MovieChat Forums > Blacula (1972) Discussion > Isn't this movie a litlle racist ??

Isn't this movie a litlle racist ??


Blacula even the name seems a litlle racist to me, what do you guys think?

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Not at all.

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I think the point of this particular movie was to be a little racist. It was "blaxploitation" after all, and it was supposed to be making a statement on slavery, hence the back story of Mamawalde being in Transylvania to protest the slave trade and then being "enslaved" by Dracula himself and Mamawalde's wife being objectified as black women tended to be by white men who liked the taboo of a little brown sugar, lol

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Absolutely, it's racist. That's the whole point. There's another movie called Blackenstein. BUT...it's a movie made nearly a half century ago. Things were different then. We had recently changed the rules of civil rights, but that doesn't stop the teams from testing each other. No harm done. Fun, yet very dated, film.

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No, the film isn't racist-----you two just showed that you don understand the meaning of the word. It was mainly the main actor himself, and the director of the film, William Crain, who was also black, who came up with ideas for the character of Mumawalde---such as him being a black African prince who was cursed by an evil white slave-selling vampire, and some other good ideas. Crain was one of the interviewees in the documentary Horror Noire--which is about the history of black people in horror films. It's definitely worth seeing.

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I don't think it is. Other than the bizarre title, it is a legit horror movie and doesn't make fun of any race in any way.

Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.

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Man, today's society sucks, everyone having to walk on PC racial eggshells and all.

Just relax and stop panicking about how "racist" the movie is - it was (and still is) a really fun cheesy movie, and BOTH whites and blacks enjoyed it!

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The name "Blacula" may be racist, sure. But then again it depends on how you define "racism". Too many people by default assume "racism" to be racial hatred. And IMO this movie simply does not proceed in any such intention.

The actor plays his part with great dignity and at all times I felt during watching the flick that he was greatly respected by the cast and crew, and enjoyed playing the role.

Likewise, the characters are not the stereotypical types seen in so-called black-sploitation movies of this period. And I guarantee, if they had been, I would have stopped watching straight away.

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Why is it racist?

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Watch the movie, it makes more sense than you would expect. Hundreds of years ago, Prince Mamuwalde traveled to Transylvania to enlist the help of a certain count in stopping the abduction of Africans by slave traders. Things did not go well, and after giving Mamuwalde the curse of vampirism, this certain count dubbed him "Blacula" as an insult.

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People werent as sensitive about language issues back then.

Words dont kill people-bullets do.

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I laugh everytime Draula tells him his name shall be Blacula...PRICELESS!

NINA MAE MCKINNEY IS MAGNIFICENT

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The only thing that may be remotely racist is the timing of the movie. Totally capitalization of the blaxploitation trend. Otherwise, the styles, the language, fashions, music, etc were totally in step with the times for the audience it was aimed at.
I'm African American (as is the film's director) & I think it's a really original spin on the same old Dracula/ vampire genre. Especially for back then. Maybe it would've been better if it had come out earlier or later than the early 70s. I also agree with what some here have said- that the racism in the title alone fits. What a *great* idea to make Dracula out to be a racist! Why *wouldn't* he be? He's from the 'old world" & very likely would have racist views, thus dubbing Mamuwalde with a racist name- "Blacula".

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The story isn't really original. It repeats The Mummy and House of Dark Shadows plots pretty closely. What is original is the ending where he destroys himself after losing his love once again. Thats original and takes after the whole "non violence" that MLK used to preach

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I'm repeating something I just wrote in another thread, so forgive me for being redundant. "Blacula" and its sequel, "Scream, Blacula Scream" were important films even if their subject matter (vampires) was lightweight and exploitative. Both films presented minority characters in a wide range of social situations and backgrounds. Most of its black characters were presented as cultured, articulate, intelligent, beautiful, and often wealthy. Even the main villain, Mamuwalde, is more like a tragic hero. He's not a bad guy at all, he is a dignified person who was cursed to hurt people against his will. The two gay characters in "Blacula" are successful businessmen, they're an interracial couple, and they're shown having genuine affection for one another in a non-sexualized way; most importantly, the fact that they're gay is treated very matter-of-fact. All of this was extremely groundbreaking for a film of this era. The stereotypical aspects of "Blacula" are all very surface, and none of it seems mean-spirited or intentionally controversial. 1972 was a long time ago, so naturally it looks dated to us in 2013. But I don't think this is a bigoted film at all, I think it's very positive and important.

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