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Terry Gilliam on 'Black Panther': 'I Think the People Who Made It Have Never Been to Africa'

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (19411)
8 replies | jump to latest

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/terry-gilliam-on-black-panther-i-think-the-people-who-made-it-have-never-been-to-africa.3063528/

Terry Gilliam is no fan of Black Panther.

The 79-year-old director made his feelings known in an interview with IndieWire, saying that Ryan Coogler’s 2018 blockbuster made him "crazy."

"I hated Black Panther. It makes me crazy. It gives young black kids the idea that this is something to believe in. Bullshit. It’s utter bullshit. I think the people who made it have never been to Africa,” he told the publication in the interview. “They went and got some stylist for some African pattern fabrics and things. But I just I hated that movie, partly because the media were going on about the importance of bullshit."

Gilliam is incorrect that the Black Panther team never made it to the Motherland. Coogler and his people took a trip to Africa to find inspiration for the film. The filmmaker brought along Hannah Beachler, his longtime production designer, so they could search for details they could include in their film. The majority of the film was shot in Atlanta, but some aerial shots were filmed in Argentina, South Africa, Zambia, and Uganda.

IndieWire asked the director if he believes Black Panther only received that much hype because of its commitment to "identity politics," Gilliam replied that "it makes my blood boil." But he seems to have a problem with the big superhero movies full stop.

"There isn’t room or money for a greater range of films. You make a film for over $150 million or less than $10 [million]. Where’s all this other stuff? It doesn’t exist anymore,” the director complained, referencing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "I make films where I’m trying to make people think. I mean, I try to entertain them enough that they don’t fall asleep on me, and they’re there to make you think and look at the world in a different way, hopefully, and consider possibilities. Those films don’t do that."

Despite his critique, Black Panther remains one of the most commercially and critically successful films ever, earning over $1 billion worldwide.

[–] cevoice (85) 4 years ago

He sound like a hater, because he didn't give any real reason why he didn't like it except how it's effecting his salary. Look make something interesting and people will go see it.
Tarantino seems like he's not having any problem getting any movies made.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12287) 4 years ago

Terry Gilliam doesn't exactly have a good track record for movies. He shouldn't be dumping on another film that was successful when a number of his sucked big time!

[–] DracTarashV2 (4475) 4 years ago

Ok Boomer.

(Just the latest comments from him that show what a miserable regressive wanker he is — hey, he must be a member of these boards! Not including numerous individuals on a site like MC, something has to be done about these whining, broken record and hate-filled elitist old dudes/mainly whites dudes (Gah! Regressives say I be prejudiced for stating an obvious fact) bitching about universally beloved comic films and spreading fake news about them until we can figure out what the hell is going on! ;) Elitists/regressives of this board spare me the boomer ad nauseam...).

[–] Satan2016 (23334) 4 years ago

Neither of them have a clue. Do a google image search of "teens africa". Unless they've got money, young people look like they shop at Walmart.

[–] Kowalski (57981) 4 years ago

I DIDNT REALIZE WAKANDA GOT A WAL-MART...GOOD FOR THEM.

[–] Satan2016 (23334) 4 years ago

Did you google "teens wakanda" then?

Africans don't dress like Wakandans!

[–] Kowalski (57981) 4 years ago

LMAO...I GOOGLE TEENS ALL THE THE TIME.....WTF WOULD I WANT TO ADD WAKANDA?

[–] NorrinRad (5019) 4 years ago

From Terry Gilliam:

"If you are that powerful, you should be dealing with reality a bit more. What I don’t like is that we all have to be superheroes do anything worthwhile. That’s what makes me crazy. That’s what these movies are saying to young people. And to me it’s not confronting the reality of, you know, the quote-unquote human condition. You know what it is like to be a normal human being in difficult situations and resolving them surviving. I can’t fault them for the sheer spectacle, except it’s repetitive. You still have to blow up another city."

There is a concept and a stereotype that any and all Black Experiences have to be, MUST be defined by Struggle. Good Times vs The Cosby Show as an example?

Problem for Mr. Gilliam is that in the movie Black Panther no problem or existential threat to being, living or thinking while Black, while African or while being People of Color was ever solved.

And no cities were https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYeWdukr3Ik at the end of BP.