Black in Period Films

The film is currently in post-production and stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sharon Leal as his wife.  William Sadler is also a part of the cast.  A quick summary: Set in 1850, the story centers on a man named Samuel (Gooding), who attempts to free his family from the brutality of institutionalized slavery, intent on escaping from the tobacco plantation they have been forced to call their home for two generations. Heading north towards Canada, via  the  Underground Railroad , they are tracked by a group of ruthless hired slave hunters, who constantly threaten Samuel and his family's survival.   Peter Cousens  was listed as director. The script is written by  Tim Chey . 

Josiah belongs to the Lawshe family. He lives comfortably in a house of his own with his wife Tobe. Tobe is a Native woman from the Creek Nation. I thought this pairing was very interesting and something I haven't seen in any other film. Charles S. Dutton as Josiah Irene Bedard as Tobe He traveled with Georgia's grandfather when he visited the Creek Indians.  My guess is that this is how Josiah and Tobe meet. I can't be sure however because they never say how they meet. I think his wife delivers one of the most powerful lines in the series.  He wants Tobe to rejoin her people so she'll be safe and she says: "If the white man must exile my people, if he must make slaves of your people and if my family despises the darkness of your skin where can we go?" Their relationship is so beautiful. Even without tons of characterization the love between them is clear. Sadly Josiah's story ends ...

This is a mini series based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Janice Woods Windle . It runs at minutes long and is broken into 2 parts. I decided to talk about the series by character. There are four black characters in True Women. All are slaves.  There's Josiah , Tildy , Ed Tom , and Martha .  Overall I think their stories are well told, considering the fact that they aren't main characters.  Besides the 4 main characters that happen to be black. Blacks are seen throughout the entire film.  I would recommend this series especially the parts with the character Georgia (played by Angelina Jolie). I don't want to ruin the plot but suffice it to say the complexities of her life make for a very interesting story.  Here is the trailer:

According to film news Nicole Beharie will be in a new drama called 'The Keeping Room'. It is a period drama set during The Civil War (1861-1865). Miss Beharie will be playing ... you guessed it ... a slave. The plot is as follows: Two white women (Olivia Wilde and Hailee Steinfield) and their slave (Nicole Beharie) defend their home against Union soldiers in the last days of the Civil War. Sounds like a mix of True Women and Cold Mountain to me. Personally ... I DETEST the "Evil Union Soldiers Prey on the Hopeless Southern Women" trope but *shrug* it's obviously something Hollywood will never tire of. Seems like Civil War/Slave films are in style now.

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 ...

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...

Twelve Years a Slave has officially wrapped!!! Here are some pictures I found on the interwebs!!! Do they look beautiful!? I'm rather excited about this film.

I really like how while the main character was a child, the adult characters were still utilized effectively. My favorite adult relationship was between Dr. Shannon and Aunt Polly. Their relationship reminded me of the type that would appear in a classic period drama. We actually meet Dr. Shannon before we meet Aunt Polly. From the way he acts, we can tell that he still has feelings for her. He even mentions the fact that he misses Aunt Polly's smile. This sets us up to know where they are in their relationship. Though others and their own words we learn about their relationship. Five years before the movie takes place, Dr. Shannon and Aunt Polly were a couple. Everything was fine. That is until Dr. Shannon went away to Atlanta. Once settled there he wanted Aunt Polly to come so they could get married. But she refuses she feels responsible for her families businesses. We're not talking about the orphanage. We're talking about me and you. We...

I enjoyed this film very much. The reason I wanted to watch Polly is that its a musical, and anyone that knows me know I love musicals! I can't remember ever watching a musical period film with a majority black cast. I don't have anything bad to say about the film. Everything was in order. Keshia Knight Pulliam  is adorable. The acting from the whole cast is spot on. The musical numbers are brilliant and the costumes are beautiful. As this is a Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad  production, I expected nothing less. Because everything is in such great order I'll be posting specific things I loved about Polly in place of one mega review post. I will however do a quick post of my overall thoughts. Polly is inspired by the novel Pollyanna, there is also a film based on the novel. But as I have neither watched nor read these productions I am judging Polly on its own merits as a film. Pulliam as Polly is amazing....

As I stated in the introductory post , Polly is a musical. A fact that is extremely exciting to me. I can't say I've ever watched a musical period film with a majority black cast. So this is a breath of fresh air.  The movie is set in the 1950's so the music has that feel.  Polly was choreographed by the legendary Debbie Allen, so obviously the dancing is amazing! Polly was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. Here is a list of the musical numbers: By Your Side- Polly Honey Ain't Got Nothin' On You- Polly, Nancy, & Girls Sweet Little Angel Eyes- Jimmy Bean, Polly, George, Nancy, & Children Something More- Aunt Polly Shine A Light- Mayor Warren, Dr. Shannon, & George Rainbow Maker- Polly, Nancy, & Aunt Polly Stand Up- Reverend Gillis, Dr. Shannon, & Congregation Finale- Company I really enjoyed the musical numbers and the dancing. I found myself wanting to dance while ...

The Characters: Sarny Dealey John aka "Nightjohn" Outlaw Oldman                                     Egypt                                     Master Waller Jeff Waller                                         Mistress Waller The Doctor THE REVIEW  *LEAVE NOW TO AVOID THE SPOILERS* THE GOOD : All of the characters are well developed. Sarny and John's back stories are lush with detail. These details are woven into the story without it seeming heavy handed. In the opening we are shown that Sarny's mother is sold away after Sarny turns out to be a girl and not a boy, as wanted by Master Waller. Sarny hardly remembers her moth...