Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches

Douglass comes to life, or those words vividly do.

That these speeches are performed by Black men matters. It imbues the words with an extra weight that is not lost on the viewer or those channeling Douglass' words. ... Anchor these speeches to a deeper profundity is Nicole Beharie's delivery of Douglass' 1852 opus "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July?" ... This special that at long last, and appropriately, recognizes Douglass starring role in our nation's story.

Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches” succeeds as an enormously enticing introduction to the life of one of the greatest and most important of all Americans, and it leaves us wanting so much more, namely several full-length films about Douglass and other Black abolitionists.

Various cast members bring Douglass’ crackling, soaring, thoughtful, provocative, brutally honest words to life. Director Marchesi also does an expert job of weaving in interviews with historians such as Blight, Keidrick Roy and Henry Louis Gates Jr., who contribute invaluable scene-setting context.