‘Black Snake Moan’ pushes all the interracial buttons
CVK
(Thanks to Tariq for this!) Filmmaker Craig Brewer, the man who brought us “Hustle & Flow” (one of the most ridiculous movies I’ve seen in a long time) is at it again with his new film. Check out this New York Times article:
If Craig Brewer hoped to shock with his “Black Snake Moan,” the filmmaker got what he wanted last month when visitors to Paramount’s dubbing stage 28 watched a five-minute clip from his work in progress.
What caused a jolt wasn’t just the arresting image of a gold-toothed Samuel L. Jackson growling out a profane rendition of the blues classic “Staggerlee,” recorded live in a raucous Memphis juke joint. It was Christina Ricci, the lily-white alternative film princess, her torn lip a welt of red, her dirty blond hair tossed from side to side, grinding her sweat-drenched body against black men and women on the dance floor as Jackson looked on from the stage.
Hollywood, which has often stepped cautiously around the subject of interracial sex, is definitely doing something different with “Black Snake Moan” - which includes a sequence that finds the nearly nude Ricci chained in Jackson’s kitchen.
Sigh… Now obviously I’m not going to knock a movie I haven’t seen yet, but I do have to wonder how good this is going to be, after having seen Brewer’s not-so-sophisticated take on race and sex in “Hustle & Flow.” It’s also interesting to me that we’re getting yet another white-woman-black-man pairing in this new film. Is Brewer yet another white man obsessed with black male sexuality? I can’t help it, but my knee-jerk reaction to this new film is that it sounds awfully exploitative.
It’s interesting to hear how John Singleton, who financed “Hustle” and is also producing “Black,” defends the racial and sexual politics of these films:
According to John Singleton, the writer and director of “Boyz N the Hood” and other films, who personally financed “Hustle” and is one of the producers of “Black Snake,” any clamor about the sexual politics surrounding Brewer’s films misses a larger point. “Hollywood doesn’t just have a problem with people of color having sex on-screen,” Singleton said. “It’s uptight about anybody having sex.”
And Singleton said people who questioned why he and Allain, who are both black, choose to make films rooted in the urban experience with a white writer/director are simply shortsighted. “I like working with Craig,” he explained, “because he makes the effort to find out as much as possible about the people in the film he’s making, unlike a lot of others I know.”
Kaonashi wrote:
I think I’ll pass on this train wreck.
Posted 03 May 2006 at 8:42 pm ¶
my pc is out of order wrote:
why is it that for some people, any negative portrayal of a minority implies ignorance, racism or lack of subtlety? “Hustle & Flow” was not the greatest film but it had some real insight. There are pimps in America, and some of them are black and most of them beat up the girls working for them. One might argue that the director went too far in humanizing or justifying the protagonist’s behavior: that doesn’t mean there isn’t a story worth telling here.
i like your website, but i’m very much annoyed by kneejerk reactions against minorities playing evil characters (Denzel in training day is another example.)
Posted 04 May 2006 at 1:13 am ¶
site admin wrote:
my pc is out of order:
I have no problem with minorities playing negative characters. In fact, I really liked Training Day and thought it was a great film. I do, however, think it’s a pity that Denzel got the Oscar for that role, and not for any of his other great performances (obviously Malcolm X comes to mind).
As far as Hustle & Flow is concerned, I’m curious, what “real insight” did you think the film offered? I’m not being facetious — I’m genuinely curious. I know that many people like this film a lot, and I’m not quite sure why. Because my reaction to the movie was “what was the point of that?” I just didn’t think this film showed me anything new.
–CVK
Posted 04 May 2006 at 6:06 am ¶
mtevc wrote:
okay…no real insight gleaned from hustle and flow, except that black actors will do over the top stereotypical roles to get ahead…roles to shock…and roles that play into the myth that white folks have about us…that we’re angry and sexual 24-7…get over it…realize when hollywood is pumping up the stereotype and forgeting the more nuanced portrayals…training day was a great movie, but the difference was that he was a dirty cop, not a stereotypical black character…honestly, in the universe of black men, how many are really pimps…and again, what is the interest in a white film producer in pimps…i’m black, and i don’t have any pimps in the family…don’t really need to be enlightened about it…what is there to know…pimp abuses women, beats up women, uses women, end of story…why are black people so accepting of this…this laissez faire attitude sucks…it’s okay to say something is wrong…
Posted 04 May 2006 at 8:21 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:
“black actors will do over the top stereotypical roles to get ahead… roles to shock… and roles that play into the myth that white folks have about us… ”
That comment, which comes from frustration, can apply to minority actors in general.
Terrence Howard is a great actor and a highly educated man. He’s also a musician and doesn’t listen to hip-hop.
If the Liberal Hollywood community in George Clooney’s Oscar speach existed, “Hustle & Flow” wouldn’t be Terrence Howard’a break-out role.
Posted 04 May 2006 at 11:01 am ¶
merq wrote:
“Terrence Howard is a great actor and a highly educated man. He’s also a musician and doesn’t listen to hip-hop.”
Anonymous:
I’m a little confused, here. Where exactly were you going with that?
Posted 04 May 2006 at 11:42 am ¶
pc is dead wrote:
is there a quote function here?
Posted 04 May 2006 at 1:25 pm ¶
pc is dead wrote:
whoops didn’t mean to do that.
anyway.
“i’m black, and i don’t have any pimps in the family…”
Well for that matter, you won’t see many mobsters at Italian family reunions or flying zen masters at my Sunday dinner—btw, did you like Coppola’s “The Godfather” or Lee’s crouching animals?
“again what is the interest in a white film producer in pimps?”
The producer is black (John Singleton). As such he may choose any director he wishes to direct his projects. Interestingly, he chose a white director to tell the story of a black pimp. As an Asian-American, I have no problem with an African-American directing a film concerning WWII Japanese internment or say Antoine Fuqua—director of “training day”–directing a film about King Arthur.
“realize when hollywood is pumping up the stereotype and forgeting [sic] the more nuanced portrayals…training day was a great move, but the difference was that he was a dirty cop, not a stereotypical black character”
I don’t follow your argument about why Denxel’s portrayal was nuanced because he played a dirty cop. If anything, the role as it was written, not acted, lacked originality. Denzel’s character was an out-of-control sociopath, a role we’ve seen a million times in the movies, one that has been played by Walken, Hopper, and Samuel L. Jackson, just to name a few.
Where is the insight you ask? Howard’s pimp makes no apologies about being a pimp. He’s not happy about it. He doesn’t glorify it. He lives the ugly truth every day. What affected me were the moments of striving and connection between Howard and the female characters. Underneath the abuse is a real caring and understanding. They will do whatever it takes to help each other rise above their stations. I also enjoyed the contrast between Howard’s striver and the established rapper played by Ludacris. The description doesn’t do the movie justice. It is HOW the director establishes and illustrates these relationships that I like.
Hustle and Flow is no “Citizen Kane”. It resorts to a Rockyesque ending and feels mawkish at times. Still I find that the film rises above the gangsta rap clichés and adds texture to the glitter and irony of the American dream.
Posted 04 May 2006 at 2:01 pm ¶
i bought a mac wrote:
one more point at the risk of thrashing this thread to a bloody pulp.
no one thinks twice about brilliant but negative portrayals of whites. think hopkins as hannibal lector or john huston as the incestuous rapist in chinatown.
of course, a racial asymmetry exists here and i understand why minorities in particular are vigilant when such potentially stereotypical and damaging roles appear.
at the same time, some people immediately reject all such portrayals without considering artistic merit. if you don’t like hustle and flow because it sucked, that is one thing. if you don’t like it because the pimp is black, well…
btw, it is difficult to post comments using this software. is there an edit feature.
Posted 04 May 2006 at 2:19 pm ¶
the joy princess wrote:
Amen to absolutely everything you said, mtevc!
I am all for people wanting the freedom to explore their artistic impuleses but we cannot let ignorance and the varied lowest common denominators of our culture continue to rule and represent us around the world. I think black folks are due for a cultural movement of some sort. We have got to rescue and reclaim it!
Posted 04 May 2006 at 4:03 pm ¶
mtevc wrote:
i am sorry, but you can play the pimp heartstrings thing, but i just don’t see it…howard is the reason people like the film…i just wish he had better material…but i am sick of the pimp movie…the gangsta this and that… the fascination with the more prurient aspects of our “so-called” black world…and i am sick of the fascination with so-called “street” life in general
Posted 05 May 2006 at 8:54 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
me too mtevc!! Playing the nefarious characters wouldn’t be so damaging if WE SAW THE REALISTIC AS OPPOSED TO ABERRANT FACETS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE!
Yeah…I’m shouting.
I’ve lived abroad, & I don’t think American people (Black as well as White) get that there are billions of people who don’t know of our existence but for these films. You can never underestimate the power of visual imagery.
Posted 05 May 2006 at 1:17 pm ¶
Biyi wrote:
This part just got to me… “Terrence Howard is a great actor and a highly educated man. He’s also a musician and doesn’t listen to hip-hop.”
PC could you please explain to me what not listening to hip-hop has to do with being highly educated and a musician????? Ooohhhh, I get it.. hip-hop is only for the uneducated, gangster, baby daddy, grill-wearing, blinged the hell out N*GG!#$S… Just thought I’d help you articulate what you were trying to say…
Now to the point… the issue is not that minorities portray negative characters, the annoying thing is that as minorities we are type-casted into roles that fail to show the diversity of who we are… Do a search on Imdb.com for hollywood minorities Samuel Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Isiah Washington, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and tell me how diverse their roles are….
Posted 05 May 2006 at 2:22 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:
To be clear-
1)I’m just guessing from Terrance Howard’s background and his family’s background (education) that I don’t think there are any pimps in his family either.
2)Terrance Howard is a musician and says he doesn’t listen to hip-hop– he listens to country music. This might seem unbelievable since, according to Hollywood images, ALL black people fit a stereotypical mold.
3)Hip-hop is not, in Biyi’s words, “only for the uneducated”. Is that what you think, Biyi? No. I’m probably just obsessing over your use of the word “only”- as if that’s the main thing you see, subconsciosly, when you think of hip-hop. ;)
4)In case it has to be said– country music is not for uneducated, inbred crackers. Like all music, including hip-hop, it’s for people.
Sorry! :)
Posted 05 May 2006 at 4:39 pm ¶
pc wrote:
the comments regarding terrence howard and music / rap were not mine: they are from an anonymous poster.
i’m not discussing whether minorities get the opportunities they deserve in hollywood. moreover, it’s irrelevant to the topic at hand
does “hustle” stand on its own artistic merits? if so, fine. if not, fine. but some people clearly are placing too much additional baggage on this film.
e.g. “the godfather” is a great film whether or not italian-american immigrants are disproportionately portrayed as gangsters in film and on television (which they probably are… a topic cleverly and ironically discussed by tony soprano’s neighbors on “the sopranos”)
“boyz n the hood”, another fine film, features the character doughboy (played magnificently by ice-cube) who is no saint. i don’t think anyone remotely intelligent who watched that film left the theatre assuming that most blacks in the ghetto are violent gangstas. to the contrary, singleton enhanced the inherent drama of the situation to bring a greater understanding and sympathy to the characters.
if the only thing you want to see on tv is the cosby show, go buy the dvds. in the meantime, i think i’ll go read “the adventures of huckleberry finn”, a true piece of art–if it hasn’t been banned from the bookstores or libraries yet.
Posted 07 May 2006 at 7:01 pm ¶
mtevc wrote:
this isn’t about being so pc that we selectively remove certain things from the theater…my problem is that there aren’t enough varied things being made…we only get the “street” movies pumped up and given the budget…come on…you know this is true…and guess what, some people leaving the theater do believe that all black folk are like the ice cube character…so that’s why we need more varied portrayals…it was nice to see ice cube almost acknowledge this himself, when he helped produce 2 kids movies (one out…are we there yet) and a sequel to it, coming out soon…by the way, the movie are we there yet did so well it made him tons of money, and that was a family film that adam sandler was originally supposed to star in…so see, black people can do varied things for a varied audience…imagine that…and yes, the godfather is stereotypical, and so is the sopranos…and sadly, italians can gripe about the limited roles given to them…are you arguing in support of stereotypes? you can see whatever you want, but if you are trying to draw some kind of comparison between huck finn and the implications of the slave in it, and the gangsta movies, the comparison is faulty…you can see whatever you want, but at some point, don’t people want to see something that inspires, enlightens, moves them, or entertains them (in a clean way) at some point…sheesh
Posted 08 May 2006 at 10:20 am ¶