclusion
“Alex Haley’s Queen” is a three-episode movie adaptation of the novel that is the biography of the author’s grandmother, a daughter of a slave and her master. The story differs from most of the modern artworks that explore African American history, as it shows that not solely white can be chauvinistic and xenophobic, humiliating those who are unusual. Queen is a mulatto, which makes her an outcast, as she faces discrimination from both of her cultures of heritage. Furthermore, she suffers improper attitude not only as an ex-slave, but also as a woman since too few real individuals correspond to the image of an ideal man of the 19th century.
References
Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 1 of 3. Directed by John Erman. 1993. Web.
Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 2 of 3. Directed by John Erman. 1993. Web.
Alex Haley’s Queen – Episode 3 of 3. Directed by John Erman. 1993. Web.
Barnes, Mike. 2021. “John Erman, Emmy-Winning Director and Frequent Ann-Margret Collaborator, Dies at 85.” The Hollywood Reporter, Web.
Smith, Amanda. 1893. The Story of the Lord’s Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith, the Colored Evangelist, Containing an Account of Her Life Work of Faith, and Her Travels in America, England, Ireland, Scotland, India and Africa, as an Independent Missionary. Chicago: Meyer & Brother, Publishers.
Southern Poverty Law Center. 2018. Teaching Hard History: American Slavery. University of Wisconsin Press.
The Library of Congress. 1941. Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Washington.
Williams, Aaron, and Armand Emamdjomeh. 2018. “America is More Diverse than Ever – But Still Segregated.” The Washington Post, Web.