Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble (2000)

Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble is a 2000 American television film starring Jane Seymour and directed by James Keach. It depicts the life of British actress and abolitionist Fanny Kemble, who sees first-hand the horrors of slavery when she marries an American plantation owner. Her published diaries in the form of firsthand accounts are shown to influence the British government's decision to withhold support of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Keith Carradine co-stars as Fanny's husband Pierce Butler, with Keach, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Colin Fox also appearing.

It first aired on the American television network Showtime on April 23, 2000. Enslavement received generally negative reviews; critics focused on the paucity of historical accuracy as well as its lack of subtlety. Composer Charles Bernstein earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special".

Synopsis

Set in the nineteenth-century, the film depicts the real-life story of British actress and abolitionist Fanny Kemble. When Kemble leaves her successful acting career to marry American lawyer and slave owner Pierce Butler, she becomes horrified by the treatment of the enslaved people. Her efforts to improve the lives of her husband's slaves result in their eventual divorce and the loss of access to her two daughters. Fanny later publishes her journals and their first-hand accounts of slavery, helping influence the British government's decision to withhold support of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

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