Deep south 1930's...apparently racism didn't exhist. Even though Spike Lee may disagree, I think there was no intentional racist stir at Bagger Vance being a black caddy. Is the book any different? Because honestly, you might as well have taken out the southern accents as well. I just think that is a huge hole in realism for the movie.
shareBagger was supposed to be a supernatural figure. Think of the lack of racism towards him as being the result of his powers.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
Looking at it from a realistic standpoint, you're right that there would have been more prejudice towards Bagger than what is in the movie. However, back in those days, black men and children often caddied for white golfers. Also, Junuh approved of Bagger, and since everyone was behind Junuh, they would have approved of Bagger as well.
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What I don't understand is why do people want racism to be in the film. It has nothing to do with the story.
shareIt's not that they want the racism in the film. They just expected a film taking place in the deep south of the U.S. in the 1930's to have racism.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
So they were disappointed because there was no racism? I don't get it.
shareWhere did I mention anything about them being disappointed? There is a difference between expecting something that doesn't happen and being disappointed if it doesn't happen.
If I took a physical exam and I expected the doctor to give me medical results that show I have a serious disease and he instead tells me that I'll be fine believe me I wouldn't be disappointed.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
Oh, at first I thought this thread was to point out holes in the movie. Reversely, it is a thread about reliving the joy felt at the absence of something that would have only worsened the movie. And I thought I was the only one.
shareHuh?
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
Yup.
shareApGame are you the type that acts like racism or the civil rights movement never happened/exist? I'm not in any way bothered by the fact racism was left out of the film and I thank the first few posters for explaining the significance of why it was left out.
I never said I wanted anything in the film or expected something to be in it that wasn't(in this case racism). I was just curious if racism was possible in the book and it was a directors choice to leave it out. Which apparently was not the case being it wasn't in either!
Okay, no I am not that "type".
Sorry, but I've actually seen people complain about this and use it as a reason to bash the movie.
Nobody 'wants' racism in the film, the OP just expected more realism from the movie.
We're talking deep, deep southern USA in the 1930s. Racism was as thoroughly accepted as breathing and sleeping back then.
We're all happy racism is an aspect that doesn't feature in this film, but it's a missing part if you wanted the film to be realistic. I'm really happy Redford decided not to portray that, though
I'm happy with them not portraying it either. It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but I think they meant it more for families than anything else. It'd be kinda hard for the studio to sell this as a family film if Bagger was lynched on the 17th hole.
sharelol
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Actually even Southern racists had no problem with 40 year old black "boys" who "knew there place" and weren't "uppity n!ggers." Outwardly Bagger was a servant totin' a bag for a white man. Hell, even Augusta National, one of the whitest places on earth had black caddies until recently when golfers started bringing their own. So there was no need for the movie to show outward racism.
Modern socialism is when corporate jets land [at Reagan Airport] in DC. -JK Gilbraith, 1983
Not sure if troll, but if so, please troll harder next time.
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Ah....you haven't learned anything. All attitude, no wit.
shareFrom what I have heard, those top golfers were a tiny bit anti- black and anti Semitic 😁
shareHoly *beep* you're being ridiculous, and purposefully obtuse, I think. If you seriously can't grasp a basic need for realism in a story like this...well, one can hope you've grown up a bit in the years since.
sharePoint is there is no reason for race to be in the movie, outside of your preprogrammed expectations.
As far as your analogy it would indeed seem odd, perhaps dissapointing if your Doctor gave you a test and then began your next discussion with talk of how the fish are biting of the coast of Long Island. I say this because the mere fact that a movie was made to have taken place in the 1920s South does not require that it focus on or even mention race. Yes, people actually had other thoughts, other interests and more going on in their lives. Just as a Doctor and a patient could have a discussion without disappointments so too could a black man carry a set of golf clubs without a discourse on race relations.
Most people are trying to move on from the slavery issue of seven generations ago, the hate of three or four generations ago, a hate that was shared only by a relatively few people back then.
All of the focus on differences is today generating hate where twenty five years ago none existed, and it should stop. There are many people who have a vested interest in hate. It is their living, it gets them reelected, gets them power and fame and it is also a good seller because it is habit forming. Just as with any other bad habit, hate can be given up, permanently, but only if one stops obsessing about it, constantly looking for it and being disappointed when it is not present. Just as with drugs or cigarettes, one can give them all up but sometimes it helps to change ones circumstances and getting rid of the obsession with what separates us rather than our commonalities is an imperitive.
Rich in New Mexico.
I'm a little late on this one but I wanted to comment. The book did have racism in it actually. Bagger is a supernatural being but in the book, he makes it clear that he takes the form of the most hated person of that period. In this case, it was a black man. If you read the book, the story is told by Hardy just like in the movie, but it is in a different context. The older Hardy meets Bagger again but this time, Bagger is in the form of a homeless man meaning that was the type of person most hated in that period. I loved the movie but if you really want to see what this story is about, read the book. It is an amazing experience.
shareAnd I'm even later. I don't follow golf all that closely and had no idea this was a fantasy and not based on a true story, as I'd heard of both Jones and Hagen. I found it interesting that much attention seemed to have been paid to getting the period details, such as fashion and cars, accurate, but sanitized the racism out almost completely. Seemed somewhat Hallmark-ish. And less credible a movie to me. No, I didn't expect repeated lynchings, but the vile and pretty much uniform custom in that time and place would have had Mr Smith's character being addressed by white people as "boy", probably even by the kid.
I have seen enough to know I have seen too much. -- ALOTOshare
Interesting, so even according to the author race was an issue, or more importantly, the downtrodden and social-outcasts. Thanks for the post!
shareEnough with the racism, please. Must people inject race into everything? There is no focus on racism in this movie because it would have done nothing to further the story or help the movie.
I don't know about the rest of you folks out there but I am getting real burned out on people injecting race, sex, national origin, religon, you name it, anything, just so it divides us, into everything.
This apparent obsession with identity politics, things that divide people, things that differentiate folks rather than join folks is has been carried too far. The only way to stop concentrating on divisive characteristics is to just start doing it, stop mentioning race for instance when it has nothing whatever to do with the topic at hand.
This comment line is case at hand, the whole series of comments is predicated on the fact that there was no racism in this movie. Now that ought to be good but people seemed almost programmed to mention the lack of racial animosity, almost as if it were a bad thing.
We all need to let this stuff go, stop playing into the politicians hands by obsessing on our differences and then being manipulated by them. Remember people we are all Americans and if we can manage to remember that we are the most powerful force on Earth, and a force for good I might add.
Rich in New Mexico.
Well, the author of the book an in the book itself Bagger took on the form of the person most-hated, which happened to be a black man. BTW you're getting waaay too defensive, this "must everything be about racism?" is a total fallacy. No one was saying this movie should have been about race. They are simply saying that race is an issue, especially back then, especially for a movie that makes a huge effort to depict a specific area and specific point in time.
"We all need to let this stuff go, stop playing into the politicians hands by obsessing on our differences and then being manipulated by them. Remember people we are all Americans and if we can manage to remember that we are the most powerful force on Earth, and a force for good I might add.
Exhist?
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