Black in Period Films

First still of Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten from Misbehaviour. Hosten as we discussed in a previous post , was the first black woman to win Ms World title.  A side-by-side comparison of Gugu and Jennifer for research purposes. They have not only done a spot on job with casting, but also with getting the hair, makeup, and costume accurate . Filming for the comedy drama based on the true story of the disruption of the 1970 Miss World contest by the Women’s Liberation Movement has wrapped.

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. today with @Ava DuVernay's Selma (2014). #Selma #MLKDAY 📷: @ScripttoScreen_ “Who murdered Jimmie Lee Jackson?” pic.twitter.com/tvmgHeN7VB — AvaDuVernay Fans (@avaduvernayfans) January 21, 2019 Also, check out our post from last year which does an overview of the various times Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been portrayed on screen!

As a child I regularly watched syndicated television shows in historical settings like Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman with my mother. I remembered that some of the episodes featured black characters and dealt with race. I thought it'd be fun to rewatch these episodes and give my thoughts here. The first episode I dug up was the season 5 episode 30 of Bonanza, titled "Enter Thomas Bowers" which aired April 26, 1964. The episode starts with three women discussing a benefit concert for the local Native American tribe. One of the women proudly states that she has gotten the internationally famous singer Thomas Bowers to perform and that he is coming in on the next stagecoach. Only when Thomas Bowers (William Marshall) arrives, he's not exactly who she thought he'd be. Once she realizes that the singer is a black man the entire atmosphere changes.  I have to stop here is point out the irony of them not wanting a blac

Liesl Tommy has been chosen by MGM to direct Respect, the feature film about music icon Aretha Franklin. Oscar winning Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson was handpicked by Franklin herself to play her in the role. The film will follow Franklin’s coming of age to icon status, from singing as a child in her father’s church’s choir to becoming an iconic superstar and civil rights activist. Liesl Tommy is best known for her award winning theater direction and is the first black woman to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play. Some of her work includes a 2012 production of Hamlet at California Shakespeare Theatre and Les Misérables. She will be directing Born A Crime, based on Trevor Noah’s autobiography, starring Lupita Nyong’o as his mother Patricia Noah.  Oscar-winning Thelma & Louise and Nashville creator Callie Khouri is writing. On her involvement with the project Tommy said: “The story of Aretha Franklin’s journey from child prodigy in Detroit

Here is a  list of 2019 Golden Globe Winners for Blacks in Period Films fans: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” “The Favourite” “Green Book” “Mary Poppins Returns” “Vice”  Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture Amy Adams (“Vice”) Claire Foy (“First Man”) Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) Emma Stone (“The Favourite”) Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)  Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”) Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”) Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”) Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) Sam Rockwell (“Vice”) Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”) Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”) Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) Adam McKay (“Vice”) Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”) 

You can now view the critically acclaimed hit If Beale Street Could Talk in even more cities! This beautiful infographic is from the official Barry Jenkins  Twitter.