Movie Talks Archives

Posted by: bigred760 at February 16, 2006, 7:56 pm

Topic: King Kong!! WOW! (Reviews) Forum: JoBlo

Quote: Originally Posted by wildandhairy What I really am reacting to are people (not necessarily yourself) who describe it as a terrific American film etc etc and completely ignore the race elements. For example, that the word 'slave' is never used, that the reality of slavery is completely ignored, and that the Reconstruction period was pictured as looting by the North--partly but hardly completely true. The AFrican Americans outside of Scarlett's care were pictured as ignorant buffoons easily swayed by Northern carpetbaggers. A film that deals with the Civil War so extensively, both what caused it and what happened after it, but that does not have the guts to even use the word slavery is, in itself, racist. And not acceptable as "a sign of the times." It was indeed a racist sign of the times then, and even today when people celebrate it as a great American film (it is) but ignore its inherent racism. So, you would change GWTW by making the blacks scholars, teachers, and college graduates? The movie is probably nowhere near my top 20 or even 50, but I'm afraid that's just the way things were. African Americans were not educated people in 1850-60s America. I wouldn't necessarily call them morons, but definitely ignorant - white people and slave owners didn't make teachers available to them. The only thing they knew is that they were slaves and that they had to work for white people. Now, I don't know about the use of the word "slavery" in the movie, like I said, it's been a while since I've seen the movie; but does the word actually have to be used in order for the movie not to be racist. Just because racism is being portrayed, doesn't make the movie racist - factual, maybe, but not NECESSARILY racist. Quote: Again, watching GTWT you'd think the Blacks Scarlett owned were not slaves, but loyal employees. What is totally skewed about that picture? Maybe that's the way things were. I don't like it any more than you do, but it is the way things were. Hell, even after the war was over; an ex-slave saves Scarlett from being raped and/or killed (Big Sam? or something was his name). Now she technically "owned" him before the war, but still after being freed, he felt the need to come to her aid. Now you'd think he'd be really pissed off at her for being his former "owner," but apparently he liked her; she didn't treat him badly or anything. Quote: By the way, the point about Butterfly McQueen was not that she was not a good actress (she was) but that her character, who I think had the largest speaking part of any Black in the film, was a total moron. I don't recall any dignified Black character, except perhaps the butler. It is hard to see the stereotyped depicition of the "Mammy" as not being racist. Again, I'll pull the "lack of education" card. And I think the "Mammy" character became stereotyped after GWTW because of McQueen's performance and portrayal. I just don't think that a movie's portrayal of racism makes the movie racist. Yes, the Civil War is a big part of the movie, but not the main focus. The movie's not about the freeing of slaves - it's just what factually happened in history and the movie portrays that. Quote: One of the reasons why one should be concerned about racism in US films (or Canadian films, I suppose, for that matter) is that so many people simply choose to ignore offensive material rather than deal with it. Have you seen Crash? The movie deals a lot about racism in today's society . . . well, Los Angeles anyway. It deals a lot about offensive remarks, material, and peoples' choices on how to deal with it. Not just black & white, but Latino, Arab, and more. Good movie. Quote: For example, High Sierra is a terrific film noir with Humphrey Bogart, made (if I recall) right before The Maltese Falcon. You are probably familiar with the film, which is a tragedy depicting the downfall of a recently released felon (Bogart). For me the film is forever tainted by the totally racist depiction of the single Black character in the film--who is superstitious, rolls his eyes, and indulges in every despicable stereotype John Huston (of all people) and his screen writer (W.R. Burnett?) could drag up. This was pandering to an audience at its very worst, feeding it racist stereotypes. No one writes this about High Sierra, they just describe it as an American classic and ignore the blatant racism. I have seen High Sierra, it's the movie that first put Humphrey Bogart on the map. I don't know too much about it and don't remember it that well though, so I can't respond to what Huston and/or the writer's intentions or stereotypes. Quote: I don't think ignoring racism, or dismissing it, is a good idea. It is one reason why there remains so much racism so today, that people do not deal with it. Neither do I. I agree that there is still racism today, but I believe the "situation" has gotten better and will continue to improve. It's certainly a hell of a lot better that it was in the 1960s (not that I know from experience or anything, but my English class did study Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech in my 11th grade English class).

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