Michael Vass discusses Hollywood & the Race Lift By Darren at The Movie Blog

Today the Movie Blog cited on of my posts (Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism) in a discussion of The Last Airbender and moreso the issue of race in movies. It's a topic I have long discussed.

Now I will start off thanking Movie Blog for citing my work. It's always pleasant to see my work valued by peers. But I believe that Darren, who wrote the post, missed my point.

Darren and I both agree that Hollywood is notorious for race lifting movies. Airbender features a cast of nearly all Whites (except for the villian). The failed Dragonball movie race lifted nearly every character to Whites. The tradition of doing this goes back decades. Even the well done Magnificent 7 is a race lift, and revisioning, of The 7 Samurai (as was A Fist Full Of Dollars to Yojimbo).

I agree that

"Seriously, when was the last time a film maker like Tyler Perry secured a budget equivalent to an equally successful director who works with Caucasian casts? Bad Boys (and yes, Bad Boys II) is the only major blockbuster I can think headline by two non-white actors."

It's well overdue that people of color got proper attention on the big screen and small. I particularly enjoyed that Darren pointed out the little known fact that

"Before about 1970, it was common for TV stations in the US South to edit shows featuring non-stereotypical black characters to remove their scenes. In cases where the character couldn’t be edited out, the episode or the entire show wouldn’t be aired. Producers therefore had an incentive to choose an all-white cast even if the original characters were intended to be minorities. (One of the first shows to attempt to break this barrier was Hogans Heroes, which made Kinchloe the second-in-command and the camp genius so he couldn’t be edited out.)

But I feel Darren didn't get what I was saying when he stated

"Of course, the fact that Kirk Lazarus was a satire himself was apparently taken far too seriously by some people, who completely missed the point and took the movie as a straight example of Hollywood screwing an African American actor out of a part."

The italicized section links directly to my post noted above.

My post, one of 2 on the movie Tropic Thunder, was not intended to address the sacrasm of Robert Downey's character. I was discussing the hype around the issue of whether or not blackface should be used in movies today. It was also to address, less so, the issue that actors of different races supplant actors that are intended to be of a specific race. Like how Airbender and Dragonball have been.

I have long been an opponent of the standard in Hollywood that prevents people of color from taking roles, directing movies, writing, or otherwise being involved with entertainment. There is less than 10% of all positions in movies and television held by people of color. That's in front of and behind the scenes. Based on my own attempts at random study, roughly 2% of all characters on television - on any given day, at any given hour, with all channels considered - are the combination of all people of color (which includes background characters). It's insane if we look at the world, or even just America, in comparison.

Darren in his article also points to the potential of a Black Captain America. Why not he states in so many words. Why not indeed. Just as I asked not long ago, why not a Black Dr. Who? Or any other role for that matter.

But if an actor were to play say the Black Panther, which is in various stages of development for years now, in blackface... well that is another thing indeed. Or a Black actor playing Captain America in whiteface for that matter. Which again was the point I was addressing in the post Darren was addressing.

Overall, I think that anyone can agree that Hollywood - for all the posturing and Liberal idealism that it pontificates - is the bastion of the Ole White Boys Club. An American movie and/or television show seems nearly impossible to be made without White leading characters, and generally one person of color in a minor role. If the film happens to be sci-fi or horror, you can bet on that character getting killed first (generally in the first 15 to 30 minutes of the film).

Airbender like Dragonball before it, and untold movies to come or in the past, support a subliminal racism that is accepted en masse in America - influencing how people of color are often depicted in other nations. Sadly success of these movie and television race lifts guarantees it's continuation in the eyes of Hollywood execs. The failure of these films is generally seen as just a film that had a limited audience. When people of color are given the rare chance to shine, it is considered a fluke (Will Smith and Denzel Washington are considered the extreme and not a norm) or denigrated to just a "successful minority film" (basically any success of Spike Lee and others).

Will The Last Airbender be a success? Possibly. But the fact that the cast has been transposed to all Whites is not part of that reason. It is an example of Hollywood screwing people of color out of work; and an insult to Americans in assuming we can't enjoy quality entertainment without White dominated casts. This too I think that Darren and I agree on.

Owen Wilson is a dog - Marmaduke to be exact

Another guy that no one has heard much about of late is Owen Wilson. Although he has been in 3 films, and voice acted for another, since 2007 you really haven't heard much about the man. And again there seems to be a great reason.

Wilson tried to commit suicide back in 2007. He was suffering from depression, and it was obviously far worse than anyone suspected at the time. But since then he has slowly continued to work, no doubt in part thanks to Ben Stiller.

Stiller has been in numerous films with Owen Wilson over the years. Most of the films have hardly been worthy of anything but the bargain DVD bin. Generally Wilson has outshone Stiller, even though Stiller has more clout and better pay - which would certainly depress me.

Of course the films that Wilson has picked without Stiller have hardly been awe inspiring. Not including his work with Jackie Chan, Wilson has made films with Jennifer Aniston (Marley & Me), Nate Hartley (Drillbit Taylor - flop) and a few others, almost all flops with a notable exception of The Life Aquatic. So Wilson has not helped himself with his choices.

looking forward, it doesn't seem like anything will improve either. Wilson will be in another Stiller film, the Little Fockers - the dread just grows on me about that one . Plus he has plans for 2 more animated films that he will provide voice work for. One will be the sequel to the successful Cars 2.

The other is the just announced Marmaduke movie. Yes, that comic strip dog. And I think this might be his worst mistake in quite some time. Potentially the worst film concept that Wilson has ever been attached to.

The comic strip Marmaduke is a generally funny serial. It's popular, and has a huge fanbase built over decades of readership. There are even plenty of stories for writers to copy so that they never have to think about what they are doing, and Hollywood executives can be sure it has no originality that might skew their projections.

But the last 3 (why they did it again and again I will never understand) times that such an idea was tried - Garfield - the stink of the bombs was intense. It didn't work on any level. Even Bill Murray took a hit off of that fiasco.

I doubt that Marmaduke will fare much better. Because there won't be anything original or interesting. Because Hollywood is following a formula. Because Marmaduke is funny in 15 seconds, but not really for 90 minutes. Because it's a mix of live action and animation, and the fact that Marlon Wayans is onboard. How many other reasons do you need?

Wilson needs a good agent and a friend to stop him from jumping at every script he gets. He could be far better, but at this rate we will never see it.

Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism - 3.12.2008.1

I find it interesting that the question over the movie Tropic Thunder is quickly becoming an issue of whether or not a White man can play a Black man. How this became the case is not really the issue I expected, rather I was considering the question of whether this would be a funny portrayal and a decent movie.

I feel that Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor. I think he is dedicated to his roles. So I believe he will try to make this role as positive as possible. But a bad director and/or writer can kill a great film and performances by entertainers. That’s a fact. Thus I am concerned about what Ben Stiller is going to do, in his role as director. Because I think he is the weak link of every film he has ever been in.

But around the web I’m seeing the argument become, ‘Why can’t a White man play an African American?’

Some comments on it include

“I can totally see the outrage over this, I mean with all the white, young blonde actresses trying to get a break in Hollywood, how could these guys possibly be so racist as to take work away from who could be the next two big starlets of Tinseltown? I mean... um, what?... You mean this isn't all about White Chicks? There was no outcry over the race reversal in that movie?”

and

“How about Eddie Murphy playing an old white man in the excellent Coming To America? Or Eddie Murphy going undercover as a white man for Saturday Night Live? Both classic cases of just having fun, both some of the funniest films or TV moments from Murphy's career. (He was ROBBED at last year's Oscars!!)”

and

“Typical nonsense, the usual double standard. It's the same thing with black comedians ripping on white people, total acceptable, but lets see a white comedian tear into black people and listen to the out-cry. Eddie Murphy has made a career out of playing stereotypes for humor and no one says a word. Whether they be fat, white, Jewish, Asian, whatever, he has done it all and nothing is said.”

I can agree with the concept that acting ability is not limited to any one race. I have no doubt that a qualified and professional entertainer, with the proper tools can portray any race with respect.

At the same time I realize that there is a double edged sword in America. In the name of humor and jokes African Americans have long been ridiculed and minimized. The white actors portraying Amos n Andy, blackface, C Thomas Howell in Soul Man, and so many more are examples of bad representation. And there are those that are sensitive to this fact.

What’s the difference?

A Black entertainer making a bad portrayal of Whites is seen as a failure on the entertainer’s part. A White entertainer in the reverse position (for most of the history of Hollywood) had been seen as making an honest attempt at portraying Negroes, which were considered below them. That’s the history of the situation.

So I agree there is a double standard, and it is a matter of sensitivity. The double standard wasn’t created today, but is based in the past. While many Americans today don’t want to address or acknowledge the openly racist past (nor the quietly racist current day) of America, it does not change the wound that is there or its effects. To be aware of that is not to be alarmist, though some to go to that extreme.

The past cannot be ignored if one wants to make this movie a discussion or comparison of what race can or should play another. And the character that Jack Black has in this movie sounds exactly like a take on Eddie Murphy, so I do see that concern.

But I don’t think that should be the point.

Based on the storyline, and the roles that Robert Downey Jr. has had, I don’t think the intent is bad. But as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Still the movie deserves to at least present its trailers before any conclusions are made.

The question here should simply be are they making a funny movie without degrading to laughter based on, or built upon, stereotypes. Without seeing what has been done, none of us can say.

Yet, to argue that other movies having an entertainer portraying another race and were done well means that all movies with such a device are ok is ludicrous. American memories are very short, and at times willfully so. But everyone remembers pain, and often there are questions asked that are embarrassing.

Like why in almost all westerns were the roles of Native American Indians played by Whites? In older movies Whites also played Asians too. And none of those roles were positive. Is that ok?

I recall when the movie Remo Williams came out. There was a huge outcry when the lead character of Chiun was given to Joel Grey (who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal). Chiun was supposed to be an old Korean and Grey made the character realistic and was respectful in his portrayal. I see no reason why Robert Downey Jr. cannot do the same thing.

If this film becomes an equivalent of Soul Plane, then all involved deserve to be ostracized. If it is the equivalent of Remo Williams they should be lauded. But to simplify the big issue no one wants to talk about, the elephant in the room so to speak, to they did it so we can too and it’s all ok is to say that Iran should be allowed to have nuclear weapons because France has them.

Not the best analogy but you get my point.