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The Good Lord Bird (miniseries)

The Good Lord Bird is a 2020 American historical drama television miniseries, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by James McBride. Focusing on John Brown's attack on American slavery, the series was created and executive produced by Ethan Hawke and Mark Richard. Produced by Jason Blum, through Blumhouse Television, it premiered on October 4, 2020, on Showtime.[5]

Premise

The series is told from the point of view of Henry "Onion" Shackleford (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a fictional enslaved boy, who is part of John Brown's (Ethan Hawke) motley crew of abolitionist soldiers during the time of Bleeding Kansas, eventually participating in the famous 1859 raid on the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (since 1863, West Virginia). Brown's raid failed to initiate a slave revolt as he intended, but it was one of the events that started the American Civil War.[6]

It is not just the story of Brown but that of those that accompanied him. According to Hawke, "If you really study this character, he asks a lot of you philosophically. He challenges why so many of us accept the unacceptable". Author James McBride was involved in the production and according to him, "John Brown is a real hero to me and to many Black people who are no longer alive. John Brown gave his life and two of his sons' lives to the cause of freedom for Black people, and he started the Civil War. They buried this man's story for a long time....".[7]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Music

Music in the miniseries is composed of Black musical genres: gospel, blues, and spirituals. Most is performed by Black artists or groups, with the theme song "Come On Children, Let's Sing", a gospel song, sung by Mahalia Jackson. Songs featured in the series include:

  1. The Zion Travelers, "Am I a Soldier of the Lord?"
  2. Elmore James, "Shake Your Money Maker"
  3. The Zion Travelers, "The Blood"
  4. Mahalia Jackson, "I'm On My Way to Canaan"
  1. Nina Simone, "I Shall Be Released"
  2. Shuggie Otis, "Sweet Thang"
  1. Brother Joe May and the Bye & Bye, "Afterwhile"
  2. Shuggie Otis, "Sweet Thang"
  3. The Redemption Harmonizers, "Amazing Grace"
  1. Elvis Presley, "Where Could I Go but to the Lord"
  2. Taj Mahal, "She Caught the Katy and Left Me the Mule to Ride"
  1. The Ragged Jubilee, "In the Valley II"
  2. Joe and Eddie and the Les Braxter Chorus, "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore"
  1. Mahalia Jackson, "Trouble of the World"
  1. Spirit of Memphis Quartet, "Walking with Jesus"
  2. Cast, "Wayfaring Stranger"

Production

Development

Ethan Hawke and Jason Blum adapted the 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, for a limited series that premiered on October 4, 2020, on Showtime.[18] The series was created and executive produced by Hawke and Mark Richard. Jason Blum, via Blumhouse Television, served as a production partner on the miniseries.[19][20] Albert Hughes, Kevin Hooks, Darnell Martin, and Haifaa al-Mansour, Michael Nankin, and Kate Woods each directed an episode.[21]

Casting

In August 2019, Daveed Diggs and Wyatt Russell signed on to portray Frederick Douglass and First Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart.[22][23][24] In July 2019, Joshua Caleb Johnson and Rafael Casal joined the cast as Henry "Onion" Shackleford and John Cook.[25]

Filming

Principal photography for the series began in July 2019, in Powhatan, Virginia, near Richmond.[26][27]

Reception

Critical response

For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 98% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Ethan Hawke dazzles in The Good Lord Bird, an epically irreverent adaptation that does right by its source material's good word."[28] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[29]

In response to John Lahr's profile of Ethan Hawke,[30] The New Yorker published a letter to the editor,[31] written by Marty Brown, a descendant of John Brown. In the letter, Marty Brown welcomes the effort to bring John Brown's story to a wider audience but notes that his characterization in the series does not reflect the work of Brown's historians and biographers.[32]

Accolades

References

  1. ^ "Is 'The Good Lord Bird' A White Savior Story, or Something Different?". NPR. October 14, 2020. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Rivera, Joshua (October 9, 2020). "'The Good Lord Bird' is a timely reminder that Americans aren't usually fans of progress". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Landekic, Lola (October 6, 2020). "The Good Lord Bird (2020)". Art of the Title. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Thorne, Will (March 11, 2019). "Ethan Hawke to Star in Showtime Limited Series 'Good Lord Bird'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  5. ^ White, Peter (June 24, 2020). "Showtime Pushes Back Abolitionist Miniseries 'The Good Lord Bird', Picks Up British Drama 'We Hunt Together' To Fill Slot". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 13, 2020). "Ethan Hawke On Playing The Complexities In Showtime's 'The Good Lord Bird'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "'Good Lord Bird' recognizes history's unnamed 'others'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri). October 2, 2020. p. G20 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Franklin, Garth (August 3, 2019). "Diggs, Russell Join Hawke's "Good Lord Bird"". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Onion, Rebecca (October 5, 2020). "What's Fact and What's Fiction in 'The Good Lord Bird'". Slate. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 6, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.4.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  11. ^ Kelly, Hillary (October 11, 2020). "The Good Lord Bird Recap: Divided in Half". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 13, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.11.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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  18. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 25, 2020). "The Gospel According to Ethan Hawke". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Lang, Brent (June 11, 2018). "Ethan Hawke, Jason Blum Adapting 'The Good Lord Bird' for TV". Variety. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  20. ^ "Academy Award(R) Nominee Ethan Hawke to Executive Produce and Star in Showtime(R) Limited Series "Good Lord Bird"". The Futon Critic. March 11, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  21. ^ Petski, Denise (August 2, 2019). "Daveed Diggs & Wyatt Russell Join 'The Good Lord Bird' For Showtime - TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "Showtime Taps Tony Winner Daveed Diggs and Wyatt Russell in "The Good Lord Bird"". The Futon Critic. August 2, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Sippell, Margeaux (August 2, 2019). "Daveed Diggs to Play Frederick Douglass in Ethan Hawke's Showtime Limited Series 'The Good Lord Bird'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  24. ^ Bell, Breanna (August 2, 2019). "TV News Roundup: Daveed Diggs, Wyatt Russell Join Ethan Hawke Showtime Series". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (November 8, 2019). "'The Good Lord Bird': Rafael Casal To Recur In Showtime Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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Further reading

External links