Black in Period Films

One chapter in history that I'd like to see more of in film is that of the contraband camps of the American Civil War. Below is a brief history lesson on "contraband" and the camps they lived in. The effects of the proclamaition – freed Negroes coming into our lines at  Newbern, North Carolina.' Harper's Weekly, Feb. 21, 1863. "Contraband was a term commonly used in the United States military during the American Civil War to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who affiliated with Union forces. The Army (and the United States Congress) determined that the US would not return escaped slaves who went to Union lines and classified them as contraband. They used many as laborers to support Union efforts and soon began to pay them wages. The former slaves set up camps near Union forces, and the Army helped support and educate both adults and children among the refugees. Thousands of men from these camps enlisted in the United States ...

FOX has a script order out for a drama series based on the book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class. The series will be "a multi-generational family drama uncovering the lives of America’s black upper class by chronicling a dazzling Chicago dynasty with a dark secret threatening to rip it apart." ( source ) Book Blurb "Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group. Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first million...

Today (September the 3rd) is the anniversary of Frederick Douglass' 1838 escape to freedom. On September 3, 1838 Douglass escaped bondage with the help of free woman, Anna Murray (his wife-to-be). According to IMDB there have been 43 portrayals of Douglass in film and in series. In honor of the abolitionist and orator's escape we will highlight a few of these film and series portrayals.  Glory (1989)  Played by Raymond St. Jacques Copper (2013) Episode: Aileen Aroon  Played by Eamonn Walker American Experience (2013) Part 1, 2, and 3  Played by Richard Brooks / Anthony Michael Hobbs (as Young Frederick Douglass) / Leiv Clegg (as Teenaged Frederick Douglass) Drunk History (2010)  Vol. 5: Featuring Will Ferrell  Played by Don Cheadle (as Fredrick Douglass) North and South (1985) Book I - (6 episodes) Played by Robert Guillaume Underground (2017)  Episode: Whiteface ...

Two African American sisters grow up in racially charged 1960s Georgia, but one is born with fair skin. And when schools integrate in their small town, she decides to change her destiny - by passing for white. Across The Tracks Official Trailer from Mike Cooke on Vimeo . The story begins with the sisters older and living very separate lives. The death of their mother brings them together again in the small town of their youth. As they lay their mother to rest, the past rises up to meet them and we witness the moment that tore their family apart. This short film tackles issues of identity, colorism, peer pressure and bullying and explores the damage that one momentary lapse in judgment can have on an entire life. Cast Brynn Crosby as Young Tara Berkeley Clayborne as Young Ella Thursday Farrar as TaraCarla McCullough as Ella E. Roger Mitchell as Daddy Nicky Buggs as Mama Don Battee as Walter Lee This short film was honored at The African Movie Academy Awards in 201...

Tim Story (The Story Company) and Mark Holder and Christine Holder (Zero Gravity Management) are developing a film a Stephanie St. Clair At HBO Films. The film will be scripted by Nicole Asher, the writer behind Octavia Spencer's Madame CJ Walker series. The HBO film will be based on the book  The World of Stephanie St. Clair: An Entrepreneur, Race Woman and Outlaw in the Early Twentieth Century Harlem  by Shirley Stewart. Stephanie St. Clair known as “Madame Queenie” or just “Queenie” , was a 1920s African American numbers runner. Clair fought and won the fight against the Mafia to remain an independent bushiness. Clair led an eventful life that is perfect for film or a miniseries. I suggest reading up on her, because there are too many things to mention here. Suffice it to say Nicole Asher has a lot of material to draw from. The film could show her young life as a 15 year old maid in Martinique. Her as a 23 year old immigrating from Marseille to the United States ...

We previously posted about this limited series featuring Octavia Spencer  here and here on our tumblr page. Now that we are getting even more information I think it is the perfect time to post something about this exciting project here. Picture Source According to Variety the series is going to be picked up by Netflix; as they showed interest in it. The series is based on the book “On Her Own Ground” which was written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles. Bundles is also serving as a consultant on the series, which is very encouraging. With James’ production company (SpringHill Entertainment) producing it things are looking good for this series. Netflix hasn't made a comment, but I'll update if they do. I must say that I LOVE the casting of Spencer as Walker, and can't wait to see her in the amazing outfits.

The classic 1997 film Eve's Bayou is now available on Amazon Prime. Synopsis : Over the course of a long, hot Louisiana summer, a 10-year-old black girl, Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), discovers that her family's affluent existence is merely a facade. The philandering of her suave doctor father, Louis (Samuel L. Jackson), creates a rift, throwing Eve's mother, Roz (Lynn Whitfield), and teenage sister, Cisely (Meagan Good), into emotional turmoil. Eve manages to find some solace with her aunt, Mozelle (Debbi Morgan). Written and Directed by Kasi Lemmons. I've included the trailer down below for those of you that haven't see Eve's Bayou yet.