[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Interesting point but here is a point of my own and I am planning to see this
film.
Except for the titular character, the other kids in this film are obnoxious
brats who get their comeuppances. Wouldn't you rather have nasty white kids
get humiliated than kids of color? I would!
Amy
Hello Rainbow people,
Please respond as you see fit.
It may look like Chocolate but it's really Vanilla
By The Hollywood Watchdawg
Unless I'm mistaken, the upcoming film `Charlie and the
Chocolate
Factory,' starring academy award nominee, Johnny Depp, as Willie
Wonka is supposed to appeal to Children - All Children that is.
So
the question is; why doesn't Warner Bros., the studio that
financed
and is distributing the film do so?
Here's yet again, another "kids" movie that fails to
reflect the
kids of America; instead it reflects the vision of an artist whose
palette only includes one color - white. The movie ads feature
Johnny Depp standing in front of five kids, all of whom are
Caucasian. In a society where 1 out of 4 children are of color,
Hollywood again finds itself depicting a distorted view of reality.
What is even more troublesome is that Hollywood's home state of
California is the most racially diverse in the nation.
It's utterly mind-bogging as to why the producers and the
director,
Tim Burton (who gets the brunt of the criticism because this film
supposedly represents his vision of the world) for that matter to
take a step out of their own primitive and cultural unenlightened
minds and look out the damn window. If Tim can use his influence to
get his fiancée Helena Bonham Carter the lead role, then surely he
could add some `color' to his film. This is a movie that
Children of
all ethnicities should enjoy and appreciate. So why not make a film
that is reflective of that.
A couple of years ago, there was some similar controversy about
`The
Cat in the Hat,' and `How the Grinch Stole Christmas `two
films from
the Dr. Seuss anthology that also coincidentally featured a cast of
exclusively Caucasian Children. Both films had mixed reviews but it
was the latter that received the most criticism. For what its
worth,' The Cat in the Hat,' was a box office disappointment.
The
average viewer gave it a rating of D+.
I'm sure that is one feat that Warner Bros. Wishes not to repeat.
On the flip side you have `Rebound', featuring Martin
Lawrence as a
former college basketball coach who is forced to coach a middle
school team. The movie poster is a vivid as the reality it chooses
to reflect. Seven kids reaching for basketball, two are black, one
female, another is ethnic, possibly Latino. Chalk one up for
progress.
Unlike `Chocolate,' the producers, including director Steve
Carr,
whose credits are equally as colorful (Next Friday, Dr. Dolittle 2
and Daddy Day Care) decided to represent the real, whether that
reality is set in California, Indiana, Texas, Tennessee, or New
York. All kids of all ethnicities play basketball and the movie ads
are a reflection of that.
Back to `Charlie.' Since I find it inconceivable for the
producers
to make a film about and for children that does not include
diversity, I've come up with three probable answers (paired down
from about a dozen) as to why this is so. Please note that my
response, placed in the context of a conversation immediately follow
each statement.
1) HD, I don't see what your problem is.Black Kids, White
Kids,
Asian Kids, Latino Kids, Biracial Kids, whatever. Kids are kids'
dude. They don't care about color.
.So if kids don't care about color, why not put some kids of
color
in there??? You know just for laughs since they won't be noticed
anyway.
2) Look, we are [The producers] color-blind and selected our cast
from the best talent available. If there's anyone who is color
struck, it'll be someone from the audience.
Best talent available??? Where in Butte Falls, Montana? What you
really mean is: you guys don't want to make people (read whites)
who
live in racially segregated communities uncomfortable, so you
decided to limit it to the ones in your community, (say Butte Falls,
Montana) so that way no one gets offended.
3) I'm not a racist, some of my best friends are Black.Dude,
do you
know, how difficult it is to consciously create a multiracial
cast.
to include one, would be to exclude someone else based upon race,
when it should be talent. Besides, this is the vision of the
director [Tim Burton], he can see the world through his eyes only.
So if he wants an all white cast [that would be Caucasian] so be it.
Love it or Leave it.
Hey fair enough...
Rainbow people, I tried.
The truth of the matter is that nearly 80% of Caucasians reside in
exclusively white communities, so their experience and their
artistry is a reflection of that. So the question is how do we get
directors and producers to look beyond the borders of their own
segregated world? If they just opened their windows (and eyes),
they'll see the diversity of the global audience and possibly
figure
out the best way to reach them (i.e. cash in on them) is to create
images that are reflective of them.
Are they in a state of oblivion? Is it just ignorance or just old
fashioned, Blood Red, Sky Blue, Apple Pie Racism?
Honestly, I'm not sure.but then again this is America.
The Hollywood Watchdawg is a pop culture critic and can be reached
at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-0-
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