Of Red Tails, Lucas and Blacks in movies
Red Tails is a 2012 film which brings the epic
tale of America's first all-black combat aviator team, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, to the big screen. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr. (Men of Honour) and Terrence Howard (Crash). Apparently this was a big gamble ($100million) by George Lucas, as such a film is unfashionable in Hollywood. It'll not appeal to the mainstream ( predominantly white moviegoers) It opened to mixed reviews a few days ago, in theatres. Lucas famously ( and controversially) said that if the movie is not as successful
as he'd hoped, that it may be harder for African American filmmakers to
"break out of that lower budget mold.". I don't think it matters whether this film is a box-office success or not. There'll always be a glass ceiling and stereotypes for blacks in the film industry ( whether as actors, directors or predominantly black films) Remember Halle Berry got an Oscar-for (whoring)
revealing a lot of flesh and a lurid, totally unnecessary sex
scene, in Monster's Ball and, more recently, Octavia Spencer
won a Golden globe for her slave role in The Help! 
That's why Denzel is the truth!
Hear him on rejecting a role in Amistad (1997), another film about slaves, : "I just didn't see myself in Amistad. I ain't putting no chains around my neck. I'm not in the mood right now, too edgy. It just wasn't for me. I'm not having it. I'm like, 'Yeah, that's what happened then, but how about me cutting everybody's head off and end the movie there?''
Watch a clip of Red Tails below
That's why Denzel is the truth!
Hear him on rejecting a role in Amistad (1997), another film about slaves, : "I just didn't see myself in Amistad. I ain't putting no chains around my neck. I'm not in the mood right now, too edgy. It just wasn't for me. I'm not having it. I'm like, 'Yeah, that's what happened then, but how about me cutting everybody's head off and end the movie there?''
Watch a clip of Red Tails below
No comments:
Post a Comment