The purpose of this blog is to highlight the presence of the people of the African Diaspora in period costume dramas. It is also to provide a historical context to the films featured.
Today, we have unfortunately learned that celebrity hairstylist Charles Gregory Ross has passed away of Coronavirus. Hollywood heavy hitters like Tyler Perry, Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay and Lee Daniels wrote heartfelt messages to their friend and colleague.
Charles Gregory Ross showed his amazing artistry on numerous films. So often the people behind the screen don't get the praise they deserve. They work that Ross did was crucial to the viewing experience. This is especially true for period films which Ross worked on often. I included trailers for the films and series that I could find so that you could see his art in motion.
A Timeline of Ross' Period Film Work
Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
Laurence Fishburne as Caleb Humphries and Alfre Woodard as Eunice Evers, R.N.
Mama Flora's Family (1998)
Passing Glory (1999)
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)
Mykelti Williamson and Lonette McKee as Papa Delany and Mama Delany
Remember the Titans (2000)
Denzel Washington and Nicole Ari Parker as Coach Herman Boone and Carol Boone
Boycott (2001)
Jeffrey Wright and Carmen Ejogo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
Lackawanna Blues (2005)
S. Epatha Merkerson as Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby and Marcus Carl Franklin as Ruben Santiago Jr.
Idlewild (2006)
Paula Patton as Angel Davenport
Pride (2007)
Black Dynamite (2009)
Michael Jai White and Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Black Dynamite and Gloria
The Trip to Bountiful (2014)
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Charles Gregory Ross.
Water White is based on the 2011 children’s book which was co-authored by Michael Bandy and Eric Stein. The film is based on a childhood experience of author Bandy and tells the story of a boy in 1963 Alabama who is obsessed with drinking water from the “Whites Only” fountain. I was drawn to this movie premise because my grandfather told me about his experience as a child in 1950’s Georgia wanting to drink from the white fountain. Like Michael, my grandfather found that the water wasn’t all he thought it would be. The narrative style and tone of the film fit perfectly as it is from the point of view of a 7 year old little boy. Watching the shenanigans that Michael and his older cousin Red get into was hilarious. Amir and Amari O'Neil were perfectly cast as Michael. Although twins they played the character in the same way. I was not even aware that Michael was being played by twins until I looked up the trailer to write this review. I was also impressed by the actin...
A family clash over an heirloom piano explodes. The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Washington co-wrote the screenplay with Virgil Williams and is an adaptation of the 1987 Pulitzer-prize winning August Wilson play. The battle between brother (John David Washington) and sister (Danielle Deadwyler) — one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up — unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy. Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean, Danielle Deadwyler, and Corey Hawkins. The film will be in select theaters November and on Netflix November 22.
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ lovers the world over were excited when news of a new adaptation of the 1844 novel was reported. As a big fan of the 2002 adaptation, I was included in this group. I have always found the Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet tale of revenge to be exciting, passionate, and full of intrigue. However, I must admit that I have not read the book and so my love of the story is based strictly on what some book fans consider to be a less than stellar retelling of the original novel. Perhaps this Bille August directed series will be just what some book readers are looking for. I’m often on the “book reader who isn’t completely happy with the adaptation” side of things, so I really hope this retelling makes them happy. It’s going to be an eight-part series, which bodes well since the book is 1,000+ pages. Novels of that size are usually better told in series form. Sam Claflin (Enola Holmes and Daisy Jones and The Six) will play the lead Edmond Dantes. Poster for ...
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