Book Vs Movie "Passing" (2021) Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga

Book Vs. Movie PassingNella Larsen’s 1929 Novella Vs the 2021 Rebecca Hall FilmFebruary is African American History Month and the Margos use that time to cover creators who write, act, and direct films with African American themes. This episode is devoted to writer Nella Larsen (1891-1964) who grew up in a Danish family though she was the only one with African/Cuban ancestry making her different among her community and family. She married Elmer Imes (the second African American to earn a PhD. in physics) in 1919 and they settled in vibrant Harlem as it was becoming an artist’s mecca. She writes her first story Quicksand in 1928 and followed it up with 1929’s Passing which received good notices at the time but Larsen never achieved the fame she craved along with her male peers. After earning a Guggenheim award for writing, she tried to publish more stories but eventually returned to an earlier career in nursing. She died unknown and quietly in Brooklyn at the age of 72. Passing, which achieved a renaissance in the 1980s, is the story of two women who are African American but are light-skinned and can, therefore “pass” for white. Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield are high school friends who meet up by chance in Chicago where Clare is now married to a racist white man (he does not know her ethnicity) and Irene is married to a doctor and lives in Harlem. Lonely Clare causes havoc in Irene’s life by seeming to flirt with Irene’s husband and insinuating herself in Irene’s social life. Their relationship ends in tragedy. The movie is the directorial debut of actor Rebecca Hall who has a fascinating back story of her own and stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. So, between the original story and the 2021 adaptation--which did we prefer? In this ep the Margos discuss:The biography of author Nella LarsenWhat race relations were like in NYC in the 1920sWhy Rebecca Hall has a connection to the storyStarring: Tessa Thomson (Irene Redfield,) Ruth Negga (Clare Bellew,) Andre Holland (BrianRedfield,) Bill Camp (Hugh Wentworth,) Alexander Skarsgard (John Bellew,) Gbenga Akinnagbe (Dave Freedland,) Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (Felise,) and Ashley Ware Jenkins as Zu. Clips used:Clare and Irene meet Passing trailerIreme meets Clare’s husbandIrene and Brian discuss ClareBrian wants to talk about lynchingClare thanks IreneJohn confronts Clare Music by Devonte HynesBook Vs. Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts. Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.comEmail us at [email protected] Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com [email protected] P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/ Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine