Just finished watching BBC’s excellent The Long Story and had to smile despite all the sadness and violence running throughout the story, within the story there is much to smile about and the end leaves us with the black folk having both dignity in their lives and power over their destiny.
The Long Story is told within the history of the end of slavery in Jamaica. It touched on many of the well-worn themes and tropes of slavery: the rape of enslaved black women taken as mistresses and concubines, the precarious lives of gentle white women challenged by the barbarity of life in the colonies in contrast to elegance and gentility they had left behind in England and the unforgiving sugar crop, harvested through the relentless physical and economic violence metered out before and after the end of enslavement
The theme that kept me engaged me, which kept me watching, was that of the enslaved with agency, who through big and small acts reaped their revenge on their masters and mistresses in the big houses. In doing so showed how enslaved were not passive, indifferent, accepting, they did speak or act out and did say NO! both overtly and covertly, sometimes to devastating effect for both black and white.
I don’t wish to give the many examples that run throughout the three episodes - I urge you to view them – all eminently watchable. The scenery and cinematography are stunning with many brilliant, often innovative, moving drone shots and novel POVs, again I won't share as that would risk giving the plot away - watch and enjoy!
Tamara Lawrence as July aka Margarite fills the role with power, pathos and much wit, Tamara is surely a star in the making,
I recommend The Long Story unreservedly: Five Stars.
