A rich white guy from upstate New York moves down to New Orleans, where he proceeds to make a movie about impoverished people in the South.
These people live in magical little shacks on the river!
They're always drunk and happy!
They don't have a care in the world!
Seriously? It's downright offensive.
"Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?" -General Jack D. Ripper
I could not disagree more. Does it matter where the storyteller comes from if the story he is telling is true? The people in this movie might have been drunk a fair bit of the time but they also had a kind of camaraderie because they were in it together.
And to say they don't have a care in the world means you didn't pay particular attention to the movie. The father is teaching his tiny daughter to be a warrior. Do you think he did that because he thought the world was a happy, safe place or rather because he knew that it is a scary and dangerous one. He didn't care whether she was happy or not, as long as he taught her how to survive.
Op, you nailed it. Just downright embarrassing to hear anyone give this film anything but the derision it deserves.
shareI think it's embarrassing to have such a large chip on your shoulder that you can't allow anybody else's opinion to stand.
shareIt is like shamelessly championing Gone With the Wind, or even Birth of a Nation. If calling out blatantly racist cinematic and literary motifs and themes as the racism they indeed are means I have chip on my shoulder, so be it. But reading the overall praise this film got and then actually watching the monstrosity that it is was like turning a corner to see a group of people in black face throwing watermelons at a small black child as a crowd of onlookers stands around cheering.
shareIt's especially frustrating because I think a lot of the people who like this movie see themselves as liberals/progressives. (See my post elsewhere in this thread for why it is more like a Tea Party fantasy.)
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My top 250: http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?user=SlackerInc&perpage=250
This is so true. I feel like there is almost a genre of these kinds of films (though I'm of course drawing a blank right now trying to think of other examples), enjoyed by people who think they are being all liberal in appreciating a film about people of a different race and culture.
Not only is the "magic Negro" trope all over this film, it's also very, very far from anything a liberal/progressive like me can support, because of its theme that government (including government disaster relief, health care, housing, and education) is the problem, and poor uneducated people are better off if they are just left alone.
In fact, that reminds me of another example of this genre: The Gods Must Be Crazy. Both films push a narrative of poor black people being better off left on their own, without any "improvement" from sharing wealth or technology with them. Mighty convenient narrative as it allows those with the wealth to feel comfortable in doing nothing to help.
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My top 250: http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?user=SlackerInc&perpage=250
Poor black people? I saw a mix of white and black people that lived in the community. Maybe you didn't notice in your haste to be outraged?
shareI think it's possible for a liberal/progressive person to love this film and to appreciate certain aspects of it while lamenting others. I'm black, and I consider myself to be way left of liberal. However, I do think the film has its merits. To me it's like Bande de Filles. There are certain films about black people made by white people that are quite sensitive, even if they are exploitative and rely on stereotypes (whether intentionally or unintentionally). It's my wish that black (and other marginalized) filmmakers would be given their day, but I choose to look at the bright side when a white filmmaker chooses a nonconventional topic or protagonist. To me, it shows progress. It's just my hope that they promote and support black filmmakers while they pat themselves on the back.
It's a double-edged sword, I guess.
All you libs suffering from "white guilt" (because it make you feel all noble but in reality makes you look ridiculous) need to just stop. Quit trying to conjure racism out of thin air. Sheesh!!
I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!
you obviously haven't lived and experienced southern poverty. It's real and it's not racist to make a movie about it. I've seen it but I don't lie and say I understand it. Maybe that's the difference. White guilt is a powerful thing and it makes white people do and say very dishonest things in order to apologize for something we've convinced ourselves and are told we caused. I know I didn't cause it. Lack of accountability causes it in all races. Now exploitive?.... maybe.
shareYou benefit from white supremacy, though, and your apathy is all that injustice needs to prevail, so...
shareOh please! Not the Race Card again! STOP IT already. Can't you people watch a film and NOT drag race into it?
Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.