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Film highlights amazing life journey of Robert Smalls

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Former slave Robert Smalls eventually became a congressman. A documentary on his life will be screened downtown on Saturday afternoon.

"My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."

Robert Smalls, in 1895.

It was an extraordinary turn of events.

A former slave, Robert Smalls (1839-1915) was elected to the first of his five terms in the U.S. Congress in 1875. While in office he served his constituents ably, campaigning for equal opportunity in business, politics and education. But well before his congressional contributions he was, to many, already a national hero, having freed himself and his family from slavery on May 13, 1862, when he commandeered a Confederate transport ship, The Planter.

Smalls, the quartermaster (or wheelman) of the ship, disguised himself as the captain, sailed her out of Charleston Harbor and presented the steamer to the Union navy blockading the harbor mouth. With its shallow draft and capacity to carry as many as 1,000 troops, the Planter was a considerable prize. It also bore a 24-pound howitzer, a 32-pound pivot gun, a 7-inch rifle and 4 smooth-bore cannon.

Smalls was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant, Company B, 33rd Regiment, United States Colored Troops, and later detailed as pilot to the Planter. In November of 1863, he would become its captain. His military career culminated in his promotion to the rank of major general in the South Carolina militia.

Born in Beaufort, Smalls was a businessman before serving in the South Carolina state Legislature, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives. He crafted legislation that created the first public school system in America in South Carolina, founded the state's Republican Party and convinced President Abraham Lincoln to accept black soldiers into the Union army.

Celebrating a life well lived is "Congressman Robert Smalls: A Patriot's Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill," a documentary from DoubleBack Productions, a Washington, D.C.-based production company that will be screened Saturday at 2 p.m. at the American Theater, downtown.

Presented by the African-American Historical Alliance of South Carolina, the film will be followed by a discussion.

"Smalls' story is still relevant today as African-Americans seek to maintain a voice in the American political system," says executive producer and writer Adrena Ifill. "Smalls made a great impact on American democracy by pushing our country to live up to its ideals of freedom and justice for all citizens. Today's African-American congressmen and senators are the embodiment of his legacy."

Previously broadcast on SCETV, and a prize winner at several film festivals, the documentary is narrated by actor Sean Patrick Thomas ("The District," "Save the Last Dance"), and focuses on the legacy of Smalls' leadership, which continued long after his resignation from office in 1887.

For more information about the documentary, including DVD availability, go online at www.doublebackproductions.com.

Parents also may wish to be aware of the newly released children's book, "Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story," by Janet Halfman (Lee & Low Books).

Freedom Bound

Spoleto Festival USA and the Charleston County Public Library have assembled the Freedom Bound Film Series, to be held in conjunction with the festival's production of the opera "Amistad," which examines the institution of slavery and the Af-rican-American experience. On an interesting note, the tall ship Amistad arrives in Charleston Harbor today for this weekend's maritime events.

The Freedom Bound Film Series will be shown for free May 25-June 4 at the library's main branch downtown.

Scheduled screenings include "Families from Across the Sea" (May 25, 2:30 p.m.), a dissection of the cultural connection between the Gullah people of the South Carolina sea islands and their ancestors from Sierra Leone, Africa; "Amazing Grace" (May 28, 6:30 p.m.), Michael Apted's stirring chronicle of the anti-slave trade campaign waged by 19th-century British nobleman William Wilberforce; "Unchained Memories: Readings From the Slave Narratives" (June 1, 2:30 p.m.), presenting dramatic readings from the Slave Narrative Collection amplified by archival images, music and film.

The series concludes with a reprise screening of the aforementioned "Robert Smalls: A Patriot's Journey from Slavery to Capital Hill," on June 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Bits and pieces

"Death Note," a live-action Japanese feature screening for two nights at 300 national theaters, will be shown Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Charles Towne Square 18 and the Azalea Square Stadium 16. Based on the Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba, it also will contain a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production and an in-depth interview with director Shusuke Kaneko. ... Don't expect the new movie incarnation of the classic Jules Verne novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth" to have the same brio as the 1959 version starring James Mason. That one worked equally well for kids and adults, and is still fun to watch. One suspects the 2008 flick featuring Brendan Fraser, a fine actor when he wants to be, will be a wit-free exercise in broad humor and overwrought special effects. Sigh. ... Ben Stiller writes, directs and stars in "Tropic Thunder" (Aug. 15), co-starring Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte. It's an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive Vietnam War film ever conceived, only to encounter some actual bad guys while shooting (way over budget) in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

The hope is that Stiller, who once was a promising writer, will be influenced by his co-scribe, Ethan Coen.

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