When I first began watching this 7-episode mini-series, I said to myself, "What this? The story of John Brown as a black comedy!" As I thought about it, I concluded that this is a two-edged sword.
On one hand it's a refreshing take on a subject that could have easily ended up as decisively politically correct. Instead of Raymond Massey's solemn performance from the 1940 historical epic Santa Fe Trail, Ethan Hawke plays the famed abolitionist as almost flat out bonkers.
Even though Brown's cause was a good one, his methods in achieving his objective were completely impractical. He desired complete emancipation for all slaves immediately and could not recognize that the racist society of that time could not countenance such an idea.
There is more than one humorous scene in which the pro-slavery denizens of both the "Free State" of Kansas and "Pro-slavery" state of Missouri, regard Brown as completely unhinged before they get wind of his true identity.
When they do discover who he really is, his reputation as a dangerous killer causes them to change their tack. One great scene involves the racist train conductor who demands Onion aka Henry Shackleford (Joshua Caleb Johnson)--Brown's black teenage charge dressed as a girl-sit in the section of the train reserved for "Negroes."
The conductor must eat crow when the other passengers recognize who he is while Brown brandishes a pistol and demands an apology.
The humorous approach doesn't always work. This is especially apparent in its coverage of the infamous Pottawattamie Massacre which occurred in 1856 when Brown joined up with his sons who were then living in Kansas.
There were several incidents including the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas by Pro-Slavery forces along with an attack on anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner by a Pro-Slavery Congressman on the Senate floor which were not covered in the series, which set off Brown to take revenge against some pro-slavery farmers in Pottawattamie.
The scene in which Brown executes a farmer who was minimally involved in the pro-slavery movement is reduced to Brown and his gang only killing the one man without showing us that two of his sons were killed as well. In addition, two other men at other locations were slain upon Brown's orders.
While Brown is depicted as deranged while executing the farmer the true horror and brutality of the incident is minimized.
The main humor stems from the depiction of the fictional character Onion as a girl. While it's easy to see the character is male, Brown comes off as a fool as he initially mistakes him for a female and continually deludes himself throughout the narrative.
The one-joke idea becomes tiresome, and we simply can't accept Brown's myopia without classifying him as somewhat of a buffoon. I would have dispensed with Onion as a character and focused on both Brown's megalomania as well as his generosity. In other words, there was still room to play up some more of the absurd aspects of Brown's personality and mission without introducing the absurd fictional boy dressed as a girl.
Perhaps the film's greatest triumph against political correctness is the irreverent depiction of the great black leader of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass (Daveed Diggs). Douglass is a character that could have easily been shown as a saintly one-dimensional caricature, but the film scenarists depict him as both egotistical and vain despite his eloquent oratorical skills.
I loved how Douglass is shown to be married to a black woman but also has a white mistress who lives with him too. And his vanity is completely on display when he insists on having his photograph taken whenever he gets the chance.
The final scenes involving the raid on Harper's Ferry may disappoint our more liberally inclined viewers as there was considerable reluctance on the part of many blacks to get involved in Brown's violent plans. Frederick Douglass is shown sharply disapproving of Brown's plan for a slave insurrection along with an assortment of other black people who realized a rebellion at this point in time was suicide.
The Good Lord Bird has several interesting peripheral characters including Brown's daughter Annie (Maya Hawke) as well as famed Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman (Zainah Jah). I had less success appreciating the roles of John Brown's sons who all seemed to be similar.
The mini-series is an interesting take on an iconic figure in American history. Ethan Hawke intermittently succeeds in presenting a convincing chronicle of the dark chapter that led to the Civil War.
On one hand it's a refreshing take on a subject that could have easily ended up as decisively politically correct. Instead of Raymond Massey's solemn performance from the 1940 historical epic Santa Fe Trail, Ethan Hawke plays the famed abolitionist as almost flat out bonkers.
Even though Brown's cause was a good one, his methods in achieving his objective were completely impractical. He desired complete emancipation for all slaves immediately and could not recognize that the racist society of that time could not countenance such an idea.
There is more than one humorous scene in which the pro-slavery denizens of both the "Free State" of Kansas and "Pro-slavery" state of Missouri, regard Brown as completely unhinged before they get wind of his true identity.
When they do discover who he really is, his reputation as a dangerous killer causes them to change their tack. One great scene involves the racist train conductor who demands Onion aka Henry Shackleford (Joshua Caleb Johnson)--Brown's black teenage charge dressed as a girl-sit in the section of the train reserved for "Negroes."
The conductor must eat crow when the other passengers recognize who he is while Brown brandishes a pistol and demands an apology.
The humorous approach doesn't always work. This is especially apparent in its coverage of the infamous Pottawattamie Massacre which occurred in 1856 when Brown joined up with his sons who were then living in Kansas.
There were several incidents including the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas by Pro-Slavery forces along with an attack on anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner by a Pro-Slavery Congressman on the Senate floor which were not covered in the series, which set off Brown to take revenge against some pro-slavery farmers in Pottawattamie.
The scene in which Brown executes a farmer who was minimally involved in the pro-slavery movement is reduced to Brown and his gang only killing the one man without showing us that two of his sons were killed as well. In addition, two other men at other locations were slain upon Brown's orders.
While Brown is depicted as deranged while executing the farmer the true horror and brutality of the incident is minimized.
The main humor stems from the depiction of the fictional character Onion as a girl. While it's easy to see the character is male, Brown comes off as a fool as he initially mistakes him for a female and continually deludes himself throughout the narrative.
The one-joke idea becomes tiresome, and we simply can't accept Brown's myopia without classifying him as somewhat of a buffoon. I would have dispensed with Onion as a character and focused on both Brown's megalomania as well as his generosity. In other words, there was still room to play up some more of the absurd aspects of Brown's personality and mission without introducing the absurd fictional boy dressed as a girl.
Perhaps the film's greatest triumph against political correctness is the irreverent depiction of the great black leader of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass (Daveed Diggs). Douglass is a character that could have easily been shown as a saintly one-dimensional caricature, but the film scenarists depict him as both egotistical and vain despite his eloquent oratorical skills.
I loved how Douglass is shown to be married to a black woman but also has a white mistress who lives with him too. And his vanity is completely on display when he insists on having his photograph taken whenever he gets the chance.
The final scenes involving the raid on Harper's Ferry may disappoint our more liberally inclined viewers as there was considerable reluctance on the part of many blacks to get involved in Brown's violent plans. Frederick Douglass is shown sharply disapproving of Brown's plan for a slave insurrection along with an assortment of other black people who realized a rebellion at this point in time was suicide.
The Good Lord Bird has several interesting peripheral characters including Brown's daughter Annie (Maya Hawke) as well as famed Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman (Zainah Jah). I had less success appreciating the roles of John Brown's sons who all seemed to be similar.
The mini-series is an interesting take on an iconic figure in American history. Ethan Hawke intermittently succeeds in presenting a convincing chronicle of the dark chapter that led to the Civil War.