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.
Patina Miller is playing Charlotte Jenkins an abolitionist.
From the PBS website: Charlotte Jenkins is a smart, capable, feisty former slave-turned-activist who comes to Alexandria to help the growing population of refugees newly escaped from bondage (also called “contrabands”) in making the transition to freedom. She soon finds out that they need far more than education. Most contrabands have little more than the rags on their backs and few prospects for employment. The Union Army, tasked with their welfare, does little more than provide basic rations, and those are sporadic at best. (A little-known part of Civil War history, contraband camps existed in a sort of refugee netherworld between free and enslaved, with nowhere to go, no food and no money. Many died of disease due to overcrowding and starvation before ever learning what true freedom meant.) As soon as Charlotte arrives in Alexandria, she sees the magnitude of the crisis, recognizing the onset of a smallpox epidemic in one of the contraband camps. She comes to Mansion House Hospital seeking assistance and support, only to be met with prejudice and a cold shoulder from the administration. Undeterred, Charlotte turns to Mary Phinney and Samuel Diggs (McKinley Belcher, III) for help. Together they embark on a mission to contain the epidemic. Her alliance with Samuel Diggs sparks a friendship that holds potential for something deeper.
Patina looks great as Charlotte Jenkins and the prospect of seeing how the series handles the contraband camps is exciting!
I've finished watching the last part of this mini series. This has no pictures as it is rather long. I'll post the pictures in a separate post. Here's what I thought about it. Rose Angela has keep her father's presence a secret from her mother. She continues to go to work gradually she develops feelings for Stanhope. Stanhope also hints at feelings when he tells her that she is very beautiful and could easily model in France. Unbeknownst to Rose her Uncle has been following her. Having seen her with Hassan he believes that she is sexually involved with Hassan. With this information he goes to Bridget. Bridgett gets upset so much so that Rose ends up leaving the house. This was a very shocking turn in the story to me. Bridget herself crossed racial boundaries when she married James. This hate she has for "Arabs" is so strong that she'll go against her daughter for associating with them. Leaving the house Rose dedicates most of her ...
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...
Detailed SPOILERS below... beware!! This mini-series is a part of The Catherine Cookson Anthology. I really enjoyed part one of this mini-series. Everything about the costumes and locale was perfectly period. I was never once reminded that I was watching a movie. It felt real. Every moment of it. While there are only 2 Black characters in this miniseries they are very important characters. They turn the McQueens family upside down. While the majority of the cast is not of the African Diaspora, there are major characters that are. So here we go! The movie starts in 1915. It is set in industrial Tyneside during World War I. From the very beginning the tone is set. The costumes and music match the period right on. We meet the McQueens. They receive a letter from Bridgett saying that she has married a sailor named Mr. Patterson. Little do they know Mr. Patterson is African. Her family isn't happy but she stands by her man. When her broth...
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