Model Mayhem
Sapphira and the Slave Boy (2012)
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A movie of jealousy set in pre-Civil War Virginia.
Based on Willa Cather’s last novel
Cast:
Sapphira Dodderidge Colbert, a middle-aged white woman, dying of dropsy. Having married at the late age of 24, she has accepted as her husband a man she considers socially beneath her, and now this friction dominates the marriage. She is an Episcopalian. She has inherited her slaves from her father and believes thoroughly in the institution of slavery.
Henry Colbert, a middle-aged white man, a miller and a Lutheran. He is tolerant of his bitter wife, but lives an essentially separate life, residing at his mill. Henry has developed qualms about slavery, mostly on religious grounds, but believes that the Colbert slaves are his wife's property.
Rachel Colbert Blake, a white widow in her 30s and a Baptist. As a child, she was her mother's least favorite daughter, which caused her to seek out the company of a neighbor, Mrs. Bywaters, who was an abolitionist. Rachel now also opposes slavery, and eventually aids Tyrone in his escape.
Tyrone, a mulatto slave in his late teens, the son of Till and a white man believed to be one of Henry Colbert's brothers or a Cuban painter who once stayed at the estate. His quiet ways make him Henry's favorite, which, along with overheard gossip, causes Sapphira to falsely assume that the two are having intimate relations.
Till, a black slave in her 40s or 50s. She was orphaned as a child when her mother's dress caught fire, causing her death. She was put in the care of Mrs. Meacham, a white woman who became her surrogate mother and teacher. She was eventually sold to Sapphira as a lady's maid. Raped by a white man, she has one son, Tyrone, and is then married off to Uncle Jeff.
Fat Lizzie, a black slave and the household cook. She is a gossip and the primary source of Tyrone's troubles. She is the mother of Bluebell, a Prissy-type slave on the estate.
Old Jezebel, the oldest slave on the estate, she came to America in the 1780s and dies half-way through the book.
Uncle Jeff, a black slave and Till's husband. He is described as a capon-man, which either means he has been castrated or has erectile dysfunction. Sapphira marries Till to him because she does not want her lady's maid pregnant.
Rev. Fairhead, a white Baptist minister and an abolitionist
Mrs. Bywaters, a white woman, postmistress and an abolitionist
Martin Colbert, a white man and Henry's nephew. A morally bankrupt man, whose amusing conversation charms Sapphira and annoys Henry. He makes threatening advances towards Tyrone, suggesting on multiple occasions that he intends to rape him. He is the primary cause of Tyrone’s flight. He later dies during the Civil War fighting for the Confederate cause.
Sapphira and the Slave Boy (2012)
__________________
A movie of jealousy set in pre-Civil War Virginia.
Based on Willa Cather’s last novel
Cast:
Sapphira Dodderidge Colbert, a middle-aged white woman, dying of dropsy. Having married at the late age of 24, she has accepted as her husband a man she considers socially beneath her, and now this friction dominates the marriage. She is an Episcopalian. She has inherited her slaves from her father and believes thoroughly in the institution of slavery.
Henry Colbert, a middle-aged white man, a miller and a Lutheran. He is tolerant of his bitter wife, but lives an essentially separate life, residing at his mill. Henry has developed qualms about slavery, mostly on religious grounds, but believes that the Colbert slaves are his wife's property.
Rachel Colbert Blake, a white widow in her 30s and a Baptist. As a child, she was her mother's least favorite daughter, which caused her to seek out the company of a neighbor, Mrs. Bywaters, who was an abolitionist. Rachel now also opposes slavery, and eventually aids Tyrone in his escape.
Tyrone, a mulatto slave in his late teens, the son of Till and a white man believed to be one of Henry Colbert's brothers or a Cuban painter who once stayed at the estate. His quiet ways make him Henry's favorite, which, along with overheard gossip, causes Sapphira to falsely assume that the two are having intimate relations.
Till, a black slave in her 40s or 50s. She was orphaned as a child when her mother's dress caught fire, causing her death. She was put in the care of Mrs. Meacham, a white woman who became her surrogate mother and teacher. She was eventually sold to Sapphira as a lady's maid. Raped by a white man, she has one son, Tyrone, and is then married off to Uncle Jeff.
Fat Lizzie, a black slave and the household cook. She is a gossip and the primary source of Tyrone's troubles. She is the mother of Bluebell, a Prissy-type slave on the estate.
Old Jezebel, the oldest slave on the estate, she came to America in the 1780s and dies half-way through the book.
Uncle Jeff, a black slave and Till's husband. He is described as a capon-man, which either means he has been castrated or has erectile dysfunction. Sapphira marries Till to him because she does not want her lady's maid pregnant.
Rev. Fairhead, a white Baptist minister and an abolitionist
Mrs. Bywaters, a white woman, postmistress and an abolitionist
Martin Colbert, a white man and Henry's nephew. A morally bankrupt man, whose amusing conversation charms Sapphira and annoys Henry. He makes threatening advances towards Tyrone, suggesting on multiple occasions that he intends to rape him. He is the primary cause of Tyrone’s flight. He later dies during the Civil War fighting for the Confederate cause.
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