Hollywood's Aversion to 'Black' Films

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/opinion/martin-red-tails-hollywood/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

The Kid Rasta

 

Thanks Kid,Rolland Martin always hits it on the head.

 

It's funny that Hollywood is known for its liberal mindset, yet they balk at getting behind a "black" film. And they don't give America much credit if they think the only thing worth viewing is a "white film." :smt009

 

Hollywood is going to produce anything that makes money........

..in the United states 200 million out of 300 million people make up one race. And that 200 million group holds over 90% of the wealth in the United States. As a matter of business Hollywood is going to produce that which makes money. If you make a movie that excludes the highest racial group in the country how then do you expect it to make money?

...real talk.

We have all grown up with "White man/White woman saves the world" and we have all grown up with the STRUGGLES lf "non-white folks"...that is what we are ALL used to seeing. if Red Tales...a real ACTION movie which are the movies that generally make the most money, if thsi movie makes a lot of cash you will see more.......

...its not going to change, but you will see more.

 

So you're saying that white people will only go to movies that have predominantly white actors? I guess that makes me different. I go to see movies based on the story not just the actors. If the story doesn't grab my attention, it doesn't matter who is/isn't in it.

And if your theory is true, that must mean that only white people go to see white movies? Blacks, Asians, Latinos - they don't go to see "white" movies, because their race isn't featured predominantly in it?

 

He didn't say that. He said that hollywood make movies that they believe will make the most money, because that's what it's all about. They look out at their audience and see mostly white faces and so make movies they believe will sell well to that audience.

Movies are about fantasy (mostly) and when people go to see a movie they usually like to identify with the characters in that movie. If the audience is mostly white, you might put white main characters in the movie because the audience can relate to those people...and pay you for the experience.

Bring on the 'blah blah blah, I'm so cultured I only watch indi films so I'm better than everyone else' rants. :smt005

 

Basically it comes down to White Americans who don't bother watching or supporting films that have predominantly or completely minority casts, while minorities have pretty much always been willing to watch and support movies that have predominantly or completely white casts. Racist Hollywood caters to racist White America and has been doing so for a century now. It really is that simple. Ya it might be business but that really doesn't make it any less racist.

 

Why dont you take a look at Will Smith or Denzel Washington's box office intake and get back with me. Their films make TONS of money. Why? Because they are really good at picking their projects and people love them for it.

The fact is, a lot of these "black" films are just not good. Who the fuck wants to pay 10 dollars to see Soul Plane or a Tyler Perry film??? I know I dont.


And I cant wait until Denzel's next film comes out (called Safehouse). It will do damage at the boxoffice, just you watch.

 

There's a difference between an all/predominantly Black cast and Black leads (which even then relatively speaking are few and far in between) in movies. And it's not like the racial dynamics of Hollywood don't effect Black leads as well. Will Smith said when they were casting for Hitch they wouldn't make his love interest White because they figured a BM/WF couple would alienate White audiences and they wouldn't make his love interest Black because the film would have been pigeon-holed as a "BLACK MOVIE" and wouldn't have made it to production and would have also alienated white audiences. Which was why they settled for a Latina, Eva Mendez. Anyway if TWO Black male leads in Hollywood in 2012 are enough to satisfy you then great. Although I would have included Samuel L as well.

 

The problem is in the perception of Black People in Hollywood. Someone mentioned Will Smith and Denzel Washington, well these two men made it in spite of racial hurdles and not because there aren't any. After all most of the rolls that Will and Denzel get were originally written for White actors.

Hollywood will put Black People in movies, but they (Hollywood) are weary of letting Black People expand into different directions. Things have gotten a little better but there is still far to go.

I myself like the idea of "Movies Staring Black People" and not "Black Movies" Because things won't be equal until our race stops becoming A plot point. I mean how many movies starring White People has their race been A essential part of the story?

Seriously Black People are more than just our skin color

 

Agree, agree, agree.

 

Saw the writeup the other day. Thought it was very good. Only had a couple of issues:

1) There was one black person to head a studio. It lasted for a short time but I believe it happened at 20th Century Fox back during the 70s or early 80s. I read about it in an issie of the noe defunct Premiere magazine. I will try to look it up.

2)People must stop throwing out the so-called popularity of black music as an example that white audiences are willing to support all-black films. The vast majority of popular American music has been created by blacks and these music forms have been around for decades. But that is not evidence of the willingness of whites to see a black flick. Jazz and rock 'n roll have been much more successful than rap ever was and yet when jazz and rock 'n roll were at their distinct peaks, white people still weren't all that interested in black stories.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris...vs-hollywood_b_1202013.html?ref=entertainment

 

It is far better than your shitty response. You keep reaching for the comments section of responders, a section that on the net is typically full of unhinged folks who don't know anything and are damn proud of it.

Now, I can agree that most black films are crap. Then again most white films are too, but I'll stick with black films for the time being.

Why are they mostly bad? It could be because of a lack of talent of those behind the camera. Certainly better black screenwriters and black directors are needed. But even if those people appeared and had a truly fresh idea to bring to the screen, they would meet resistance if all or the majority of their characters are black. There was a report in a well-respected film magazine in 2010 about the horror stories of black directors/screenwriters who try to sell their ideas to studios. If the black characters were presented in a way those white studio folks weren't accustomed to, those white people couldn't wrap it around their minds and therefore rejected such projects. Those white studio execs are just as responsible for keeping black movies in a box as anyone. If a black writer came to the studios to a do a movie like "Black Swan" or "The Descendants" with a mostly black cast, the studios aren't likley to bankroll it no matter how well the scripts are.


And basically all the most successful movies with black stars have a majority white cast. Or more importantly have a majority non-black cast. Studios and white audiences tend to prefer that setting for films with black leads. The more "black" a film with Will and Denzel are the less likely they are to be successful regardless of the quality of the films (no Tyler Perry flicks in their filmographies). And why is that NONE of the top 30 or 40 working white directors ever do a film with Smith and Washington. There are no Chris Nolans making movies with those guys; the very best tend to work exclusively with white males if they need a male star. As a result Smith and Washington have ended up being in a lot of pedestrian films, the type you refer to as "quality" movies. One could argue that Smith has yet to appear in one great motion picture.

 

Take it a step further. Who are the black male box office champs to replace Smith and Washington? No one in sight. Hollywood tries to make stars out of a hundred new white actors each year but has no interest in making new black male stars. And what is the point of Denzel and Will being leading men when they are castrated on screen and therefore get less "leading man treatment" than their fellow white actors?

 

remember the titans was fucking epic

and yes, people of any color watch Will Smith or Denzel because of their acting history. Those guys generally pump out movies that are well put together, and don't fall into the cliche roles you generally see blacks in. Those guys definitely deserve lifetime achievement awards for setting the standard.

As for ymra's remark about Red Tails...I definitely will see that. Terrence Howard played a 'Red Tail' turned POW in the film Harts War, and plays the role again in this film...hopefully he gets more screen time with this film tho.

 

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