Academics

'Free State Of Jones' Plot, Review: UVA Professor Says Failed To Meet Standar For Updated Slave Narrative

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The University of Virgina associate professor, Lisa Woolfork, was interviewed about her recent review of film "Free State Of Jones." 

A UVA professor, Woolfork, reviewed the movie, which is now published on CNN.com in her article, "What 'The Free State of Jones' Says About Whiteness." Woolfork was asked about the criticism of the recently released film, and what was her opinion, she said the film failed to meet her standards for an updated slave narrative. One of the reasons could be, the movie concentrated more on black protagonists, according to UVA Today.

The story of "Free State of Jones" is set in Civil War and it is based on the history of Jones Country, Mississippi, The movie version's plot is fiction, however, it follows the history of Jones County, Matthew McConaughey portrayed the role of lead character Newton Knight, a white Mississippi farmer who opposed to slavery, and soon became a leader of a rebellion against the Confederacy.

The budget of the film is  $50 million and it was released on  June 16, 2016, in Argentina. Currently, Rotten Tomatoes scored the movie 44%, then iMBD scored it 6.7/10, and Metracritic 53%. As of the moment, the gross in the box office is $12.2 million. 

In related to his film, the Oscar-winning actor will return along "Hunger Games" and "Free State Of Jones" director Gary Ross, to his alma mater the University of Texas, to teach film class. On June 30, UT-Austin's Moody College of Communications, Lauren Phillips, told My San Antonio that students who will attend his class will get behind the scene of his recent movie through recorded videos, so they will get in-depth look at film making process. The actor is scheduled to show-up at least once for his college gig.

McConaughey graduated Bachelor's degree in radio-television-film from UT-Austin in 1993.

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