The Frock Flicks team is taking a little time off for a summer break, so we’re repeating some favorite posts from the archives.
Not a conventional biopic, this film focuses on NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall’s work to combat anti-Black discrimination by the legal system, before he became a Supreme Court justice. Plus, the film features excellent costumes by Ruth E. Carter.
(Thurgood) Marshall Is Full of ’40s Fabulosity
Why are all of your summer repeats are movies and TV productions about African-American issues? This is not Black History Month and I think you’re being a bit ham-fisted in your support of black issues. No productions regarding Latino, Asian
Really? You’re questioning why it’s a good time to amplify Black stories right now in the summer of 2020? You think they should be quarantined — or do you mean, ghettoized? — into the shortest month of the year only? Really?
SMH.
Yes I am questioning this. You should have been doing this regularly without needing a current political movement to push you into suddenly focusing on Black stories This feels like lip service. In fact, if you’re so concerned with this political movement, why not focus on Latino, Asian and Native American issues as well? There have been recent incidents of discrimination and brutality regarding those groups as well.
If you look at the original dates, you’d see we’ve written these at various times & years. That we’re repeating them now is relevant.
We already review costume dramas about BIPOC when we can find them throughout the year. And if you read carefully, maybe you’d notice that we’re consistently pointing out storylines that don’t show BIPOC as fully formed characters — even tho’ our main focus of this site is historical costumes.
We could do more if the movie & TV industries made more costume dramas about BIPOC people. But we’re working with what we’ve got & doing the best we can.
Calling it “lip service” is unfair & short-sighted.
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Thanks for highlighting this movie. When it came out, I couldn’t get past the fact that Chadwick Boseman bears no resemblance whatsoever to Thurgood Marshall. I’m over it now. Gonna put this movie in my lineup!
It’s a good film and great costumes. I watched it today. I learned a bit about the great man too.
Now I’m going to read your blog about the clothes, Kate’s hair, makeup and suits were amazing!