For decades, no one knew that the Campbells, a prominent 19th century couple, held an enslaved woman named Eliza Rone in their St. Louis mansion. This dark secret was only recently uncovered by researchers at the Campbell House Museum.
Now, there is a short historical film that imagines a pivotal moment in Eliza’s life.
“I had passed by the Campbell House many times while driving and I just thought, ‘That place is suspended in time,’” said co-writer and co-director Delisa Richardson. “When I heard the story of Eliza, I was very intrigued.”
The film’s co-writers used historical documents like letters and local newspaper columns to weave historically accurate details into their depiction of the Campbell family in the mid-1800s. Co-director and co-writer Dan Steadman said imagination and creativity were key to creating the film’s characters.
“For example, in the carriage house, we've got Eliza stuck in this confrontation between her owner and her husband,” he said. “It's always interesting as a storyteller to create these tensions where somebody's caught in the middle of two opposing sides.”
The narrative film was shot in the original Campbell House, a rare opportunity for filmmakers, Richardson said.
“It was a very humbling experience and [it was] conflicting at times, because the home itself is beautiful. Then you go and see where the servants, and Eliza as the enslaved [person], were, and where she would not have been allowed in the home,” Richardson said.
The film has been shown in Spain and Canada, and makes its U.S. debut at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase on July 30.
Related Event
What: “Eliza” premieres at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase
When: 4 p.m. July 30
Where: Hi-Pointe Main Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117
For the full conversation with co-writers and co-directors Dan Steadman and Delisa Richardson about their historical film, “Eliza,” and to learn about their use of historical records to craft the characters, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
