The film certainly did a great job of portraying the masculinity that some slaves deeply wanted to regain. As the article mentions, masculinity for any man was taken in the context of what a real man actually is. After analyzing the film and the article by Edward E. Baptist, it is appropriate that both go hand in hand in describing the importance of masculinity. Manliness did not just mean being a man, but for them it meant the ability to feel in control of one's life and to have one's rights respected. Overall, masculinity played an important role in the slaves gaining freedom and the producers of the film successfully portrayed this aspect in the slaves.’