# who else has seen Harriet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 19, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640 "2019-11-19T03:10:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640/1 "2019-11-19T03:10:17Z")

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I found it powerful and was blown away by the acting of absolutely everyone in it. The sets and costumes were awesome, as well.

I read some less than positive reviews and, while I could see their point, I didn’t agree.  
While watching, I did wonder if she had actually had a traumatic brain injury, but it turns out she did. She also believed the “spells” she had from it were communication from God.  
(something else I want to say about that but I don’t see how to spoiler it. anyone?)

Harriet Tubman was such a charismatic person and obvious hero the fact that there hasn’t been a major movie about her before really makes me :dubious:

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**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640/2 "2019-11-19T04:09:04Z")

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I’m afraid I agree with the critics on this one. Cynthia Erivo was fabulous but the film as a whole seemed like a made for TV movie from the 1990s. I didn’t really feel much of a sense of urgency or dramatic tension for most of the film, it seemed too safe and pg-13. And I hated hated hated how the filmmakers depicted her “visions.”

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**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640/3 "2019-11-19T05:25:12Z")

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I do feel the music could have been better - more subtle. it was so dramatic it intruded on the actual drama and I couldn’t help be aware of it in a distracting way.

the thing that bothered me about her “visions” is I think it should have been left open to interpretation whether God was actually giving her warnings or not - instead, it seemed clear she was getting supernatural help. While I would rather give the woman herself credit for getting herself and those she was conducting to safety.

but I most certainly did feel dramatic tension, even knowing she was going to make it because I would have heard about it had she died during one of the escapes.

Although some violence was shown, a lot more was simply implied by the terrible scars we saw on people - I thought it was more dramatic that way.

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**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640/4 "2019-11-19T07:54:23Z")

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> [@JackieLikesVariety](#):
>
> I found it powerful and was blown away by the acting of absolutely everyone in it. The sets and costumes were awesome, as well.
> 
> I read some less than positive reviews and, while I could see their point, I didn’t agree.  
> While watching, I did wonder if she had actually had a traumatic brain injury, but it turns out she did. She also believed the “spells” she had from it were communication from God.  
> (something else I want to say about that but I don’t see how to spoiler it. anyone?)
> 
> Harriet Tubman was such a charismatic person and obvious hero the fact that there hasn’t been a major movie about her before really makes me :dubious:

Well there WOULD have been…if Octavia Spencer wasn’t such a fucking diva. And ruining EGOT winner Tracy Jordan’s directorial debut too.

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-seen-harriet/843640/5 "2019-11-19T10:06:40Z")

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I’m going to get blamed for spoiling a joke, but remember that some of us here don’t have the vast knowledge of TV episodes that some others here do. You’re talking about an episode of _30 Rock_ with Spencer and Jordan. I had to look that up to understand what you were talking about. The interesting thing for me is that a _Drunk History_ episode (two years after the _30 Rock_ episode) had Spencer as Tubman:

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VpTf1GFjCd8/maxresdefault.jpg "Drunk History - Harriet Tubman Leads an Army of Bad Bitches (ft. Octavia Spencer)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpTf1GFjCd8)