4 reasons to watch the "Bird of the Good Lord"

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The authors of the series perfectly combined a real story with humor and unusual presentation.

On October 5, a biographical western dedicated to the famous abolitionist (that is, a fighter for the abolition of slavery) John Brown was launched on the American Showtime channel (in Russia - at Amediatek).

The topic itself can scare away many Russian viewers. In 2020, there were many TV series dedicated to racism and black slavery in the United States. Moreover, "Bird of the Good Lord" does not even hide behind an unusual genre like "Keepers" or "Lovecraft Country".

But the form of presentation, emotions and humor make a completely American story interesting and understandable in any country in the world.

The thing is that a very cool team is behind the creation of the project. Ethan Hawke not only played the main role, but also worked on the script for the book of the same name by James McBride. Together with the actor, the series was produced by such experienced masters as Jason Bloom (director of Blumhouse - one of the main producers of horror films), who already directed Hawke in the first "Judgment Night", and Marshall Persinger ("Alienist"). And the episodes were directed by excellent serial directors: the author of "Touched by Evil" Allen Hughes, Kevin Hooks, who is responsible for almost the best series of "Escape", and many others.

Such a composition already hints that the viewer is waiting for something drive and bright. And indeed it is. Moreover, they took the biography of a non-standard personality as a basis, and Ethan Hawke received carte blanche to reveal the image of the hero.

As a result, "Bird of the Good Lord" is not just a biographical story about the fight against racism, but a bright western, in which humor is combined with live drama.

1. This is a real story about an unusual person

The entire plot is presented from the perspective of a dark-skinned young man Henry (Joshua Caleb Johnson), who was nicknamed Onion. After the teen's father is killed in a shootout, he is taken by abolitionist John Brown (So Hawk). He plans to organize the largest uprising in the United States and end slavery. But in reality, there are very few people in Brown's army. And he behaves a little inadequately.

If you look into the real story of John Brown, it will immediately become clear how strange this man was. He is one of the first white abolitionists to take up arms to fight for black rights. Brown became disillusioned with attempts to peacefully solve the problem of slavery and firmly believed that he would win. But an almost religious zeal in him replaced the entire logic of actions.

He got involved in deliberately losing adventures, therefore, in addition to numerous sons, he did not have many followers. But his speeches and sermons impressed people and made them think about the real possibility of a free life.

John Brown even dared to seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, and he almost succeeded. But according to the idea, about 4,000 fighters were supposed to participate in the attack. In reality, he led only 40 people.

Perhaps Brown was almost insane and ended his days on the gallows. But faith in the ideals of a free society made him a martyr and gave birth to that spark in many, which later flared up in numerous uprisings.

From the very first appearance of John Brown on the screen, it is clear that the authors sincerely love the hero just for his naivety and madness. This is a real fanatic: his voice trembles when he talks about his plans. The hero fearlessly rushes at any opponent and is lost if he realizes that not everyone is ready for the same dedication.

But if about Brown, for all his oddities, they speak only positively, then the very history of the fight against segregation is presented very ambiguously. And this also distinguishes the "Bird of the Good Lord" among similar projects. The series perfectly shows why such confrontations last so long.

After all, many dark-skinned heroes, although outraged by slavery, do not really want to do something themselves. They are afraid even to simply put signatures, and even more so to take up arms. It is enough for them to get angry among friends and return to ordinary life again. And this is too similar to the situation in the modern world.

When it comes to characters living in freedom and comfort, it is clear that many subconsciously strive to rise above those around them. Even if they talk out loud about equality, and their own ancestors were recently slaves. The scene where one dark-skinned hero asks the other to call him "mister" is kind of funny, but it immediately crosses out all the pretentious words about freedom.

At the same time, one should not think that The Bird of the Good Lord is a social historical drama. After all, Hawke and his comrades managed to do the main thing: the series is interesting to watch just as an exciting movie.

2. This is a real road movie and a cool western

The writers acted wisely by filing the story on behalf of the fictional character Onion, and not through John Brown himself. This adds a subjective perspective to the story. Although at the beginning of each episode they write "It's all true", the perception of the character can distort real facts and even images of historical figures. But it is even more important that Lukovka sometimes unites with Brown and his assistants, then independently embarks on a journey to different cities.

This approach allows you to show the everyday life of the United States in the middle of the 19th century and launch several independent storylines: dramatic, comedic and even romantic. As in a classic road movie, the heroes meet new friends and enemies, find themselves in difficult situations and look for ways to get out of them.

Moreover, "Bird of the Good Lord" is built more according to the rules of films, rather than serials. Is that the timing is greater.

The first episodes set a pretty bouncy pace and show some cool gunfights, and then the action slows down. Those who want the atmosphere of a hard western will have to endure until the final episodes. There will be a real siege for the whole episode (the story is based on real events, so this can hardly be considered a spoiler).

In general, "Bird of the Good Lord" is very well stylized for classic westerns. No wonder the font in the splash screen is so reminiscent of films like "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly." But we are not talking about dashing modern action films, but about more psychological works, where the heroes themselves are more important than their pistols.

3. The stunning Ethan Hawke who screams and rolls his eyes

Over the past decade, this actor has become a real star of Westerns. Hawke has starred in Antoine Fuqua's remakes of The Magnificent Seven, Little Kid, In the Valley of Violence - excellent examples of the resurrected genre.

Still, John Brown is a new stage in his career, and not just another hero with guns. It's not for nothing that Ethan Hawke is one of the favorite actors of Richard Linklater and other drama directors. The artist knows how to completely transform into his characters and show the strongest emotions.

John Brown in this series is a real rock star, and every scene with him is a vivid performance.

No wonder the hero's monologues are given so much time - listening to them is not boring (if possible, it is better to include the original track). These are actually separate clips where the character gives out incredible drive. Hawke chose not to show the version of the hero seen in the history books. He added expression to Brown, making him a holy fool, almost in the spirit of Shakespeare's King Lear.

The actor in this image is very reminiscent of Tom Waits, who for many years acted as a battered madman and preferred to wheeze and mutter rather than sing. Not only all of Brown's sermons in The Bird of the Good Lord look exactly the same, but even the shootings with his participation.

He screams, quotes the Bible every minute and immediately fires with two hands from pistols. From an excess of emotions, the hero does not finish the phrase, gets confused, grumbles, sighs heavily and again grabs his weapon.

By the middle of the season, under the always dirty and disheveled beard, it is simply impossible to recognize the stylish handsome man, which Hawke appeared in most other roles. And it's not just makeup. This is truly a reincarnation. Stunningly emotional, sometimes too grotesque, but completely sincere.

4. It's a great Tarantino comedy

Such a project could be ruined by excessive seriousness. After all, a series about a fighter against segregation must either be made as realistic as possible, risking interest only to an audience familiar with the problem, or add components to it that will attract any viewer.

Fortunately, the creators of "Bird of the Good Lord" did not take a simple path and did not turn the action into a bloody action movie (as they did with the aforementioned "Magnificent Seven"). But they added a lot of humor to the plot. And it's not just Ethan Hawke's flamboyant image described above.

The young man Henry, on whose behalf the story is told, wears women's clothes throughout the series.

It just so happened: the inattentive Brown decided that the child he saved was a girl. And the teenager, accustomed not to contradict the white, did not dare to correct him. Of course, this creates a lot of comical moments: at different times the hero ends up as a servant in a brothel, men flirt with him, and then he even falls in love with Brown's daughter. This line does not last very long, but it is at the same time very touching and funny - the chemistry between the characters is conveyed just fine.

Brown's daughter, by the way, is played by Maya Hawke - Ethan Hawke's real daughter. She is remembered by many for her role in the third season of Stranger Things.

Other minor characters also add fun. For example, David Diggs was invited to play the role of the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglas. Most recently, he starred in the hip-hop musical Hamilton as the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. And now Diggs is again playing a bright and comic revolutionary, whose performances also resemble stage shows. And also this hero flirts with all the girls around him. And it is clear what his meeting with Lukovka turns out to be.

Combined with classic stylization and cruelty, all this gives the atmosphere of an almost Tarantino western. He once thought of making the famous Django from Corbucci's films black. And Hawk also dressed him up in a woman's dress.

"Bird of the Good Lord" perfectly maintains the balance of genres. This is an excursion into the history of the times of slavery, after which you want to read about real heroes and be surprised that in life they were even crazier than on the screen. This is a funny and witty western with colorful characters.

And Ethan Hawke's fans will get special pleasure from another bright role. The scenes from the show are sure to quickly spread among fans.

Seven episodes of 45-50 minutes each fly by as one full-length film. And in a historical project, ease of perception is worth a lot.