DON’T SLEEP ON CBC’S THE PORTER

When it comes to filming a period piece, a lot of things have to go right for the story to be told and have an impact on the audience. To shoot an era where it is reflective upon a community and a nation is an opportunity in itself. It must be handled with a lot of care, especially in these fragile times where you can be cancelled before you even come out of the gate. The Porter is a series where there was great attention to detail resulting in a celebration masterpiece.

1920s Montreal

The 1920s in Montreal were some interesting times for all Canadians especially those who came from the Caribbean. It was a black diaspora where many emigrated to the north to lead and inspire and above all find a better life. Being a porter was one of those respectable positions that a Black Canadian was able to fulfill during that time.

John Arthur Robinson was a Canadian National Pacific Railway porter who organized the first black union in Canada called the Order of Sleep Car Porters. He also fought for his black-co workers to be in the whites-only Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees. This was a small movement that has made such a huge impact on where our country of Canada is today. The courage, motivation and inspiration of the porters have never been documented quite like the one that premieres on CBC on February 21st, 9 PM. The Porter was inspired by these true events.

Black Diaspora

The Porter is a BET+/CBC production that will reframe and adapt this period to show the diversity and fullness of the black diaspora. Directed by Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne, The Porter gears to celebrate the success of the black community resisting oppression. The eight-episode series which will also be streaming on CBC GEM wants to be aspirational. The Porter is a fast-paced, tense yet highly entertaining series that carefully depicts the lives, friends and families of the porters. Even though this series intends to be black-centred, The Porter should be viewed and discussed by every Canadian of any colour.

The Cast

The Porter is headed by two characters Junior Massey played by Aml Ameen and Zeke played by Ronnie Rowe Jr. Both porters are living on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Junior is also trying to make a living on the side by gambling and bootlegging. His wife Marlene, played by Mouna Traoré is a Black Cross nurse who is trying to serve her community. Both are trying to put their family ahead by all means necessary.

Zeke on the other hand is thinking long-term and trying to form a union for his fellow porters. Lucy Conrad, played by Loren Lott rounds up this group of main characters. She is a dancer who works at a nightclub and does anything possible to stand out and become a star. These four all lead an intriguing life but what happens when they are all headed towards a collision course with each other?

When asking both director Charles Officer and RT Thorne which character was difficult to fulfill, it was surprising. The role of Miss Queenie was a boss, a gangster and had the upper hand on men like Junior. She had to be the centre of The Porter and the character that the audience was hauntingly looking forward to seeing what she would do next. She had to be charming yet someone not to be messed with.

Olunike Adeliyi plays the ruthless and violent character of Miss Queenie. She plays the role so well that you will think that she is the epitome of a gangster. During those times it was unheard of for a woman to climb up to those ranks. Her dark side manages for everyone to look good. The tension she brings upon The Porter is representative of the struggle that the black community had to endure in this time frame.

Beautiful and Tense

The Porter crafts these tense moments amongst the characters to celebrate when they are resisting oppression. In this series, we see those necessary steps to build a movement like a black union that Zeke spearheads. Or for characters like Junior who sees a failed system that does not serve him, his fellow workers or his community. He resorts to the world of gambling and bootlegging so he can put food on the table for his family. But he must go through Miss Queenie and sustain an intense and dangerous relationship with the high-level gangster to gain those basics. Director RT Thorne reflects on the struggles of the black community during this time and says about The Porter,

The Hunger

The Porter is a great opportunity for every member of the audience to reflect on how inspiring it was for these characters to make a difference in their communities. Having a black-centred cast with a black lead film crew to tell those stories of their ancestors is a true depiction of this time. Director Charles Officer could not have said it any better when speaking of getting The Porter off the ground. He says,

He knows that once that hunger disappears, these stories will not be told let alone disappear. But what has taken place here is an opportunity that was taken by the horns. The result is a series that is smooth, intense, sassy and highly entertaining. The Porter is ready to make history by showing what history was made of.

https://gem.cbc.ca/media/the-porter/s01