Emancipation

Will Smith perhaps irreversibly damaged his reputation when he decided to answer comedian Chris Rock's words with a blow during the Oscars ceremony earlier ...

Director Antoine Fuqua, whose filmography ranges from 'Training Day' to 'King Arthur,' attempts to fit different genres into the script, which constantly ...

Any discussion of "Emancipation" will inevitably be clouded by the Will Smith of it all, and Apple's decision to release the movie into the teeth of awards ...

Emancipation tells the story of Peter, a slave who escapes his plantation, but his journey is full of danger. Read our review.

Will Smith in "Emancipation," premiering Dec. 9, 2022, on Apple TV+. Quantrell Colbert—Apple TV+. Ideas. By Janell ...

Emancipation, Will Smith's latest movie, is now streaming on Apple TV+, and we break down the film's ending, its true story origins, and story points.

Peter is given a choice to fight in the Union Army or go back to a farm, and His life has been filled with trauma, pain, torture, and fear, and it’s likely that he continued to seek out God because he needed something to hold onto in the darkest moments of his life. Where others have forsaken God, or don’t believe in the Almighty at all, Peter holds Jesus and the teachings of the Bible close to his heart. There are allegations, however, that the man in the photo and the man who escaped a plantation to join the Union Army are not one and the same, but historians generally agree that Gordon is the subject of both. Peter chose the latter because it at least offered him some dignity, and it gave him the opportunity to be an active participant in telling the population of enslaved people in Louisiana that they were free — that included his family. It’s possible the film didn’t include this because Peter had already faced so much hardship and didn’t want to add in another, especially so close to its ending.

While “Emancipation” was filmed long before that Oscars slap and the inevitable fallout, the film makes perfect sense as Will Smith's follow-up project.

The film stars Will Smith as an enslaved person seeking the promise of freedom enshrined in the Emancipation Proclamation.

“Emancipation” is out on Apple TV+. [WBUR.org.](https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/12/09/emancipation-will-smith-slap) [Eric Deggans](https://www.npr.org/people/243254424/eric-deggans) joins us to talk about the film and how Smith is faring since slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Houston native Ronnie Gene Blevins was shaken to his core while on the set of 'Emancipation,' the historical drama starring Academy Award winner Will Smith.

[he was shaken to his core while on the set of his latest film](https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/raul-castillo-the-inspection-17616267.php), Emancipation. Blevins plays Harrington, one of the white henchmen who works for Jim Fassel (Ben Foster), the camp’s merciless overseer. The historical drama, which [stars Academy Award winner Will Smith](https://ms-my.facebook.com/MySA/posts/will-smith-issues-apology-to-chris-rock-on-instagram-after-smacking-him-on-oscar/10160039513590762/) (King Richard), tells the story of Peter (Smith), a Black man who escapes a labor camp in Louisiana during the Civil War to gain his freedom.

Apple TV+'s original movie, Emancipation, sees Will Smith's return to film after King Richard. He's joined by a few seasoned actors in his latest.

Jeremiah Friedlander is best known for his role as Fourteen in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Aaron Moten is best known for his roles in Jabbar Lewis is best known for his role in the TV miniseries The Vacation. Ronnie Gene Blevins is best known for his roles in Gilbert Owuor is best known for his roles in the TV series Goliath, Reprisal, Mute, and No Man of God. Jayson Warner Smith is best known for his roles in The Birth of a Nation,

Will Smith says he wants as many people as possible to see Emancipation so he's footing the bill for a 2-month trial of Apple TV+.

The film is inspired by the story of Gordon, a former slave whose horrific whip scars on his back were captured in a very famous photograph. So, I got two months free of Apple TV+ for everybody to watch Emancipation," Smith says in a video posted to Instagram, noting that the trial offer can be found at Based on a true story, Emancipation follows Smith as a slave who escapes the brutal torment endured at a plantation, eventually heading up North and joining the Union Army. By coming out before the end of the year, Emancipation will be eligible for the Academy Awards next year. [Will Smith](https://movieweb.com/person/will-smith/) wants everybody to watch [Emancipation](https://movieweb.com/movie/emancipation), so much so that if you don't currently subscribe to Apple TV+, then the bill is on him. Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but the release strategy does suggest that the brass at Apple feel that Smith has a chance of getting back into the Oscar conversation in 2023.

The film, starring and produced by Will Smith, debuted on Apple TV+ on Dec. 9.

[Apple One](https://www.apple.com/apple-one/), which bundles Apple TV+ with up to five other services for one low price. Read on for details on how to stream the movie for free. That means you can stream Emancipation and anything else on the platform without paying anything up front. One of the images, “The Scourged Back,” captures the sheer brutality and inhumanity of slavery, showing Peter’s – whose real name was Gordon – welted back riddled with keloids from the severe beatings handed down by slave masters. “That’s unacceptable to me.” All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors.

From left: Will Smith and Ben Foster in a scene from "Emancipation." Quantrell Colbert/Apple TV+. A version of this story appeared in Pop Life ...

While I think it’s way too soon for the Academy to consider that, what people really want to know is whether his performance in “Emancipation” will be enough to blot out the bruise the slap left on his reputation. She smelled like cinnamon buns and sangria.” Titled “Me Vs. Don’t let the title worry you, she did not get lost along the way. [feel less alone](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/health/anderson-cooper-all-there-is-grief-podcast-wellness/index.html). [he received the Icon Award](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/entertainment/ryan-reynolds-blake-lively-peoples) at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, which aired this week. [ “Harry & Meghan” ](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/05/entertainment/harry-meghan-netflix-date/index.html)are streaming on Netflix now. I’ve got some things I definitely want to do better next year. [this new Netflix release](https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/liz-garbus-harry-meghan-netflix/index.html), which allows Harry and Meghan to share their version of [the soap opera](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/08/entertainment/harry-meghan-netflix-documentary-release-intl/index.html) that was their lives while [members of the royal family](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/uk/meghan-sussex-threats-intl-scli/index.html) – and in the years since they stepped back from “the firm.” [he is still eligible for nominations](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/entertainment/will-smith-emancipation-oscars-slap/index.html). [ slapped presenter Chris Rock](https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html) earlier in the show. [working on your New Year’s resolutions](https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/01/health/how-to-set-new-year-resolutions-wellness/index.html) yet?

A runaway slave escapes through Louisiana's swamps in a propulsive action film marred by its relentless grimness.

Finding himself cruelly separated from his wife and children, he escapes through the Louisiana swamps, outwitting alligators and Ben Foster’s sneering, sadistic overseer. In a chase picture that evolves into a war movie, the storytelling is propulsive, but it’s cheapened by crude and manipulative film-making choices. Antoine Fuqua’s thuddingly unsubtle Will Smith-starring slavery drama is an unusually ugly picture.