Black in Period Films

I recently re-watched the Color Purple and I appreciate it much more as an adult than I did as a teen. Even as a teen I knew the movie was a beautiful piece of art. But now as an adult with much more life under my belt I can understand and articulate why the film is so beautiful to me.  Upon my re-watch I noticed a major theme that I had not before. The theme of hope is present throughout the entire film. No matter what Celie is going through the surroundings are still bright. Besides complementing the beautiful brown skin of the cast the coloring also serves as a sign of hope. The message is simple yet uplifting. In this world we experience pain, suffering, and lose but we must not give up on ourselves or others.  At the end of the film I realized that everything Celie lost she gained back by the end of the film. She lost her children but gained them both back. She lost her sister for a while but in time she gained her beloved companion back. Finally she lost her...

I went into Underground nervous about what kind of show it would be. There are so many ways a story like this can go bad; even with the best of intentions. A few minutes into Underground and I was speechless. Everything including the acting, writing, music, and costumes came together seamlessly.  From the start Underground lived up to being called an action thriller. When the people behind the series described it as an action thriller I was instantly intrigued. There are so many different ways to tell stories that involve enslaved Black Americans and action thriller is one that I haven’t seen in a while (or ever?) as most are promoted as dramas. Most are promoted as dramas because of the heaviness that comes with enslavement. Many of these films were made to show the cruelness of slavery, instead of the diversity that came with the situation. While I am fine with dramas about slavery, I know there are other ways to tell the stories of enslaved persons. Because this show dec...