MovieChat Forums > A Mighty Heart (2007) Discussion > Mariane Pearl BLACK?

Mariane Pearl BLACK?

posted 16 years ago by afonso_aires
25 replies | jump to latest

Google her... look at her pictures, some of them beside Angelina.

The people that are pissed of at her being played by Angelina, because supposedly she should be played by a black actress should question their motives. Should she be played by Hale Barry? She is very light skined, more white than black. Leave your prejudice at home.

Bennet in real life isn't as bald as the Will Patton. Is that an issue?

The Captain is Indian not from Pakistan. For someone from pakistan it actually might be an issue, since they hate each other.

There's a very interesting anolagy between extremism and some points of view on this forum.

[–] ollie501 15 years ago

Well said! Not to mention that Mariane Pearl WANTED Angelina Jolie to play her. If anyone had a right to take any sort of moral high ground it was her, and since AJ was cast at her request, her choice should be respected.

[–] JeterzGirlNJersey 15 years ago

Wow, you two are really clueless.

It's nobody's business but ours.

[–] ollie501 15 years ago

How? Ms Pearl wanted Angelina to play the part. What is "clueless" about that? Do elaborate, because I am dying to know..!

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lexiever-1 15 years ago

I have never seen Marianne pearl before so I googled her and yeah Angeline looks nothing like that I understand that it's a movie that's fine and if she wanted angelina to play her than that's ok but looking at her I can tell that she is half Black and they could have gotten another woman to play her. I've seen Black women that look like that they could have gotten a not so well known mixed actress to play her.

I'm gonna throw a planet at your face

[–] KingVidor 15 years ago

Jesus H. Christ, Marianne Pearl is NOT half black! It's fascinating to watch the politically correct racism that plays out on these forums.

You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

[–] babyeddieuk 15 years ago

"Pearl was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France to a Dutch-Jewish father and an Afro-Chinese-Cuban mother"

I'd say that makes her about a sixth black, a sixth Chinese, a sixth Cuban, and half Dutch. Chances are there aren't many actors that fit that specific bill, plus she's more white than black... technically she's 100% French!

Who cares? Oskar Schindler wasn't from Ireland, Ghandi wasn't from Scarborough, Paul Rusesabagina wasn't from Missouri, and Idi Amin sure as hell wasn't from Texas! Movies aren't perfect, get over it!

Sigh, here comes the fallout...

[–] Ithilfaen 14 years ago

amen!

I find it fascinating how people focus on that... Is the fact that Marianne Pearl has darker skin essential to the story? If Angelina Jolie was cast to play an African slave in a Southern Plantation, I'd say, yeah right... Just as if Denzel Washington was cast as a Nazi but please who cares? It has nothing to do with the story or the character so stop playing the race card while being the ones who can't see past Marianne Pearl's skin color!

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] david38091 14 years ago

@ Ithilfaen It's hard not to focus on it. The fact of the matter is that black actors are less likely to get casted for roles even when race is not essential to the story. You obviously are in serious denial about why Ms Joline was cast in the part. There are very few roles for black actress in Hollywood. Not because they lack the talent but because of racism. Now choke on that race card. I think Marianne Pearl wanted a white actress to play her because IMO she may not be particularly proud or comfortable with that part of her heritage. In a world where racism exist a lot (not all) of bi racial people have these type issues. The producers and director of this film had no problem with this choice because they probably didn't want to cast a black or bi-racial actress for the part anyway.

[–] AssetsonFire 14 years ago

Your insights into Marianne Pearl's feelings and this particular film's casting choices say far more about you than anyone else. Even if you happened to be correct this would be true. It's sad.

[–] ProudTraitor 13 years ago

david28091: So you are saying Hollywood movies lack leading black roles. That's the firs time i've heard anyone say that in 30 years.

[–] venusebony 12 years ago

I agree with david38091 Mariane Pearl has some serious self hatred issues. Why not cast a mixed race woman such as Thandie Newton for the part? Thandie LOOKS like Mariane Pearl NOT the white actress Angelina Jolie!

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

"I agree... Mariane Pearl has some serious self hatred issues."

You'd be privy to these things of course.

If ignorance is bliss, you must be the world's happiest person.

[–] chris12345678 12 years ago

::@ Ithilfaen It's hard not to focus on it. The fact of the matter is that black actors are less likely to get casted for roles even when race is not essential to the story.

I have to agree. For example, in the bad guys department the black people are seriously misrepresented in Hollywood. Can you think of one single movie where the bad guy is black? I sure can't. Snipes in "Demolition Man"? No, he was just a pawn controlled by the real bad guy who was white. What's going on here? This has to stop.

[–] cuckoo4socks 14 years ago

i love how 'Cuban' and 'Dutch' are in her ethnicity list.

[–] grimdeath 13 years ago

Thandie Newton is just one actress who could have done the movie.
apologies- if my name offends anyone.

[–] Gracie_89 12 years ago

Cuban and Dutch are NOT races but nationalities, you can be Cuban and black aka AfroCuban, or Asian and Cuban. You can be Dutch and be of any kind of race, but the vast majority is white. So no Pearl is not a sixt Cuban and sixt Dutch she is half white Dutch, a quarter or more AfroCuban and part Chinese-Cuban (as a lot of Afro-chinese Cuban are mixed with chinese down the line but rarely half chinese.

[–] babyeddieuk 11 years ago

Cuban doesn't necessarily make you black. Andy Garcia is Cuban, Cameron Diaz is half Cuban, Eva Mendes is Cuban. Eddie Cibrian is Cuban. Granted, there are black actors / actresses who are Cuban, like Rosario Dawson (though only 1/4), but usually 100% Cuban's are light skinned latinos / latinas.

[–] Gracie_89 11 years ago

I know that Cuban doesnt equal black, there are Cubans in all colours even chinese. But Andy Garcia is not more Cuban than Celia Cruz was, both are 100% Cuban, one is a descendent of European immigrants and the other is a descendant of African slaves. I've seen Cubans of all colours white, black and mulatto in Cuba, and the vast majority of them were 100% Cuban. I cant say that there were much more light-skinned than darker skinned 100% Cubans, especially in cities like Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

[–] chris12345678 12 years ago

::Who cares?

Some people do you see. For them it's the most important thing in a movie.

[–] chris12345678 12 years ago

::I have never seen Marianne pearl before so I googled her and yeah Angeline looks nothing like that I understand that it's a movie that's fine and if she wanted angelina to play her than that's ok but looking at her I can tell that she is half Black and they could have gotten another woman to play her. I've seen Black women that look like that they could have gotten a not so well known mixed actress to play her.

So if Angelina bought some black paint and smeared her face with it would that make her a better choice for playing this role?

[–] lexiever-1 12 years ago

Don't be so dramatic. You know damn well what I wrote in my last post. Yes let's smear some Black paint on her fact, that would make everything better right?, I simply said an actress who actually is half Black and half white could have gotten the part. Smearing a white lady in black paint is simply a white lady in black paint. Doesn't change the fact that a biracial actresse could have gotten the part.

[–] chris12345678 12 years ago

::You know damn well what I wrote in my last post.

You said: "I have never seen Marianne pearl before so I googled her and yeah Angeline looks nothing like that"
I happen to disagree. I think she's not far off. Angelina looks more like Marianne than for example Zoe Saldana would. Maybe because Marianne is not even half black like Barack Obama, but more like 15%. How many Hollywood actresses fit this bill?

You also said: "I've seen Black women that look like that they could have gotten a not so well known mixed actress to play her." So basically you have a problem with Angelina's race and you would like roles to be awarded simply based on race rather than talent. That is the real issue you've created here so you acting surprised that someone has a problem with that is rather surprising.

[–] Thenewnexus 9 years ago

Angelina Jolie is great but maybe Rosario,Halle or Thandie should have played Mariane

You want tah fack wit me? You ah fACKING chioah boi compahed tu me ah chioah boi

[–] vince-volaju 7 years ago

During 10+ years as an IMDB member I've not read discussion board topics and posts as ignorant and shallow as what's been posted about 'A Mighty Heart'.

It's been almost 15 years since Daniel Pearl's abduction and horrid death, nearly 15 years since Mariane Pearl and Mr Pearl's coworkers, friends, family endured the agony of the events related in the movie.

I'm not a fan type. But those who have experienced and witnessed real life human beings expressing complicated feelings of worry, fear, hope, anger, helplessness and grief during war related or other conflicts would recognize Angelina Jolie's performance as Mariane Pearl was perfect. And heartrending.

Jolie's appearance was not all that far from the real Mariane Pearl.

It takes a special kind of stupid -a sheltered, disconnected from truth 'Ugly American'type- to not see the forest for the trees when it comes to this movie based on real life -and death- events.