Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property

Examining the conflicting accounts of Nat Turner's 1831 slave rebellion, Charles Burnett's outstanding documentary (from California Newsreel's "Interpreting African American Histories" collection) contrasts various versions of the story of Nat Turner, from the first written account--The Confessions of Nat Turner by white Virginia lawyer Thomas R. Gray--and other historical records of the time, to William Styron's controversial Pulitzer Prize-winning 1967 novel of the same name that introduced a fictitious relationship between Turner and a white teenage girl. Combining archival footage, stage productions, literary readings, and dramatic recreations, Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property reminds us that contemporary feelings regarding Turner's bloody uprising are just as emotionally charged today as they were a century ago--a realization that forces viewers to reexamine their own views toward issues that are very much still with us: religious fanaticism, terrorism, racial oppression and violent resistance. An outstanding addition to both public and academic library collections, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)