Colman Domingo IS Bayard Rustin

Ugh. No thanks.

The FBI Tried to crush him, and they insisted that Martin Luther King, Jr. break off his ties to Rustin. Anyone who has ever read anything about the Civil Rights Movement knows about Bayard Rustin. He was a very important figure.

Love Domingo, but this sounds like homework. Then again, I did not know Rustin was homo, so that intrigues me and I might check it out.

I was just listening to an episode of The Rest is History podcast about MLK's Dream speech, and Rustin figures heavily in the lead-up. What R2 says is right, and they tried not to give permits for the march on Washington if he was involved, but he was such a logistical genius that King still made him his deputy for the project. They said he not only worked out how to do the march and what they would need for it in what quantities, but he even got into detail like telling participants not to put mayo on their sandwiches because it goes off too easily outside the refrigerator and might give them the runs, when they had to stand all day in the sun. He was a big picture guy who was also great on detail, so he freed King up to focus on the visionary stuff.

Love Colman, so hope this turns out to be good.

Wasn’t he a fag?

It's a great story so I hope it's a good movie.

He was a cast member on "The Big Gay Sketch Show." His 'Maya Angelou' readings were very funny.

R1. Why? A film about an unsung gay hero of the Civil Rights Movement. What’s “ugh” about that?

I didn't know much about Rustin until I read about him recently in James Kirchik's "Secret City." He was gay and out in the '60s, and part of King's inner circle. It's actually a story that deserves to be told.

Hopefully they don't end on his death, a ruptured appendix is not the most cinematic/climactic thing in the world.

President Ronald Reagan issued a statement on Rustin's death, praising his work for civil rights and "for human rights throughout the world". He added that Rustin "was denounced by former friends, because he never gave up his conviction that minorities in America could and would succeed based on their individual merit".[6]

R9, all I know is that I have R1 blocked. The movie looks terrific.

I’m sorry, I don’t know what Bayard was like in real life, but the actor is playing him with Billy Porter-levels of camp

Was he really like this?

I don’t see that, r14.

Some video in the linked story, but he’s giving speeches so it’s hard to tell.

Less formal speaking

Must watch this.

Remember David Ehrenstein? That’s how I picture him at r17

Looks interesting. A real gay hero.

Coleman Domingo is an out Gay actor and married his husband 9 years ago. So, IMO this was an excellent choice. The next Black historical figure/literary figure should be Langston Hughes. A tormented soul and a brilliant funny creative man.

Colman Domingo is 10x the actor Billy Porter. He was superb on Broadway in Passing Strange and The Scottsboro Boys.

Great on the first season of Euphoria as Rue’s sponsor. Can’t wait to check this out.

R14 There was nothing camp about the trailer. You just wanna talk shit. He was a fkin out gay black man in the 60s. Of course he is going to be somewhat queer non traditionally masculine.

R21 They did a Langston Hughes biopic with an A LIST STAR. You probably don’t remember because that shit flopped because Chadwick Boseman doesn’t look shit like Langston Hughes. It was absurd. Not even remotely close. I guess after Jackie Robinson and James Brown the filmmakers just had to HAVE Boseman star.

Oooos my bad. Boseman played Thurgood Marshall not Langston Hughes. Still didn’t look shit like him and it flopped.

A guy went to college with played Langston Hughes in the Queen Latifah Bessie biopic.

Boseman with all due respect was all wrong for the role of Thurgood Marshall.

Colman is a good friend of my husband’s and a great guy. Looking forward to this.

R8 Those sketches were always highlights.

“No fatsssss! No femmesss!”

Love Colman Domingo, this should be good

Produced by the Obamas

John D’Emilio’s bio of him, Lost Prohet, is excellent.

prophet

He could play Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson too. They Look similar.

The Obamas produced this? And right around the time they discovered that letter from Barack waxing poetic about his same sex attractions…

Domingo is probably good in this, but George C. Wolfe is a terrible film director (Ma Rainey is an abomination), and Dustin Lance Black's one great talent is bagging twinks who are out of his league. It certainly isn't screenwriting, unless there's a great Bayard Rustin documentary he can essentially plagiarize.

Review

Wake me when they make the Rustin Charles (a.k.a. Levi Michaels) biopic.

His monologues opposite Colby Keller will surely be Oscar-worthy.

Another review

Oh this is cowritten by the guy who married the Olympic diver and punched that lesbian in the head?

I’m halfway in. So far it’s a lot better than the usual Netflix trash.

R42, I haven’t watched it yet but I heard good things from two straight guys who are history/political types so I’m definitely going to check it out this weekend.

Shvartzes?

I don't think most Dee Plorables use Yiddish like thar?

I went to a screening of The Color Purple last night and there was a panel discussion after with the cast and director and producers. I had no idea Colman is gay. He’s fantastic in the movie and spoke intelligently about the character and how he approached his portrayal. There was much discussion across the panel about bringing people together and he did specifically mention gay/straight which makes more sense now. I’m interested to check Rustin out now

Rustin is told against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, and the often fractious infighting among the leaders, and how the 1963 March on Washington evolved. His homosexuality was central to the narrative. It was very well done. He even got a couple of love scenes. Jeffrey Wright was in it as Adam Clayton Powell. The way he was portrayed is going to invite controversy. But it seems accurate to me. I've read a lot of history about the movement and the leading personalities over the years.

Jeffrey Wright is wonderful in everything he does.

I saw Jeffrey Wright in an off Broadway play about 20 years ago and he was exceptional. I follow him on Twitter.

So Bayard was a top?

Saw it just now, can't recall the last time I enjoyed a biopic so much. I heard some critics saying the comedic tone detracts from the serious subject matter, but I couldn't disagree more; it's so refreshing to see the civil rights struggle not being presented as (only) misery porn like it usually is, it paradoxically helps the serious moments hit harder and the movie doesn't feel like homework either. Great stuff.

Domingo is on another level. I didn't feel for a second that I was watching an actor acting, it just felt like I was watching a historical personality the whole time. Such a shame he won't get nominated for this, it really is outstanding work.

I think Domingo is superb (I have been a fan since Passing Strange) and the other actors are consistently strong. The directing and writing I found uninteresting and formulaic. Wolfe managed to make August Wilson seem trite and boring, so no surprise--and I think he has done excellent stage work, so he may just not be a director for film. The writing felt very by the numbers--much more so, even, than "Milk."

[quote]Such a shame he won't get nominated for this

WHy not?

Yeah, why wouldn’t he get any nominations? Cause it wasn’t released in theaters?

Nommed

Watched this today, and it's far more solid than expected. Tastefully done and Domingo.deserves the nom, and could be seen as a contender in some scenarios. Recommended.

Why weren’t you expecting it to be solid, R56?

Netflix.

I just watched this. I thought it was very good and Colman Domingo was outstanding