The new Netflix film “Rustin” centers on Bayard Rustin, a civil rights fighter and the main planner of the 1963 March on Washington who frequently labored ceaselessly in the background.
The new Netflix film “Rustin” centers on Bayard Rustin, a civil rights fighter and the main planner of the 1963 March on Washington who frequently labored ceaselessly in the background.
Colman Domingo plays Rustin in the movie, which had its world premiere on Monday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Rustin was a legendary figure who spent decades working with Martin Luther King Jr., and whose idea for the March on Washington, where the “I Have a Dream” speech was given, resulted in one of the most memorable moments in American history.
Rustin once remarked, “I believe in social upheaval and creative difficulty.
Barack and Michelle Obama’s production business, Higher Ground, has released its first narrative movie, “Rustin,” which was helmed by seasoned theater and film director George C. Wolfe. “Rustin” attempts to honor a significant but little-known civil rights fighter, anchored by a standout performance by Domingo that is already expected to earn him an Academy Award consideration for best actor.
According to Wolfe, “So much of what he did was compassionate and motivated by responsibility — not arrogance but responsibility.” “He had an astonishingly well-organized brain. His heroic potential was not motivated by self-interest. He was also humorous.
Rustin, a Black openly gay man who passed away in 1987, lived in a period when being one of those things was enough to land him in jail. Rustin was sentenced to 50 days in prison and listed as a sex offender in 1953; the conviction was overturned in 2020 by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Wolfe, a major figure in theater who directed “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” by Tony Kushner, “Topdog/Underdog” by Suzan-Lori Parks, and the musical “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk,” was initially drawn to Rustin as a subject after learning about him while serving as the creative director for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
Wolfe, who is Black and gay and has a laser-focus on assembling a show, greatly identified with Rustin’s sense of purpose and his reluctance to fit into preconceived categories.
“My definition of myself is so much larger,” claims Wolfe. “Since I’m busy, I’m not going to waste time debating with you what I can and cannot accomplish. You are obviously not that busy if you are attempting to put me in a box. I fully understand that. It’s like saying, “Get out of my way, I’m directing ‘Angels in the America,’ a seven-hour play.” I’m making a film about Bayard Rustin,’ I said. I have work to do. Can I get rid of my embarrassment so that I can go accomplish this? Can I overcome my fear?
Rustin, a Quaker who was bred in Pennsylvania, was renowned for being elusive. He was a pacifist who firmly believed in nonviolent protest; he was the illegitimate son of an immigrant from the West Indies. He was imprisoned for 28 months during World War II for refusing to serve in the military. He later rose to prominence as an advocate for Israel. He got dedicated to ending segregation after seeing discrimination firsthand. Rustin assisted in planning the initial freedom rides and, after getting arrested during one of them, once spent 22 days on a chain gang in North Carolina. He had a key role in organizing the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955–1956.
After viewing a version of the movie, former President Obama, who presented Rustin with the Congressional Medal of Freedom in 2013, made some recommendations to Wolfe.
According to Wolfe, “His notes were very wise and very thorough and they were deeply helpful.” Nobody enjoys listening to notes. But when they’re intelligent, it’s beneficial.
“Rustin,” which will premiere in a few theaters on November 3 and be available on Netflix on November 17, is Wolfe’s second straight movie for the streaming site after the Oscar-nominated “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Chadwick Boseman had one of his final performances in the 2020 movie. Wolfe admits that Boseman would have had a role in “Rustin.”
Without a doubt, he replies. “We had discussed collaborating. I emailed him a piece of writing, and he sent me a script to read. Therefore, it seems like a very unfinished conversation to me.
The dramatization of “Rustin” depicts the hectic planning for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as well as Rustin’s juggling of numerous conflicting interests, including the NAACP, labor organizations, and police forces. Chris Rock plays NAACP director Roy Wilkins, Jeffrey Wright portrays Baptist pastor Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Audra McDonald portrays activist Ella Baker, and Aml Ameen plays King in the supporting cast.
“People seldom ever recall the work. Wolfe claims, “It is the collective.” When one individual delivers one of the most inspirational speeches in this country’s history, it’s understandable.