Before We Get Started

I would like to start out by thanking Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Twitter for putting me on. It took me a minute to actually get to watch it because Hallmark and the powers that be conspired against me, but like Reba I’m a survivor. This movie was that it was quite ambitious of Hallmark to undertake and it seems like the people involved in its production cared about what they were making. 

So They’re Black…

I’ve seen people say that Hallmark’s Sense and Sensibility tried to be like Brigerton, which is a pretty surface-level critique. Though race is not explicitly mentioned in the movie it’s present in a way I find more forthright than what Brigerton has done so far. Like Bridgerton, it has a few violin covers of popular songs, but here they are specifically from Black artists. Turns out Weak by SWV and Kiss from a Rose by Seal sound pretty good via string instrument.

The race-bend of the Dashwood ladies serves to deepen the severity of their situation. Not only are they women at a disadvantage in a patriarchal system but they are Black women. The unspoken implications of that allowed my imagination to run amok. However, the movie doesn’t just have the Dashwoods simply be Black, it acknowledges that they are as well. Touches like Olaudah Equiano’s portrait in their sitting room or mentions of Phillis Wheatley’s poetry acknowledge that there were Black people of note during this time. In a way, the movie acknowledges that the practice of chattel slavery exists as well, as both Wheatley and Equiano have a personal history of enslavement. It’s a bold move and I respect it, but unless you’re familiar with history these details may go unnoticed. Frankly it can happen even if you are familiar, there was a portrait of French General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (father of author Alexandre Dumas) that I completely missed the first time I watched it.

I’ve seen people complain about how this many Black people in a historical setting isn’t realistic or authentic. Or that if people of color are going to be included in these old works the story should be moved to modern-day like Clueless or West Side Story. These kinds of opinions treat people of color, Black people specifically, like oppression is the only way we can be represented in a historical setting. Not to mention realism and authenticity are not as fiercely protected when white casts are involved, wherein it is called creative liberties or anachronism.

In an interview with Den of Geek Dr. Vanessa Riley, the film’s historical advisor, says, “We don’t need to invent anything to explain our presence when the history is already there.” That is the perspective from which this movie was made and I completely agree with it. In this same interview, Dr. Riley mentions that during the Regency era, Queen Louise and King Henri of Haiti had more money on hand than even the King of England. The problem is that this history isn’t popularized nor does it fit the narrative that Black people lived purely in subjugation until the powers that be decided to grant their freedom. This conversation comes up whenever Black people are cast in a historical role that isn’t downtrodden and you would think people would get tired of being so reactionary.

Somehow Their Color Changes Nothing

None of this serves to take away from the Austen vibes or the romance between Mr. Ferrars and Elinor. The bulk of the cast was Black or mixed race and the story played out exactly like I knew it would. I came for a restrained Regency romance and that is exactly what I received. After this and Tom Jones on PBS I’m curious what other old stories can be adapted with a more diverse cast, or better yet an original idea. Naturally, I imagine Black leads, heroines in particular, but the beauty of it is that it can be anyone in any kind of configuration. Have we learned nothing from Brandy’s Cinderella? Mix these actors up like alphabet soup if the chemistry is right, cause the end result will absolutely be worth it. 

There is a White Man in the Movie, but Should There Be?

Now there is something to be said that the main couple, in my eyes at least, is an interracial one with a white man. The majority of interracial relationships, in film at least, have at least one white person. So even when diversity is present there is still a particular emphasis on whiteness. After all, they are the love interest, so what they’re doing/feeling/etc matters in the grand scheme of things. I don’t expect a Hallmark movie to challenge the status quo, so the fact that this movie was made at all impresses the heck out of me. I’m all for movies that take the aesthetic of this period and have lords and ladies of diverse backgrounds with no explanation. Mr. Malcolm’s List did that and it was amazing. (It’s also available on Kanopy and Hoopla if you have a library card)

Final Thoughts, I Have Many

My takeaway is if the internet is going to be up in arms over accuracy and realism over the slightest additions or adjustments, then dedication to those things doesn’t truly matter. So filmmakers should just have fun with it. Take the staples and hallmarks of the period and chuck the rest. 

More Mr. Malcolm’s Lists. 

More daring Bridgerton seasons (stop being cowards!). 

More castings of actresses like Francesca Amewudah-Rivers and Sophie Wilde in adaptations. (Stop harassing Black actors!!!)

I hope at some point books like Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy or literally anything by Beverly Jenkins gets adapted, but we can start with dead white authors in the public domain I suppose. At the end of the day what I want is to see people of color in everything. All settings, periods, and situations. I may gravitate to certain genres but I have watched so many terrible and wonderful things in the name of representation. This is a lifelong commitment I have made and I stand by it. 

Anyway, this movie really impressed me. It was way beyond what I have come to expect from a Hallmark movie. It satisfies my period romance needs and I get to look at the gorgeous Deborah Ayorinde to boot. This is a win for me in particular even though I did nothing but press play. I will say though that If you haven’t already seen the movie you’ll have a hard time getting your hands on it. Hallmark doesn’t seem to want to replay it anytime soon. From what I can tell, it’s the only one of their Jane Austen movies not slated for replay. I wonder why?