Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003)

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property

2003

Documentary

Synopsis

In 1831, Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in the United States that resulted in the murder of local slave owners and their families, the eventual execution of 55 rebels and the retribution lynching of more than 200 innocent slaves. Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property examines how the story of Turner’s revolt has been interpreted throughout history and how it continues to raise new questions about the nature of terrorism and other forms of violent resistance to oppression. The film adopts an innovative structure by interspersing documentary footage and interviews with dramatizations of these different versions of Turner’s story. A unique collaboration between MacArthur Genius Award feature director Charles Burnett, acclaimed historian of slavery Kenneth S. Greenberg and Academy Award-nominated documentary producer Frank Christopher, Nat Turner is a compelling look at one of history’s most mysterious figures.

Credits

Director

Charles Burnett

Cast

Alfre Woodard as Narrator

Carl Lumbly as Nat Turner - Gray

Charles Burnett as Lucinda

Frank Faucette as Jesse

Harry Kollatz Jr. as Benjamin Phipps

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as Self

Herbert Aptheker as Self

Justin Dray as Thomas Gray