Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

This program goes through the history of slavery with an open and honest account of how brutal and heinous slavery was. The celebrities who read the slave narratives, some how transform themselves to the viewer. Almost like the former slaves are coming to life through them. The photos of the slaves and unbelievable slave quarters are heart breaking. I tried to look for smiles in the faces of the slaves and i found none. From old men and women to children, it was truly a depressing time. Who would smile in the face of such horror? You don't have to hear the readings of the narratives to understand what they were going through just look at their faces and that truly tells the story. The film is great and very informative. I highly recommend it.

Excellent watch...... Not sure how anyone could have a close minded outlook on such a powerful documentary. This was a very informative piece and breaking it down into such simple terms just negates the whole purpose of the interviews. You get a first hand account of slave life, it will not be pretty at all though there were some times of joy in their lives. Recommended if a firsthand, true account of slavery as it truly was would interest you. The celebrity list is extensive, full of prominent black actors/actresses reading excerpts of the interviews conducted so many years ago. The rawness of the production along with the photo's of actual slaves being shown whilst the narrator speaks is one of the more appealing aspects of the production.

I really enjoyed watching this documentary. More than anything, the readers were phenomenal. The readers brought those ex-slaves' voices to life. I must make it a point to see the readers' future projects :)

This documentary allowed me to truly feel the horrors of slavery: people being stripped of their identity, heritage, dignity, and self-respect. Watching this documentary didn't make me angry or hateful, although the descriptions of the violence were hard to swallow (hey, it happened. No need to deny that the US slavery was violent and emotionally damaging to the slaves and some of their descendants).

This documentary is not for the faint-hearted. Read a slave narrative if you want to know about slavery from the perspective of someone who was a slave. Reading about graphic violence may be better for some than hearing it in a documentary.

I went to the trouble of registering at this site just so I could disagree with the previous reviewer. I think this is a fantastic document. If it causes people to look with sorrow and anger at the immoral behavior of slaveholders, well - it should.

I also disagree vehemently with people who say: "this should be seen especially by African-Americans." I think it should be seen especially by white Americans because the slave experience, now that all the eye-witnesses are long dead, is in danger of being forgotten. I am a Jew and feel fearful about the death of the last Holocaust survivors. Already there are people saying it never happened. So, too, with the horrors of slavery. But within this DVD are the voices, real and vital, of the witnesses. The WPA book series (which is available free to read on the Library of Congress site) is a priceless part of our history. Yes, I shudder with grief and rage at the behavior of the whites who participated in, condoned, or simply tolerated the treatment of blacks under slavery.

The readings are beautifully done. The actors are great and very involved in the project. The editing is exceptionally good. The music, primarily by the McIntosh County Shouters, is also great. The period photography is used to perfect effect - we can look right into those eyes and imagine what they saw. Editing is unobtrusive, that is to say that we hear the voices of the slaves undimmed by egotists on the modern end.

Various wonderful actors, from Samuel Jackson to Ruby Dee read the actual transcripts of former slaves' memories of their experiences, as recorded by the Library of Congress in the 1930s.

Certainly hearing people's own experiences in their own words bring the surreal horrors of slavery to life in a way that no dramatization can.

My only complaint, as with several other HBO documentaries, is that at 75 minutes this actually feels a little too short, a little raced through. I would have preferred to hear more of these people's journeys. As it is, sometime the emotion is just building when we switch to another reader and another story.

Also, inter-cutting somewhat forced feeling 'backstage banter' as the actors prepare for, or finish their readings feels a bit distracting from the more powerful simple, straightforward readings. But these are minor flaws in an affecting, effective documentary and educational tool.