“The Good Lord Bird” miniseries starring Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown

This looks awesome. I’m in.



Premieres Sunday, October 4th on Showtime.

 

a must see!

 

There's an excellent long piece about Hawke, including this series, in The New Yorker. See:
The Many Faces of Ethan Hawke

 

Damn, I don't have Showtime, I can't miss this one..DAMN,DAMN,DAMN!!

 

Awright, I'm in...

 

So far I'm enjoying this. Ethan Hawke is, of course, great as John Brown. I don't know the kid who plays Onion, but he's equally good. I saw Dud from Lodge 49 as Lt. Jeb Stuart, that was a surprise.
One thing I really laughed at, the two black men arguing whether they are third or fourth cousins. Well played.

 

He’s had a few bit parts in the past four years, but this is his first major role. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

 

There's this very weird old movie with Ronald Reagan & Errol Flynn - one of them plays Custer I think - & featuring Raymond Massey as John Brown; I don't know if I could believe anyone else as Brown after seeing Massey - he was perfect. Like George C. Scott as Patton.

 

'Sante Fe Trail' (released 1940; WB). Flynn plays Jeb Stuart and Reagan, Custer. I first saw this film as a kid watching late night tv. I found Massey's performance as Brown mesmerizing. BTW, it has little to do with the Sante Fe Trail and (other than the Flynn - Olivia de Havilland romance) centres on the anti and pro slavery violence in Kansas and then Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and subsequent execution.

 

This series is an example of a refreshing recent trend in historical entertainment. In the past, historical events were shown from the point of view of White people. Now, we have the point of view of Black and Brown people. Keep it up!

 

That's it! It seems to pop up a lot - maybe slipped into P.D.

Long and strange, but Van Heflin as one of Browns sons - chilling!

 

Of course, Flynn did play Custer; in "They Died With Their Boots On". Ronald Reagan as Custer, I just can't imagine.

I must have seen Santa Fe Trail on TV as a child, but the only thing I remember was, fittingly, Raymond Massey as John Brown. Scared the hell out of me.
Massey also played Abraham Lincoln very convincingly in another film, IIRC.

 

Abe Lincoln in Illinois

 

John Brown was not the madman that some historians make him out to be, so I hope that this film portrays him accurately.

 

I think the series is great so far. Was never a fan of Hawke but he's excellent as Brown. And the kid who plays "Onion" is extraordinary

 

Van Heflin is excellent in the film. However, he doesn't play one of Brown's children but an ex-US army officer named Rader (pronounced raider) who sides with Brown, and then betrays him over an argument about money, only to be murdered by Brown. The character is probably based on Hugh Forbes, a British mercenary hired by Brown to train Brown's 'army'. Forbes asked for more money, was denied, and then informed on Brown to politicians and Brown's financial backers.

 

I just started watching this today.. starting the third episode now.
So far so good, I love civil war films and documentaries.
It looks like they're only up to episode four.. so I should be caught up tonight.
I'll also check out the promo trailers tonight. Ethan Hawke is doing a fine job.
I used to live about five miles from Harpers Ferry, W VA. and am really awaiting
to see how they cover that part.

 

I love the music and the graphics are dy-no-mite. Plenty great actors. Daveed Diggs is divine, as usual.

 

I'm lovin' it so far. How many episodes left, I wonder?

 

Eight total.

 

James Mc Bride is such a talented person.

wiki-
James McBride (born September 11, 1957)[1] is an American writer and musician. He is the recipient of the 2013 National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Good Lord Bird...

Saxophonist and composer[edit]
McBride is the tenor saxophonist for the Rock Bottom Remainders, a group of best-selling authors who are also musicians. "Hopefully", McBride says, "the group has retired for good." He also toured as a saxophonist with jazz legend Little Jimmy Scott and has his own band that plays an eclectic blend of music.

He has written songs for Anita Baker, Grover Washington Jr., Pura Fé, and Gary Burton.[10] McBride composed the theme music for the Clint Harding Network, Jonathan Demme's New Orleans documentary Right to Return, and the Off-Broadway musical Bobos, written by playwright Ed Shockley.[11]

McBride was awarded the American Music Theater Festival's Stephen Sondheim Award in 1993, the American Arts and Letters Richard Rodgers Award in 1996, and the inaugural ASCAP Richard Rodgers Horizons Award in 1996.[12]

 

While the series definitely has some outrageous humor, there are many moments of deep emotion at what these people tried to accomplish. Also, Hawke isn’t afraid to share the limelight. Episodes two and five are overwhelmingly carried by Onion. I’m going to add the book to my list (splitting my time between Piranesi and a biography of Wendy Carlos now).