Band of Angels Reflection

After every movie we have watched in class, I have gone back home and rewatched the film on my own time. This holds true for our latest watch, Band of Angels. In 1957, a film titled Band of Angels starring Clark Gable and Yvonne DeCarlo was released. This film is set in the South highlighting the period both before and during the American Civil War, which took place between 1861 and 1865. Within this movie, we meet Amantha Starr, a well-off daughter to a cotton plantation owner with a father who was unusually kind to his slaves. After the death of her father, she learns her mother was a slave, therefore considering her half-negro.

From there, she was captured by slave traders and sent away. It was here a wealthy man by the name of Hamish Bond purchases her at an auction. When she arrives there, she found that like her father, Hamish treats his slaves kindly and respectfully. After having gone her whole life living lavishly and comfortably with her family, this is a rude awakening for her and she is greatly unsure as to what it is their intentions with her are. Eventually, the two fall in love causing him to offer Amantha her freedom, but she declines and instead chooses to stay with him. Over some time, we end up at the beginning of the American Civil War and we see just how much the South is affected by one of this nation's great wars.

The goal of the film, seemingly, was to be a comparative view on the war and its effects on the North versus the South, similar to that of Gone With the Wind. Both movies prove to have both very similar and different views on the idea of slavery as well as the views on the war at the time. We see in Gone With the Wind that slaves seem to enjoy their time working as slaves and enjoy the relationships they have with their owners. We do know that they also made sure to portray slaves as incapable, even stupid. Band of Angels takes on a bit of a different approach throughout its film.

It is clear that slaves are seen with a lot more respect and regard as a whole throughout this movie. They are not generally portrayed as uneducated, worthless or brainless. Rather here, it was quite the opposite. Slaves were most commonly portrayed as intelligent and worthy of praise and respect from their white counterparts. This was more than just the overall feel of the movie and it really became evident through the development of characters through the plot.

We see throughout this movie that not all slaves enjoyed their time in enslavement, a view we are much more used to. For example, we have previously discussed that Hamish Bond treats his slaves with kindness and respect, including one he has raised since a young age, Rau-Ru. He, for one, does not appreciate nor enjoy the kindness portrayed by Mr. Bond and actually finds it to be worse than if he were to beat him like most other slave owners.

The two films have differing views on the war and its effects on the North and South. Gone With the Wind tries to play up the idea that the South was a wonderful place full of life and prosperity prior to the war. In showing the mass destruction of the South, it portrays what seems to be nation unity, rallying together as the South to rebuild, while portraying solace and compassion for those who live there. It is shown that the North and South have a fierce opposition for each other and show no mercy or sympathy for one another. These are views not all shown through Band of Angels, or not to the same extent, at least. Overall, this second film takes a more sympathetic approach towards the North than did Gone With the Wind. I think it gives a more accurate representation of what life was like at the time and has a much better feel to it all. The film is generally progressive as it takes on the role of making a predominantly white, wealthy female and turning her into the main character of the film all through her enslavement. Band of Angels favors African Americans and the North and gives us a much more clear picture on the morals and opinions surrounding the time.