Online Custom «Last Supper» Essay Sample

The film, Last Supper 1976, tells of the tale of a pious plantation landowner during Cuba’s Spanish era. The story depicts historical activities of a sugarcane farm in Cuba, nearly the end of the eighteenth century. The most captivating presentation of the film is the relationship and interaction involving the master and the slaves. Count, the master, invites the slaves to dine with him on the eve of the Good Friday. In that episode, the supporting actress, Count’s wife, is used symbolically to depict the different approaches taken on slavery. The particular incident, where Count removes a wig from his wife, signifies numerous implications. Through brutality, force and religion, the film exposes the various angles taken on slavery. The key element that evolves from this episode is the hierarchy of slavery rule. Count is the overall leader and he wants to be obeyed, praised and worshipped. He removes a wig from his wife in an attempt to command power from the slaves.

It depicts insincerity and disposition towards kindness and compassion. The episode is based around the biblical tale of the Last Supper. Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples dined together before his crucifixion. The film lays foundation work and foreshadow for a slave revolt. Count provides food and wine to the 12 slaves, whom he invites on that day of the eve of the Good Friday. He tells a story arguing that there is no meaning of happiness in life and therefore life is always sorrowful. He tells them that slavery should be embraced not despised. Count uses the biblical scenery to commit his hypocrisy intentions. His intentions is to show the slaves that he is the lord and his opinion, commands, rule should be obeyed at all costs. These intentions are demonstrated his actions through removing a wig from his wife. He defines his position of authority as the top leader, dictator and ruthless. Count cares for his wife, who is white, but hates the slaves because of their color.

Slavery evolved by the end of seventeenth century into a complex system of labor, commerce, and society. Use of slavery resulted to microcosms colonies of these societies (Swanson, 2003). The availability of black, harmless people from Africa contributed to the development of these colonies. Count owns his legitimate colony and he has the right to rule it. This is shown in the film, where he is removing a wig from his wife, symbolizing his power. For instance, he promises the slaves that they don’t have to work on Good Friday. Also, he grants an older slave his independence. However, he does all this due to the intoxication of each sip of wine he takes. His intention is not to help the slaves, but to show his power to rule. This represents the theme of pretense and good natured disposition.

Count is so desperate to perform good things to his slaves. However, he fails his attempt by showing the slaves what life is meant to be and promising thing that he cannot fulfill. He creates a slave revolt by undermining the overseer and hypocritically not fulfilling his promises to the slaves. Resistance to slavery oppression and discrimination was common and took varied forms (Knight, n.d). The slaves rebelled violently in various ways. For instance, In Haiti, black slavery struck fear into hearts of white elites while they demonstrated against oppression. The film shows the black slaves forming a strong revolt to resist a similar oppression and discrimination of Count Dictatorship.

The film depicts numerous precise descriptions of the use of religion through slavery. In addition, the use of brutal force upon the slaves is an indication of the extent of the powers administered. Slaves were tortured, discriminated, raped and murdered (Swanson, 2003). They were awfully treated by being subjected to extreme tasks. The Last Supper, 1976, does this tremendously well through its representation of the slavery run sugarcane plantation and Spanish land owner. For example, the slavery revolt results to the death of nearly all the slaves who were resisting. By representing the subjects of mistreatment through religion, the film creates a vivid historical portrayal of how slavery was conducted. Hence, the episode where Count removes a wig from his wife symbolizes numerous implications in the film: oppression, hypocrisy, torture and murder as well as the hierarchy of governance.