Harriet

"Be free or die"

2019 2h 5m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

74%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 962🍅74%Rotten Tomatoes●66Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 34,447

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

“Be free or die”

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Cast

Cynthia Erivo
Harriet Tubman
Leslie Odom Jr.
William Still
Janelle Monáe
Marie Buchanon
Clarke Peters
Ben Ross
Vanessa Bell Calloway
Rit Ross
Omar J. Dorsey
Bigger Long
Henry Hunter Hall
Walter
Joseph Lee Anderson
Robert Ross

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kasi Lemmons
Writers: Jesse Michael Owen, Gregory Allen Howard, Gregory Allen Howard
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kasi Lemmons, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Terence Blanchard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Wyatt Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monáe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Be free or die".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4648786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kasi Lemmons directs. John Toll behind the camera. Terence Blanchard scores. Wyatt Smith cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Directed by Kasi Lemmons, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Terence Blanchard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Wyatt Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monáe carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Be free or die".
7IMDB entry: tt4648786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Toll
Original score: Terence Blanchard
Editing: Wyatt Smith
Production design: Warren Alan Young
Costume design: Paul Tazewell
Makeup / hair: Angie Wells
Sound: Skip Lievsay
Stunt coordinator: Daniel W. Barringer
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Harriet (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 66/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 34,447 votes
MPAA: PG-13
US box office: $43,082,155

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 21 wins & 56 nominations total

Also by

Kasi Lemmons

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2020-06-15
★ 7/10
'Harriet' stumbles in its clichéd storytelling and focus on going for gold - but that's not to undermine the fantastic acting, groundbreaking music, and of course the incredible true story of Harriet Tubman's bravery. With Black Lives Matter, the fight to end violence and systemic racism towards black people is rooted in the United States' DNA and 'Harriet', and sadly serves as yet another reminder of the constant mistreatment of African Americans. Films about slavery are still relevant, as that same discrimination is still taking place today. I want to end with lyrics from the film's song 'Stand Up' which feel very potent: “I'm going to stand up, take my people with me, together we are going, to a brand-new home.“ - Chris dos Santos Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-harriet-a-flawed-harriet-tubman-biopic-with-a-phenomenal-performance
CinemaSerf2024-10-27
★ 6/10
Cynthia Erivo delivers really strongly here as the eponymous woman who strives to escape generations of enslavement herself, then work to free her family and her race from the brutal oppression of their overlords. This characterisation of her sheer determination, coupled with a feistiness and courage is indeed well captured but sadly the rest of this is little better than an ordinary television movie. It's not that anyone is especially bad, it's just that none - especially Joe Alwyn's "Brodess" - really cut through. Janelle Monáe doesn't feature often enough to make too much impact and the rest rather follows a precisely produced narrative that failed to inject any real sense of the menace faced by this woman swimming against a societal tide that few had dared before her. It's all just a bit too clean, too sterile and even at it's emotional height - well, I just kept thinking someone was going to give us a song. Maybe it would have had more impact that way? There's also too little emphasis on her work as a "freedom fighter" - a sort of Robin Hood style of character determined to emancipate her people with a bare minimum of violence and spurning the more obvious instincts of revenge upon her former persecutors. The message is there, OK, but it relies far too much on the presumed attitudes of the audience rather than powerfully demonstrate the bleakness of her prospects and the injustice of their psychologically shackled existence. It's watchable enough, but sadly just a little too underwhelming.