Ethan Hawke plays Captain John Brown an abolitionist of slavery prior to the civil war and sometimes he can be a hit or miss with his performances, however this is definitely a hit in this beautiful blended story of truth and black comedy. Most of us only have the benefit of hindsight, but every now and again one of us has the foresight or maybe its just the courage and conviction to fight for what's righteous. The cast is superb, with great direction and cinematography. The script is witty and powerful and the story is... as they say history
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ceedee6817 November 2020
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amirrmoheb26 October 2020Ethan wooooooow! The act of his life, I believe this show is great but Ethan he is changing into one of the best actors of these recent years! Welldone , Just wow!
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Supermanfan-1319 December 2020The Good Lord Bird was every bit as good everyone said it would be. It is such a powerful story that everyone should know. The one thing I wasn't expecting was the humor throughout the series, it just makes the show that much better. Ethan Hawke is amazing here as always and will absolutely be nominated for an Emmy for his performance!
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Ricky82311 November 2020Before giving my impression of this series (spoiler-free), I would just like to say that anyone with a true love of brilliant writing, beautiful set design and deep, rich, captivating character arcs should avoid any and all criticisms of The Good Lord Bird at all costs!
Seriously -- the negative remarks against this show are entirely unfounded, and I say this as someone who's actually taken the time to read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, and who can appreciate sensitivity to historical inaccuracy in television & movies. This series does not do that.
In fact, I find it to be an insanely refreshing departure from the genre (slavery-era cinema) in that it doesn't insert immense amounts of undue virtuosity and evil into its characters as a point of emphasis to the horror of slavery. It doesn't pacify them, either, but what it does is invoke pragmatism into the behavior of its characters, making them feel far more real than they would otherwise.
This, to me, is what makes this series a masterpiece. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a substitute for an education, which should be no different from *any* cinematic retelling of history, but getting upset with this series taking creative liberties with characters would be like getting upset with Titanic for doing the same.
Not that this in any way reaches for the same emotional or dramatic response as a film like Titanic, but it does present characters and an environment which were clearly not meant to be taken literally. I would argue that this is the entire purpose of art itself!
Personally, I don't want to watch something only to be patronized by writers who believe their only duty is to inform me of which side is righteous and which is evil. Imagine how horrendous Breaking Bad would be if they spent ten minutes of every episode layering in PSA's of the dangers of crystal meth. It was never Vince Gilligan's job to teach us not to be like Walter White. It was simply his purpose to take the audience on a journey, and to strike every emotional chord within us through the art of storytelling.
My feeling on television series like this, as well as movies, is that so long as they can get me to think differently about the human experience, and to relate to characters in ways that can be incredibly difficult in everyday life, then they are deserving of praise -- no asterisk necessary.
This is art, after all, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, it should leave us with a more complex view of the world around us. It should provoke us to think in new ways, to challenge our preconceptions, and -- if it's good enough -- to gift us with an extraordinary experience.
The Good Lord Bird does this in spades, and I think it ultimately will go down as one of the best TV series of all-time. I understand why it will take some time for this to happen, particularly because it is so incredibly different, but once enough people view it and it finds its way to the right audience, I have no doubt that it will be gain a massive amount of praise and recognition. It's excellent and I implore anyone capable of laying down their staunchness of history to watch it! You will not regret it! The casting is flawless, the acting is flawless, and the writing is flawless! You will love it! -
glenn_gallagher12 October 2020Feels like the love child of 'Django Unchained' and 'Brother Where Art Thou'....... Great Show!!! I've watched Ethan Hawke seesaw between good and bad productions, good and bad performances over recent years, there is no question he is on the up swing in both regards in The Good Love Bird. Really refreshing and a fun watch.
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Alicemingo24 October 2020Ethan Hawke rocks it, along with the rest of this great cast. Interesting story, well done on the production side as well.
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etbockjr-967292 November 2020I have written more than a few papers on the Civil War and what lead up to it, including John Brown. This limited series has great actors and for the most part is entertaining. My problem is that the true story of John Brown would have been just as entertaining as this Hollywood revisionist rubbish. Don't make the claim this is "All True" and then revise it as you see fit. The story of John Brown needs to be told, but telling it wrong dilutes and dumbs down our knowledge of history worse than our public schools.
That being said, it's still entertaining and worth watching to get a general idea of John Brown and his cause. But please research after watching to get the full story of this very interesting historical figure. -
owen-watts17 November 2020Ethan Hawke & Mark Richard's adaptation of James McBride's semi-historical novel is a fascinating and morally complex endeavour. We follow the story of John Brown through the eyes of the fictional Little Onion - a teenager emancipated through violence and trying for the most part to simply survive this turbulent era in American history. It's a slightly irreverent version of real events, with Brown's formidable wife sadly excised but its fanciful twirls are neatly balanced against the brutality and come across as keen wit rather than clumsy revisionism. The real lynchpin of the whole endeavour is Ethan Hawke's battered Brown who oscillates wildly between devout believer and violent zealot never quite settling into anything categorizable but is a bewitching screen presence (despite portraits of Brown clearly pointing at Willem Defoe as the obvious choice - a casting bugbear that may bother me forever).
The cast are uniformly impressive, from personal favourites like Beau Knapp, Wyatt Russell and Steve Zahn to revelatory turns by a rather pompous Daveed Diggs and the arrestingly bemused Joshua Caleb Johnson who shines throughout. Also KILLER MIKE IS IN IT. GUYS, KILLER MIKE. GUYS. SERIOUSLY. What's more it feels a timely story - John Brown is the first American tried for treason and through him is the existential prism of what America was and is. A wrestle of our times, of all times, is it THE grand experiment of self-identification, freedom and democracy or the turbulent land of overt evangelism and violent segregation? Either way or neither way the US is inarguably at the pinnacle of televisual storytelling and the Good Lord Bird is a fantastic addition to that weighty canon of great American TV stories and a nice atmospheric taster for the complex and bloody historical legacy of abolitionism. -
"The Good Lord Bird" (2020 release; 8 episodes of about 55-60 min. each) brings the story of abolitionist John Brown. As Episode 1 opens, we are reminded that "All Of This Is True. Most Of It Happened." The opening scenes show Brown about to be hung for reasons we don't know yet. We then go back in time to "Bleeding Kansas 1858", and we get to know Brown, as he is confronted by Dutch Henry over Brown's "outrageous" statements about slavery: We are at war with slavery!" Brown contends. Brown ends up "stealing" a slave, a boy who gets the nickname "Little Onion" from Brown's cohorts... At this point we are 10 min. into Episode 1, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: the mini-series is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by James McBride. I have not read the book, so I can't comment on how closely the series sticks to the book. This is a the labor of love rom Ethan Hawke, who not only stars as John Brown, but he also co-wrote the script and co-produced this. Hawke seemingly only gets better as he is getting older, and his shadow looms very large in this mini-series, to great effect. The parallels with what is going on in this country today are undeniable. "We don't ride for revenge, we ride for justice", Brown says at tome point. Change the word "ride" with "march", and this is exactly what the current Black Lives Matter movement is doing. The production sets in this mini-series are tops, and it is clear no money was spared. If there is one criticism, it's that we don't really know why Brown ended up being an abolitionist. Perhaps that will be explained in later episodes?
"The Good Lord Bird" premiered on Showtime this weekend is now streaming on SHO On Demand and other platforms. New episodes air Sunday evenings at 9 pm Eastern. If you have an interest in the pre-Civil War days of this country, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion. -
Rob133130 September 2022The Good Lord Bird was every bit as good the reviews said it would be. It is such a powerful story about a newly freed teenager who joins abolitionist John Brown (Ethan Hawke) on a holy crusade to end slavery. They encounter great historical figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Truman along the way. It's a story that everyone should know. It shines a spotlight on racial, religious and gender roles that have made up America. The one thing I wasn't expecting from this was the humor throughout the series, it just makes the show that much better. Ethan Hawke is amazing here as always and was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for his performance!
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ahicks-26 October 2020Although dramatically engrossing and intellectually stimulating this film falls short of the accurate history it needs. Ethan Hawke's plays John Brown as if he were an uneducated d uncouth, as well arguably insane, redneck. In fact he was born in Connecticut, son of Owen Brown, a founder during his Ohio years of the Western Reserve College and Preparatory School and supporter of the Oberlin Institute, John attended school at the Morris Academy in Litchfield, Connecticut. The social circles of Springfield Massachusetts in which he was schooled in abolitionism were erudite intellectual circles, whatever their final merits. Whatever the merits of his abolitionist militancy he was not simply the blathering unhinged fanatic of the Hawke's portrayal . Raymond Massey's more dignified and articulate portrayal of a fanatical Brown in Michael Curtiz's l940 THE SANTA FE TRAIL provides a useful antidote to provides a good to Hawke's Bible-savvy bumpkin. (Based only on Part one of two parts.)
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fashinrashin21 October 20206.9 ? Come on ! this is fabulous story telling. Ethan Hawke jumps off the screen, and WILL get the EMMY next year. Onion is a great actor, the supporting cast is incredible. There is a lively direction, that really keeps the story moving forward. the preacher scene in episode 2 had me on the edge of my seat. The subtext of slavery is clear eyed and not sugar coated. And my lord the music is divine , I LOVE THIS SHOW
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xxxNomadicxxx4 October 2020Not a bad start from so far, definitely will watch the following episodes.
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kennprop25 October 2020History is history. Fiction is fiction. Comic books are comic books. When you mix them ,you get stuff like this. John Brown fought against slavery,but if u met some one like Hawkes Brown on the street you would think him a nutter. A religious nutter. People who talk to god,get answers, and then commit violence are crazy fanatics. Like ISIS?
He was actually religiously sincere and willing to fight against slavery. Others talked,balked and walked away from confrontation. He created that confrontation.
If you read about Brown ,you find his life was not easy . He failed in numerous business enterprises, but probably was focussed on other things. He had 20 kids and two wives. ! . He was poor and in debt. This show is a shallow Hollywood version of John Brown. It's historic fiction, somewhat based on reality. The dialogue is silly and it's boring to boot. I was hoping for more, but I guess not. My wife felt the subject was interesting,because her ancestors fought in the Civil War, but she said the same. Scorcese is doing a John Brown .Hopefully it will be better done than this was. He was a major figure,of his time,and predicted the coming Civil War with incredible accuracy. He was a great man,a giant who was for equality for all. Not only blacks,women, Native people , all. His sincerity and testimony at his trial are incredible. He and his followers at Harper's Ferry deserve better than this. This episode of history is a deadly serious thing. It does need comedy to tell the story. It does not need to be entertainment. It's very sad that his story is told like this.
I gave it a few stars for atmosphere ,costumes, and cinematography. Hawke has some good dialogue, but I just think Brown deserves better. Sorry. -
antrikshnarang-439-89055825 October 2020Was expecting a lot of woke and no substance, but this surprised me. Life can be funnier than any piece of fiction. It's a dark comedy. Ethan Hawke is amazing. Gets better with each episode.
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bshaef28 October 2020To Frederick Douglass, he said "Howdy Fred". That was so darn funny I'm laughing a long time afterwards. The writer punctured a full balloon with those two words. Show just keeps getting better with each episode.
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dmsellis4 October 2020Good quality production, with a great story good characterisation and great acting. I like that its not afraid to confront some challenging issues - is John Brown's brutally violent campaign against slavery justified? As a Christian, I also enjoyed the positive portrayal of Brown's faith as a factor that motivated him to mobilise against slavery. Recommended.
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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. -
poinla374 October 2020Some people sure are taking this show too seriously! If there's a message here, it's not present like in some other shows (like lovecraft county), the storytelling comes before the rest, and that's what I like. There's a nice touch of humor (don't expect to laugh hard, but it got me smiling), some gore, some shooting, super long prayers and some crazyness. Very watchable so far.
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gungrunt20 January 2021Really like it until the last episode. John Brown and his compatriots did not bust out of the engine house. US Marines, under the command of Col Robert E. Lee, stormed the main door and captured all of the insurgents inside the building.
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bearcarolina28 October 2020This story makes accessible and often amusing, the hero John Brown. We see his flaws, conviction, hurt and radical love for his fellow humans.
I am sure if there had been a peaceful a way to stop the degradation and sadistic abuse that was slavery, Brown would have preferred the peace path. Soundtrack is great.
Hawke can act, but the entire ensemble is awesome. Onion, the young person In the dress, is an able narrator. People will laugh, but they will come away with an understanding that The Civil War was inevitable. -
davidcbabsthurgarland15 November 2020As the title suggests, this is one of those shows that threatens, time after time, to become a quality series. Regrettably, it never reaches any great heights. If you've ever watched a series and thought to yourself; "I'll give it one more episode. It's building. I can feel that it's about to round that bend and blow my mind," then you know what I'm talking about. There are great scenes peppered all throughout this series. Unfortunately, these great scenes are vastly outnumbered by mind numbingly dull or totally unnecessary ones. I'd go as far as saying that there are two episodes that could be removed entirely without any detriment to the story line or the series' aesthetics. Several characters lack any depth whatsover, whilst several others are given more of a back-story, only to become obsolete in terms of adding to the show's narrative. The one shining light of "The Good Lord Bird" is Ethan Hawke. He rarely disappoints as he's a consummate professional in front of the camera. On occasion his incessant screaming starts to grate, but that's my only gripe with his performance. He's tender when necessary, vulnerable, vulgar, violent and utterly hilarious!
All in all it's got some great subject matter, some good performances, but ultimately it's fairly impotent. Six out of ten. -
SnoopyStyle23 November 2020It's 1856 Kansas. Notorious abolitionist John Brown (Ethan Hawke) gets into a gunfight with a slave owner. He frees young Henry Shackleford but Henry's father is killed in the process. He mistakes Henry for a girl and names him Henrietta/Onion. It's a fictionalized history of John Brown's march towards the historic 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.
Ethan Hawke delivers an amazing performance in this fictionalized history. I hope that people will skim through the history books in addition to watching this series. Nevertheless, it is a riveting story. It's the wacky American slavery. The show is elevated whenever Hawke is on the screen which leaves the second episode a little wanting. I tolerated Henry's need to stay quiet but it is frustrating. He's kind of playing a Sambo character but he does grow over time. The disappointment lies with Frederick Douglass, not in his two wives or his faltering support but in his wackiness. There is an attempt to match Ethan Hawke's characterization when in fact, it works best in contrast with more subdued performances. Douglass seems to be trying too hard for laughs. It's a funny, emotional historical ride. -
brettpod24 December 2020Hawke as John Brown was a top notch performance. Other than that bring a pillow. Story moves slowly, 7 hours of television should have been a 2-3 hour movie
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Astaroth2230 October 2020Look, there's a lot to like about this... acting, lingo, outfits, cinematography, sound.... but this "stupid comedy" routine does not work. There's too much real history surrounding John Brown that would make for a great series but this script is more like a half-assed Tarantino forgery and absolutely wasn't what I signed up for. (Stopped watching at S1E4).