Film, Roles and Race

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elliott_argon
elliott_argon Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
edited June 2010 in Lights, Camera, Action!
apparently angelina jolie is supposed to be playing cleopatra...

from abcnews

cleopatra.jpg

News that Angelina Jolie may play the iconic Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, portrayed in this sculpture circa 40 BC, right, in a film based on the biography "Cleopatra: A Life" has not been universally well received. Some naysayers believe that a white actress should not play an African queen, but others argue Cleopatra was of Greek descent. "I think this stems from a long-held frustration regarding the access of minority actors to leading roles. It's bad enough that the are far less likely to be cast in those roles in general, and it's downright galling to them that in roles in which they are perceived as having a natural advantage they are still getting beaten out," Andrew Wallenstein, editor of The Hollywood Reporter's website told CNN.com. (Getty Images)

princeofpersia.jpg

Jake Gyllenhaal's role as Dastan in the "Prince of Persia: The Hands of Time" did not go over well with some as well. None of the film's principal cast members are of Iranian, Middle Eastern or Muslim descent. "This part really needed to go to someone who's Persian," said Jehanzeb Dar, a blogger and independent filmmaker. "It's not only insulting to Persians, it's also insulting to white people. It's saying white people can't enjoy movies unless the protagonist is white," he said on his blog. (Walt Disney Enterprises Inc./AP Photo)

danpearl.jpg

When Angelina Jolie played the role of Marianne Pearl, the wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in "A Mighty Heart," backlash over whether a minority should have played the role – Marianne Pearl was African, Cuban and Dutch -- ensued. A reader on BET.com wrote, "With talent such as Halle Berry, Thandie Newton and Jennifer Beals available — just to mention a few — what is Hollywood's excuse for casting a white woman this time? Anyone who has seen a photo of Marianne Pearl can tell she is a woman of color." (Getty Images)
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  • elliott_argon
    elliott_argon Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    avatar.jpg

    M. Night Shyamalan's adaptation of the animated series " Avatar: The Last Airbender" has come under attack for its casting of white actors in roles that were originally played by Asian and Native Americans. Noah Rider is set to play Aang. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans and an organization called Race Bending are urging fans to boycott "Airbender." "They've constructed a film that is contrary not only to what fans expected to see but is also contrary to what America expects to see in a film released in 2010 featuring Asian culture and Asian and Native American characters as heroes," said Racebending.com spokesman Michael Le. Shyamalan responded to the criticism in the L.A. Times, saying the film would be "the most culturally diverse tent-pole movies ever released, period." (Paramount/AP Photo )

    mallard.jpg

    Things took a wacky turn when Mena Suvari appeared in cornrows to play the role of an African-American woman named Chante Mallard in the 2008 film "Stuck." Mallard is currently serving 50 years in prison for hitting a homeless man in 2001 with her car after she spent an evening smoking ? , drinking and taking Ecstasy with friends. Many asked why the filmmaker did not wear a black actress for the role. "There's a lack of parts for women in Hollywood altogether -- do actresses of color have a chance if white women can just put on some cornrows (or a curly wig) and play "a particular kind of girl from a particular place?" Jezebel.com asked on its site. (AP Photos)


    There were other examples... http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/slideshow/film-roles-race-10972282

    of course, elizabeth taylor played cleopatra the first time, and goku was white in dragonball z, the list is too long...thoughts?
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  • Bcotton5
    Bcotton5 Members Posts: 51,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    ? a ?
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  • Cake4real
    Cake4real Members Posts: 815 ✭
    edited June 2010
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    It's unfortunate that stuff like this happens today
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  • white715
    white715 Members Posts: 7,744 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    The Passion of Christ
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  • arbitration
    arbitration Members Posts: 1,969 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    I'd like to see the Highlander films get a reboot.
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  • elliott_argon
    elliott_argon Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    white715 wrote: »
    The Passion of Christ

    greatest story ever told

    ten commandments

    the bible

    moses

    (insert biblical hollywood movie)
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  • DarcSkies777
    DarcSkies777 Members Posts: 5,600 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    Crackers even play Jesus and he was brown skinned.

    alg_cleopatra_jolie.jpg

    ^^ THis is the CPU generated image of Cleopatra based on historians and forensic scientists seen on National Geographic.

    CASE CLOSED...

    YOu can use all the word play you want (Oh well she was Greek..well her decedents weren't from Afrika...blah blah blah). If Cleopatra was in America in 1949 and tried to get into a white University she'd be turned away for being a NI99ER.

    So why the ? is a ? playing a BLACK WOMAN's role? Is Denzel playing ? next?
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  • Neslom
    Neslom Members Posts: 431 ✭
    edited June 2010
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    Also Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany's
    mickeyrooney.jpgmickey-rooney.jpg

    I only see this problem in big Hollywood productions. They are afraid to put their money on an unknown actor/actress who ethnically will fit the role, most people want to watch big stars as the lead in the movies. The new Karate Kid is a big release which has an Asian and a black kid in the lead roles but then again - established names - Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith son of Will Smith.

    Ethnic and Visible Minorities in Entertainment Media
    In its 2000 report, SAG announced a seven per cent increase in industry jobs and record numbers of roles for performers of colour, with African Americans accounting for 15 per cent of all characters in television and film. However, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) pointed out that of the four major networks’ 26 new prime-time shows for the 2000 season, none featured people of colour in lead roles.

    In many independent film you can find actual black, asian, latinos in movies where they do not play a stereotypical character but might fight racism.
    Lone Star, Frozen River, Hotel Rwanda, City Of ? , Sin Nombre
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  • cobbland
    cobbland Members Posts: 3,768 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    No matter how hard the people in Hollyweird try, that can't geographically relocate Egypt into Europe.

    I wonder how they would feel if Spike Lee decides to do a movie about Princess Diana and cast either Kerry Washington or Taraji P. Henson in the lead?

    Or how about Michael Clark Duncan as Ronald Reagan? LOL

    All that racial ambiguity talk would get tossed out the window with the quickness.
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  • elliott_argon
    elliott_argon Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    i do a little volunteer work and i had a convo with a high school girl the other day that sent me. she was studying for her world history final, so i asked her what was taught about africa? not really anything, she said. so i asked did they at least learn about egypt, she said yeah, but that's the middle east.
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  • deeroc22
    deeroc22 Members Posts: 4,548 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    DarcSkies777 wrote: »
    YOu can use all the word play you want (Oh well she was Greek..well her decedents weren't from Afrika...blah blah blah). If Cleopatra was in America in 1949 and tried to get into a white University she'd be turned away for being a NI99ER.

    So why the ? is a ? playing a BLACK WOMAN's role? Is Denzel playing ? next?
    cobbland wrote: »
    No matter how hard the people in Hollyweird try, that can't geographically relocate Egypt into Europe.

    I wonder how they would feel if Spike Lee decides to do a movie about Princess Diana and cast either Kerry Washington or Taraji P. Henson in the lead?

    Or how about Michael Clark Duncan as Ronald Reagan? LOL

    All that racial ambiguity talk would get tossed out the window with the quickness.



    REAL ? TALK DOT COM
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  • smokelahoma
    smokelahoma Members Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    elliott_argon wrote: »
    i do a little volunteer work and i had a convo with a high school girl the other day that sent me. she was studying for her world history final, so i asked her what was taught about africa? not really anything, she said. so i asked did they at least learn about egypt, she said yeah, but that's the middle east.

    lol dog, I hope you slapped the ? outta that ? with the thickest, heaviest map you could find.
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  • Neslom
    Neslom Members Posts: 431 ✭
    edited June 2010
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    smokelahoma wrote: »
    lol dog, I hope you slapped the ? outta that ? with the thickest, heaviest map you could find.

    Why is that? Yes, Egypt is in Africa but it has borders to the middle east

    middle_east_pol_1976.jpg
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  • smokelahoma
    smokelahoma Members Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    Neslom wrote: »
    Why is that? Yes, Egypt is in Africa but it has borders to the middle east

    middle_east_pol_1976.jpg

    yeah, but its not in the Middle East. Its pretty much the gateway to the Middle East but the dudes story was about a chick that thought it was literally in the Middle East. it is part of Africa, lets just get that clear.
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  • kingofbama205
    kingofbama205 Members Posts: 2,340 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    Man I remember when I was in High School some of the White folks there didn't believe that Egypt was on the continent of Africa..theres nothin u can do but shake your head at those folks.
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  • smokelahoma
    smokelahoma Members Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    kingofbama205 wrote: »
    Man I remember when I was in High School some of the White folks there didn't believe that Egypt was on the continent of Africa..theres nothin u can do but shake your head at those folks.

    what do you expect? Sarah Palin didnt even know africa is a continent and white people (mostly women) love some Sarah Palin. These are the people that they look up to and get their "facts" from.
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  • Cake4real
    Cake4real Members Posts: 815 ✭
    edited June 2010
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    smokelahoma wrote: »
    what do you expect? Sarah palin didnt even know africa is a continent and white people (mostly women) love some sarah palin. These are the people that they look up to and get their "facts" from.

    smh.......................
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  • elliott_argon
    elliott_argon Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
    edited June 2010
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCeSCzzzQ8E


    "...people are reluctant to give an african credit a creation that happened in africa..." -john henrik clarke

    foh elizabeth taylor cleopatra egypt being in the middle east
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