'Birth Of A Nation' Composer On Scoring Film's Violent Third Act: "You Shouldn't Feel Bloodlust" - The Contenders

Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation is notable for its unflinchingly violent look at slavery in the antebellum American South and the Nat Turner-led slave revolt that inspired the film. However, according to composer Henry Jackman, who provided the film’s score, he and Parker set out deliberately to undermine any visceral thrills audiences might otherwise get from such cinematic violence, aiming instead to provoke reflection. “I saw an early version of this film in which…