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letterboxd · 4 years

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The Pantomimes of Racism.

Aaron Yap surveys the cinema landscape of slavery narratives, from The Birth of a Nation to Roots to Sankofa to Us, as he talks to writer-director duo Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz about their new addition to the catalog, Antebellum.

“It was important to us that we not serve as co-conspirators to further erasure of American history and not white-wash the past.” —Gerard Bush

Given its deep-seated psychic baggage as America’s original sin, slavery remains among the most contentious of subject matters to be portrayed in film. Widely embraced depictions are rare, while the notoriety of those tactless, or simply racist, offenders generally looms large in conversation.

Lest we forget, cinema itself was birthed in a vat of virulent racism. A monumental accomplishment like DW Griffith’s groundbreaking The Birth of a Nation (1915) was also a monument to the Ku Klux Klan. Likewise, Victor Fleming’s highly regarded Civil War-era romance Gone with the Wind (1939) presents the viewer with a problematic dichotomy: it’s an extraordinary feat of filmmaking, deeply—even perversely—intoxicating, but all its extravagant, impassioned melodrama cannot wash away the odious stain of its Black caricatures and pro-Confederacy cheerleading.

At the extreme end of this spectrum lurks the stomach-churning shockumentary tactics of Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi’s Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971). So deliberately pornographic in its attempts to upset and shock under the guise of educational, telling-it-like-it-is accuracy, this mondo opus might be the least easily recommendable movie ever—a film that once prompted Pauline Kael to deem it “the most specific and rabid incitement to race war.”

When citing respectable dramatizations of slavery, the Emmy-winning miniseries adaptation of Alex Haley’s sprawling bestseller Roots (1977) is still considered a benchmark. Without sacrificing the horrific authenticity of the experience, it was captivating, commercial television, but most crucially, a long-overdue corrective, centering African-Americans in a screen telling of their history. Also notable, both for its Black-centered storytelling and the ultra-independence of its 1983 release, is the little-seen Sankofa by Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima—a member of the LA Rebellion (and father of Merawi Gerima, whose debut Residue has just landed on Netflix). Sankofa transports a contemporary African-American fashion model back in time to a slave plantation; it’s both a reckoning and an awakening, in honor of the “stolen spirits of Africa”.

Yet “white savior” narratives are prevalent to this day, whether it’s the well-meaning, virtuous legal theater of Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) or the blaxploitation-tinged revisionist fantasia of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012). Even Steve McQueen’s much-lauded adaptation of abolitionist Solomon Northup’s memoir 12 Years a Slave (2013) isn’t completely untethered from the assistance of a white hand.

Perhaps something thornier like Richard Fleischer’s Mandingo (1975), frequently written off as a lurid, trashy potboiler imagining of the slave trade, deserves more than a cursory look for the way it removes clearly delineated archetypes of heroes and villains, and cathartic beats of obstacle and triumph, from the slave narrative. It exposes the poisoned capitalist pathology that produces the system—observing how souls, constantly besieged by hubris, greed and frail egos, self-implode as the unchecked power that comes with the commodification of human bodies grows.

Kiersey Clemons and Janelle Monáe in ‘Antebellum’.

Now available digitally after its theatrical release was abandoned due to Covid, Gerard Bush and Christopher Rez’s Antebellum contributes another complicated, fascinating wrinkle to the nuances of slavery cinema. The film arrives at a particularly volatile time, with additional resonance provided by the on-going, extremely topical plight of inequity faced by Black Americans.

Employing the malleable, high-concept language of genre to connect the sins of the past with the present—imagine something in the vicinity of Blumhouse doing Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred, or rebooting Sankofa for that matter—Antebellum is of a piece with the gathering momentum behind the popularity of recent Black-centered genre fare, from Jordan Peele’s horror outings Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) to recent HBO shows like Watchmen and Lovecraft Country. The temporal tricksiness of the film’s narrative structure means spoiler-free synopsizing is a fool’s errand, but “it’s not a traditional horror”, Renz says, proffering “a thriller with horror elements” to describe it.

What is clear from the get-go is that something’s a little off, and the film potentially has one foot in The Twilight Zone. Opening with a quote from William Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun (“The past is never dead. It’s not even past”), Bush and Renz, who shared writing and directing duties, waste no time thrusting us—via a visually stunning five-minute one-take tracking shot—onto an impossibly beautiful Louisiana plantation where we’re introduced to Eden, the first of two roles played by Janelle Monáe, a slave whose plans to escape are brutally thwarted by Confederate officers.

The filmmakers maintained vigilance in their recreation of trauma and the slave experience. “It was important to us that we not serve as co-conspirators to further erasure of American history and not white-wash the past,” says Bush. “But it was always of equal importance that we not engage in gratuitous violence. It was all for a meaning and purpose. So much of it is off-screen—we don’t have any physical whipping or anyone at the whipping post or any of that. This is to inform and educate and move the story forward. It’s not meant to serve as some sort of entertainment for violence sake.”

Gabourey Sidibe, Janelle Monáe and Lily Cowles in ‘Antebellum’.

Similarly, Bush says they were deliberate in their approach to using racial epithets of its time. The N-word is conspicuously absent for a film set in the Antebellum South. “It gives the audience an off-ramp to say, ‘That’s not language I would use so that’s not me, so I don’t have to engage in this and I don’t have to confront it’. These are the pantomimes of racism. The N-word and those words—they’re meant to dehumanize but just because you’re not hearing the word in the public square anymore—because it is no longer socially appropriate—doesn’t mean that all of the brutality and inequity that the word, the avatar, represented doesn’t exist anymore. It was important to us that we use the same language as Gone with the Wind in a way that they would refer to the enslaved people as the inferiors.”

In a purposefully disorienting plot shift, Antebellum moves off plantation grounds in its second act to establish Monáe’s second role, Veronica, a successful present-day academic promoting her new book Shedding the Coping Persona. Although the physical subjugation and barbarity of the past have disappeared, insidious micro-aggressions and hints remain, including the sinister presence of Jena Malone’s Southern antagonist Elizabeth, who also appears in both timelines.

For this portion, the film allows Veronica, who’s assertive, confident, free—the seeming mirror opposite of Eden—to live powerfully in her moment. Often accompanied by her bestie Dawn (a rambunctious, scene-stealing Gabourey Sidibe), these scenes foreground intersectionality, reflecting Bush and Renz’s desire to show Black women in a way that was familiar to them. “We’re surrounded by extraordinary Black women we see doing extraordinary things all the time.” Bush says. “We just don’t see it depicted on screen and we were determined that we had our opportunity, we were going to do that.”

Christopher Renz and Gerard Bush on the set of ‘Antebellum’.

Stylish, visually stunning and effectively pointed, Antebellum marks a natural career progression for Bush and Renz, who began in advertising before moving into social advocacy work. “For Christopher and [me], that competitive side from advertising is what lent itself so beautifully to our waking up one day and saying we didn’t want to sell champagne for the rest of our lives, but that we needed to tell stories that mattered, especially after Trayvon was murdered.”

“Once we decided to make movies it was because we didn’t see anything in the marketplace that looked like us. I don’t think that with the finite amount of time that we have in our lives, from when we’re born to when we transition and exit out of this place, that you want to waste it committing your life to something you don’t think you can be the best at that—that you can make meaningful contribution.”

Related content

Adam Davie’s Black Life in Film list

Letterboxd member Anjelica Jade’s review of Antebellum for Vulture

Haile Gerima’s 2019 TIFF Talk about Sankofa and independent filmmaking

Cece’s list of lighthearted movies with Black characters in them because we deserve movies that aren’t about slavery, racism, police brutality and the like

Follow Aaron on Letterboxd

#antebellum #janelle monae #christopher renz #gerard bush #bush and renz #sankofa #haile gerima #get out #jordan peele #letterboxd

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grgedoors02142 · 7 years

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Trump To FBI Director Comey: 'You're Fired!'

Trump fired Comey. Yes, the president terminated, removed, disposed of the man in charge of leading the very investigation into… the president, his campaign and administration officials for collusion and improper conduct with Russia.

This is obstruction of justice. Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey constitutes an enormous threat to truth, separation of powers, government agency independence, systems of checks and balances, and executive branch and FBI operating procedures upon which the United States is based.

After Sally Yates and Preet Bharara, Comey becomes the third federal employee investigating Trump to be fired by Trump. This is a clear abuse of power, emblematic of the eroding democratic norms in a severely volatile administration that fires any person who crosses, disagrees with or threatens the President’s absolute power or perilously erratic agenda.

The Administration cannot expect the American people to actually believe the bogus rationale, unjustifiable defense, and suspicious timing.

The Administration cannot expect the American people to actually believe the bogus rationale, unjustifiable defense, suspicious timing, and insipid explanation that Comey was immediately fired effective today, May 9, 2017, for his botched handling of the Clinton email investigation (including a July 2016 press conference and October 2016 letter, etc.), which Trump publicly celebrated on multiple occasions.I call bullsh*t.

Was the FBI closing in on or set to reveal information that would incriminate or implicate senior officials of the Trump campaign and administration in Russian interference that benefited the Republican candidate? Why fire Comey now and spark a PR disaster, if that risk were not “better” than confirmed illegalities between Trump and Russia? What is the real reason for intentional interference in the justice system? How far does this calculated coverup reach?

There is a dire need for an independent special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in United States’ elections, the bedrock of democracy and the republic; that is something upon which both democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives, citizens and patriots must agree. There was an urgent call for this plan of action beginning months ago, which has only intensified until peaking today; I cannot find any argument against it. Only an independent special prosecutor, far, far away from the White House and Trump appointees, can take on this Nixonian crisis, akin to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre when then-President Nixon fired the Watergate special prosector and abolished the task force in a similar brazen act against law enforcement investigating the Commander-in-Chief… i.e. Trump firing Comey is monumental.

Scary, unprecedented, legitimately terrifying, absurd, shocking (even by Trump standards!), troubling, alarm bells, wrong, a full-fledged constitutional crisis… these are just a few of the terms elected and appointed officials are using in reference to the president’s latest decision, challenging the rule of law.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions – who was forced to recuse himself from the investigation because of lying under oath about his own personal and professional ties to Russian officials – recommended the firing of Comey, the man running that investigation. Trump accepted Sessions’ joint recommendation with newly confirmed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has seriously compromised his own integrity and accountability through this letter and process. Why was Sessions not forced to recuse himself from advising the Deputy AG as well? Trump cannot be permitted to select his own prosector, someone who will clearly close the critical probe into Russia. Any special prosecutor will still rely on FBI agents who answer to Trump’s newly appointed FBI director. Sessions is playing a decisive role in choosing the next leader, sure to be a Trump stooge (could it really be Sheriff David Clarke or someone of his ilk?!). There are direct conflicts of interest on so many levels.

Only an independent special prosecutor, far, far away from the White House and Trump appointees, can take on this Nixonian crisis.

Normal, innocent presidents don’t attempt to gratuitously exonerate themselves in open letters that fire government appointees by deceptive means. Trump continues to willingly insert himself into frameworks reminiscent of some bizarre reality television-esque partisan game, only one which poses a real world threat to democracy, government institutions, national security, American safety and popular sanity.

What is going on? When do Trump’s authoritarian (not hysterical or hyperbolic verbiage at this point) actions become terms for impeachment? What are Trump and his administration attempting to hide from Americans and politicians alike? What are we, the people, doing to resist and hold all to account? What happens to the investigation and findings from here on out? Comey and other relevant actors must be called to testify about happenings in the investigation to date and knowledge up until the moment of this unexpected firing. And an independent special prosecutor must immediately be instated to truthfully and thoroughly investigate Trump and campaign or administration ties to Russia.

Are we living in a madhouse, twilight zone, movie set or alternate universe? Go ahead and attempt to write your own House of Cards script, but this story is far stranger than fiction.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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#DIYS

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exfrenchdorsl4p0a1 · 7 years

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Trump To FBI Director Comey: 'You're Fired!'

The Administration cannot expect the American people to actually believe the bogus rationale, unjustifiable defense, and suspicious timing.

Only an independent special prosecutor, far, far away from the White House and Trump appointees, can take on this Nixonian crisis.

Are we living in a madhouse, twilight zone, movie set or alternate universe? Go ahead and attempt to write your own House of Cards script, but this story is far stranger than fiction.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2r0fLtI

#DIYS

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mysteryshelf · 8 years

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BLOG TOUR - Pekoe Most Poison

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs

Pekoe Most Poison (A Tea Shop Mystery) Cozy Mystery 18th in Series A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery (March 7, 2017) An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0425281680 Kindle – ASIN: B01KGZVXTK

Synopsis

In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play…at murder.

When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.

But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.

The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse…

INCLUDES RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS

Interview With The Author

What initially got you interested in writing?

Thanks for inviting me today to celebrate the release of Pekoe Most Poison. I’d have to say that I always loved story telling. As a kid I wrote poems and short stories, and when I graduated from college I was immediately drawn into advertising where I wrote radio and TV copy. At the tender age of 28 I started my own advertising agency and ran that for 25 very successful years. Of course, along the way I wrote 3 screenplays and 2 thrillers. That piqued my interest in fiction writing and, lucky me, I was able to sell my business and launch a full-time transition.

What genres do you write in?

My Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries are a hybrid between a cozy and a thriller – what I call a thrillzy. In other words, there’s no bad language or gratuitous violence, but they do have a distinctive edge that incorporates fast pacing, multiple plot lines, and other thriller characteristics. And readers who like pure thrillers might enjoy one of the Afton Tangler Thrillers, Little Girl Gone, or the soon to be released Shadow Girl, both written under my name Gerry Schmitt.

What drew you to writing these specific genres?

I was the kid who was always reading Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton under the covers with a flashlight. I told ghost stories around the campfire, ventured into haunted houses, and loved The Twilight Zone. So becoming a mystery-thiller writer seemed a natural fit.

How did you break into the field?

Once I decided to change careers and write mysteries, I recognized that writing and publishing is a serious business and I treated it as such. I made contacts, researched the craft, and attended a few writing classes. A friend introduced me to mystery great Mary Higgins Clark and she not only gave me some pointers, she introduced me to her agent!

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

I’m always thrilled when I get an email or Facebook post from a reader who enjoys my books and finds them a fun, exciting getaway. I’m also touched by the many readers who tell me that my books helped get them through a particularly stressful time in their life, such as surgery or family illness.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

I love hearing from readers who refer to my characters as if they are close friends. That’s exactly what I want the takeaway to be – that readers feel like they’re right there in the story, sorting out suspects along with Theodosia, Drayton, and the gang.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Time. It seems there’s never enough time to write every story that’s buzzing around inside my head. They’re good ideas (really!) but since I’m writing 4 different series, I just don’t know how I’ll ever get to them.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

I love the old Nike war cry – “Just Do It.” If you want to write a short story or novel, you need to come up with an idea, write an outline, and then bang out your product. Persistence is the key. Every word and story you write helps make you a better writer.

What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I’m a huge fan of John Sandford. He tells a whopping good story wrapped in superb plot lines. His Prey novels feature the dashing Lucas Davenport, a tough detective who drives a Porsche. Who could resist?

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

I’m married to a professor of art history, so we do lots of foreign travel and art collecting. I’ve also served on the boards of two service dog organizations.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

I keep my website current with information about all my series. For example, I am delighted that Devonshire Scream has just been released in paperback, so for those who haven’t read it, now is a terrific time to scoop it up.

http://www.laurchilds.com/

I love to comment back and forth with friends and readers on Facebook, so please feel free to link with me there.

https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

About The Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 6 – Michelle’s Romantic Tangle – REVIEW

March 6 – Sleuth Cafe – SPOTLIGHT

March 7 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW

March 7 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST

March 8 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

March 8 – Readsalot – SPOTLIGHT

March 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 9 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW

March 9 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW

March 9 – My Journey Back – REVIEW

March 10 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW

March 11 – Rainy Day Reviews – REVIEW

March 11 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

March 12 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW

March 12 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

March 13 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW

March 14 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

March 15 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW

March 15 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

March 16 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW

March 16 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – INTERVIEW

March 17 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST

March 17 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

March 18 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW

March 19 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – REVIEW

March 19 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT

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BLOG TOUR – Pekoe Most Poison was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf

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