Black People and Period Pieces

A little while ago, I watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. It had been a while since I sat down to watch a period piece because I usually find them boring and strenuous. But while I was watching, I asked myself “when was the last time I watched a period piece?” I thought it was when I watched The Favourite back in 2019, a year after it came out, but then I realized the last period piece I watched was actually Judas and the Black Messiah.

I felt confused because I had never thought of a movie like that as a period piece. There were afros, suede blazers, black berets, and flared jeans so I knew that it was set in the late 1960’s. The slang that they used, and the events that the movie surrounded also helped establish the setting. The civil rights movement is a pivotal moment in US history. I’ve seen plenty of pieces set in this time: Lovecraft Country, Selma, Remember the Titans, etc. but I’ve never thought of them as period pieces.

Whenever I think “period piece” I think of a random white woman in a corset trying to find love in the 1800’s. I always think of Keira Knightley in amazing costume design or Saoirse Ronan with an artificial accent or Kiera Knightley in amazing costume design and Saoirse Ronan with an artificial accent in the same movie.

So, combining black people and period pieces felt weird. It has come to my realization that all period pieces with black people in the 1800’s are all slavery movies.

Which is kind of obvious but heartbreaking at the same time. Every single period piece that I watch that features black people is about them being brutally abused and mistreated.

I realized that the spectrum of period pieces for white people is from white men going into unnecessary wars to rich white women pinning after rich white men. Whereas the spectrum for black period pieces is from slavery to civil rights to police brutality.

I feel left out. I’ve seen so many movies about white people living in luxury in every single century. A lot of period pieces are biopics of white royals or tycoons. They are usually about them struggling with greed and isolation. This contributes to the feelings of displacement as a black person in this genre because I know that these people and their ridiculous grandeur actually existed. They also all existed with the backdrops of wars, and wealth gaps, and slavery. While these people like Marie Antionette were worried about being lonely infertile women, millions of French citizens were subjected to poverty and starvation.

Movies like Gone with the Wind or one of the seven million Little Women are about well off white women navigating independence with the civil war being their backdrop. Things like wars, extreme poverty, epidemics, revolutions etc. are always just expositions or settings for a lot of period pieces. Whenever I watch a period piece I ask myself “what were black people doing at this time?” and the answer is never exactly fun.

If we were to make a period piece for black people that wasn’t completely about slavery, poverty, or police brutality it probably wouldn’t be historically accurate. It would most likely have to be fantasy. But I feel like the reason why people enjoy period pieces is because they feel like a fantasy. A lot of countries have ditched monarchies and the way that wealth manifests now is different from the outlandish castles that are featured in period pieces.

But how would a black person fit into that? All of those palaces, the striking wardrobe, the traditions, etc. are European. So would we put a black person in the spaces that are the antithesis of their culture and liberation. Or would we pull a Coming to America, where they can experience the joys of monarchy with the backdrop of a pseudo African culture and country. I really enjoyed that movie as a kid. The comfort and splendor that the characters experience is something that I appreciate.

The unfortunate part is that Coming to America isn’t a period piece, so we would have to figure out a point in history for the movie to be set in. So, we would have to work around the whole slave trade thing. And then find a way to avoid all of the European colonization. But, if it was a fictional story then those events wouldn’t need to exist or be a primary conflict. But then, I wonder what would be the language that they speak. In movies like Black Panther, there is a fake language that is used with English. This makes wonder about the ethics of making a movie that is free of the realities of colonization but still primarily uses English.

If the movie is made for black Americans, such as myself, then it would have to fit the American palate which means including English. It also means that it would have to include western themes and story structure. I personally am not sure that I’m bothered by that, but it still is something to think about. There is no way to make this period piece without it having some European influences.

So is a light-hearted period piece with black people possible? I think so. If period pieces are mostly about living in fantasy then I think it would be feasible to make a fictional story. The show Bridgerton does this. I have no idea if it does it well because I’ve never watched it, but considering the popularity of the show it seems like the American people have no problem with imaging black people (at least light skinned bi-racials) in these settings.

I don’t really know what the best course of action would be for a non-traumatizing period piece. If it would mean it had to be placed in a European landscape, I don’t think I would mind. If it was put in a fake African country, I think as an African-American I would like to see it. I would honestly like to see any movie featuring a black cast without any pain considering how the last couple of weeks have been. I think it would be a very interesting and quite honestly relieving thing to see.

I want black people to be able to imagine themselves in more spaces and situations that don’t involve an overwhelming amount of pain. I feel like I’m not particularly interested in a historical fiction movie, but it is another space that I want black people to be able to occupy. The collection of period pieces that black audiences are offered is a sad microcosm of how black people are not able to just exist free of terror in America.

Period pieces and films set in modern times both feature black pain. Even though I think it is fair and necessary to put these narratives on screen I also hate how it ‘s our only exposure to black art. Black artists and performers are really only given platforms when they are talking about black trauma. Other black creators are never given the same recognition when their art is depicting either the excellence or casualness of blackness.

So yes art gods, please give a black person the funding to make a fun and grand period piece where their creativity is their only limit not their blackness or oppression. Hollywood, let’s make it a trend to celebrate blackness and decorate it with beautiful settings. Black and even non-black audiences should be offered a piece of media where marginalized people can occupy any space and any time.