Uncle Tom's Cabin (film Adaptations) - The Evolution of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in Film

The Evolution of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in Film

Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 film production, "Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Slavery Days", was based largely off of the theatrical productions of the same story common during that time. This being said, the movie lived up to many racial stereotypes in wide circulation. Many scenes were included simply to showcase slave dances. While African-American extras made appearances, white actors in blackface played the main slave characters. The film storyline strays widely from the plot of the novel, as exemplified by a scene completely independent of the novel depicting a steamboat race. The film assumes the audience is generally familiar with the plot due to the story’s immense and long running popularity.

Universal Studio’s 1927 release of "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" was a film of epic proportions and in many regards a large step forward for the advancement of Stowe's work. Also, while certain stigmatic similarities remained (such as scenes depicting outlandish slave dances and Topsy’s flamboyant unruliness), this version was much less outmoded in its characterization of slaves.

More so than other earlier adaptations, this film took care to accurately follow the book. Certain lines in the movie are direct quotes from the text. Integral characters that were omitted from previous films were brought to the forefront, such as George Harris. While the overall story remained intact, the writers did take some liberties. For instance, after escaping to freedom, Eliza and Harry are captured by the lawyer Marks and runaway slave tracker Tom Loker and sold down the river as opposed to receiving aid from kindly Quakers. Harry is separated from his mother when purchased by a nameless slave-owner before eventually being reunited with his father. Eliza is sold off to Simon Legree at the same auction as Uncle Tom. This alteration allows for the omission of the entire subplot involving the Harris family’s escape to Canada, weaving the story into one coherent plot. Another twist in the storyline comes at the end when Union soldiers on the march through the south liberate hundreds of slaves along the way, including the residents of Legree’s plantation. The director moved the story forward historically in order to capitalize on the public’s patriotic sympathies.

Socially, this film was more progressive than previous versions. Fewer characters were portrayed in blackface (Topsy is an outstanding exception) and less of an emphasis was put on exotic slave customs. Still, the majority of the screen time is dedicated to the white actors. It is notable that African American actor James B. Lowe played the character Uncle Tom, however it is important to point out that he’s on screen for less than 9 minutes altogether, and ‘speaks’ less than a dozen lines.