Tyler Perry should be credited with the resurgence of Black cinema in this era

Spike Lee said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that every ten years there's a renewed interest in black cinema and then it goes away and he's right. The first "wave" happened in the 70s with the Blaxploitation era started by Melvin Van Peeples Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, in 1971, lasting to about the late 70s. The second happened in the mid 80s, ignited by Spike himself with She's Gotta Have It, in 1986, lasting into the mid 90s. And the present wave arguably (and I'm sure some will) started by Tyler Perry and Diary Of A Mad Black Woman in 2005.

In his recent interview on the Arsenio Hall Show, Perry repeatedly referenced his faith and spiritual grounding as a foundation for his success and its that religious foundation that has been the not so secret to his success. He simply tapped into an under-served demographic of primarily religious minded women. And as such his films serve more or less as his ministry or his testimony of his faith and beliefs as they're steeped in baptist christian values.

For the record, personally, I don't think Tyler Perry is a very compelling storyteller nor that great a filmmaker but there is an earnestness to his works that resonates with his audience. I feel its fair to criticize his films and TV shows based on their merits and weaknesses and there are many who do, very harshly, but for me the line is crossed when his works are posited as being detrimental to the black community as a whole. And for the last eight years or so this narrative has been pushed particularly in Black media, social networks and blogosphere. Its a criticism that's usually leveled at his films and TV shows but interestingly enough not his plays. I get the feeling that's because people aren't as inundated with advertisements and commercials for the plays as they are with the other mediums. It's also a criticism that isn't applied to others in the same way. Ewe Boll for example is universally regarded as a horrible film maker but his works aren't condemned as setting white people back or adversely affecting Europeans in any way.

But all of that doesn't negate the fact that for the better part of a decade Tyler Perry been the most consistently successful and high profile black figure to hit Hollywood other than Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey. But Smith is an actor and producer not a writer or director (although After Earth is his first writing credit) and Oprah is a talk show personality and producer, she neither writes nor directs. Perry is the only person to achieve the level of success he has as a writer/director which is the same position Van Peeples and Lee were in when they kicked off their respective surges in Black cinema. Perry's formulaic comedies have been such a success that Hollywood, riding the wave as hard as possible, has three Black cast films in release running concurrently, The Best Man Holiday, Black Nativity and his Newest film A Madea Christmas. This is something I can't recall happening in the last few years or in the last fifteen years for that matter.

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Fuck outta' here with that shit.

 

now that youve had your kneejerk response to the title care to elaborate?:roll:

 

Im not gonna speak for him, but I, myself, is NOT a fan of Tyler Fairy.

Him and his constant buffoonery, glorifying outrageous black stereotypes, and his overall atrocious and unoriginal storytelling makes him hands down one of the worst "men" in cinema today.

Along with him constantly pandering to the insecure black women crowd makes him another crushed black "man" raised by single black females.

Nobody panders to black men in entertainment.

 

does anyone actually bother to read the articles..no seriously I'm curious because its incredible to me how people just riff on a title or they scan an excerpt then write something thats almost totally off base.

 

no he didn't read it...you posted at 7:32am and he responded at 7:34am...flaming has an agenda here on the forum

he can't be happy or proud of a gay black man...are you kidding? black men aren't supposed to support black women...after all black women gave them life but that doesn't mean they have to respect them:smt012

fan or not of tyler perry he has made a significant contribution to the black community

 

Significant contribution? Definitely not. Hes accomplished sure but his so.called contribution supports the evil dark skin villain and good guy light skin myth. He further helps to emasculate men and denigrate black people as a whole with that horrible Media character.

 

ah the crossdressing charge that somehow isn't leveled at martin lawrence or eddie murphy



and name a black filmmaker who HASN'T had light skin vs dark skin issues in their films??

 

exactly...white men that are secure with themselves doing it as well in films

the light skin vs. dark skin is a major issue right here on this forum...if it wasn't an issue then it wouldn't be so easy to get a rise out of people

 

he is a comedy writer for crying out loud that has an audience constantly begging for more...how do you argue with box office sales?

 

I am not a fan of Tyler Perry. But, I do respect him. I am aware of where he came from and how he got to where he is now. From poverty to fame and fortune; the American Dream. He had lived in his car while doing his theatrical shows in black theater,also known as the Chitlin Circuit. Madea had been most good to him. From stage shows to film and television. And he, like Mel Gibson, tapped into an audience that was not represented. He has total creative control and he profits from it than any filmmaker around. Very impressive. Of course you remember his attempt at playing Alex Cross(Alex Cross, in James Patterson's books was in his late thirties or early forties). Alex Cross was a box office bomb. But, it didn't stop him. I think despite his success, he simply talks too much, especially about his personal life. He simply tells what his fans want to hear. In my humble opinion, he could simply play it cool and be an enigma. He's going nowhere but up.

 

His films are crap but i admit he has a target audience and doesnt give a fuck since he is worth $400 million

 

I have yet to see a single Tyler Perry film. His brand doesn't really appeal to me.

 

That was some straight up bullshit. If the resurgence is referring to movies like Think Like a Man, Jumping the Broom, TD Jakes movies, etc, then maybe there is some truth to that. Tyler Perry films have given some black filmmakers and studios a template for how black films can be made and marketed as well as shown that such films can be a success, then there is some truth to that. But let's not forget movies such as Best Man's Wedding, Love and Basketball, Love Jones, etc, preceded anything that Tyler Perry did in film. So there was proof that black romantic comedies and black romantic melodramas could succeed at the box office. Perry added on the religious element (moral preaching) to the equation and also made a name for himself that such movies can be made quickly and regularly.

Problem is though while Perry has truly inspired a new type of cinema, I don't think what has resulted from it is worth bragging about. His movies and its imitators don't seem to have much reverence for actual filmmaking. Writing, acting, directing, cinematography are all uninspired and at times are downright amateurish. Not one great movie has been produced from this bunch. Instead these works are more like assembly line products being produced in mass quantities for an underserved audience who is hungry for any "positive" representation. Religious white folks make somewhat similar movies (although more dramatic than comedic) for a niche religious, white audience but the mainstream white audience mostly ignore those films. And why not? White moviegoers have such endless choices to see themselves represented that they can choose more highly acclaimed material or bigger budget vehicles. Black people have much limited options so it makes sense that Perry benefitted just by filling a void, quality be damned.

And as far as his TV work is concerned, Perry's work is even more awful. Its silly, juvenile, preachy, predictable and just plain dumb. He makes the shows of Shonda Rhimes look downright sophisticated by comparison. I have yet to see any great writers or directors come from Tyler's stable. And I have yet to have seen one actor or actress have a huge career launch after starring in one of his movies. By far the biggest celebrity to emerge from Tyler Perry's work is Tyler Perry.


Tyler Perry has absolutely nothing to do with any of the Lee Daniels films or Steve McQueen films. His work had nothing to do with the arrivals of small gems like Middle of Nowhere or Fruitvale Station or Mother of George. The young directors making their way through independent cinema are not inspired by his work nor do any of them even tend to mention his name. And he has not given any of those folks any financial assistance or training either. The new crop that is on the scene spawned independent of Perry's body of work. And foreign black filmmakers don’t even seem to be aware of his presence. Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen and Ryan Coogler each have one recent movie that have drawn more adulation, acclaim and awards than all of Tyler Perry's films combined. If Perry is supposed to represent some important chapter in the growth of black film that point has gone unnoticed by those who work in and pay attention to the film industry.

 

Mr. Perry has an extraordinary eye for identifying his audience and what their expectations are. His work may not weigh heavily on the scale of aesthetic achievement, but if both parties walk away happy who are you to judge?

And yes his work counts as headway for black progress in the cinematic arts.

 

Which must be zero and none.

In a free country we are allowed to judge anything. And saying "his work may not weigh heavily on the scale of aesthetic achievement" is kinda like saying Chris Christie is a bit overweight. You are playing down how pedestrian his work actually is IMO. John Singleton, a better filmmaker, fits that lack of aesthetic achievement description. Perry's work on the other hand has all the sophistication of a home video of a high school freshman. Is he successful? Oh, yes. So is Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber. That doesn't necessarily equate quality. Instead it suggests he is serving a populace of low expectations. He is serving a group of moviegoers who every year whine that films like Love and Basketball, Jumping the Broom, Redtails and For Colored Girls did not garner Academy awards nominations.

They say when America has a cold black people have the flu. Well in that same vein if most America cinema speaks down to its audience by dumbing down its product, black cinema by folks like Perry takes ignorance to a whole other level. If black folks are happy with that shit so be it. I don't begrudge anyone for enjoying what they enjoy. But let us not forget that black people are also into a lot of things these days that aren't necessarily enriching the culture. Many of those same things people on these forums make fun of and dismiss. But Perry is supposed to be off limits?

No, it counts as headway in the profitability of black product. Let us not get commerce mixed up with actual art.

 

Actor/comedian Robert Townsend had wrote, produced, starred and directed his films like Perry and enjoyed crossover success. Hollywood Shuffle was made with credit cards from Montgomery Ward. While it was a funny film, it spoke of the lack of serious roles for black actors. The Black Acting School segment was classic as was the Sneakin' In The Movies segment. I would like to see a pair of black film critics share their observations on film like the late Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. It is possible.

 

you're criticisms of his works on a technical and creative level are valid but to put forth the notion that his films are a detriment to the culture is just bullshit. As you put it very well there are other black filmmakers who's works are very compelling by comparison but thats the problem..why should there be a comparison. Perry has his lane and Mcqueen has his.

The article never says that Tyler Perry is a creative genius but even you have to admit that he's had some influence on how to make and market low budget productions in a much more efficient way than previously done in the last decade. And commerce means something..it means power and independence. Which is what may be tyler perry's greatest achievement. From the looks of it it seems he's working on creating an expansive studio in Atlanta. And he's starting to branch off and give other filmmakers the opportunity to create under his banner (Peeples for example).

Between Tyler and Oprah, if they can pull this off they are literally setting up a self contained, independent production STUDIO..not COMPANY..STUDIO the difference between a company and studio is a company just does the paperwork but the actual making of the product is farmed out other facilities that have the equipment to make it. A studio has its OWN equipment and means to make the product. Lights, cameras, stages etc from preproduction to post and damn near everything in between.

For example Will Smith has a production company, Overbrook Entertainment but when he wants to make a film or tv show he has to work in conjunction with a studio and a few other production companies..heres the production credits for Will's movie Seven Pounds:

Production Companies
Columbia Pictures (presents) (A Film by Gabriele Muccino) Columbia Pictures is the actual studio with the soundstages and various departments to physically shoot the film. Which is one of the reasons its first on the credits
Relativity Media (in association with)
Overbrook Entertainment
Escape Artists


Here's the production credits for Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas

Production Companies
Tyler Perry Company, The
Tyler Perry Studios

see the difference... Now if heads would stop complaining and bitching they would see that the man is doing something thats literally unprecedented in not just Black history but AMERICAN history being the first Black man not to run a studio but to OWN a studio. Thats why Spike made up with him and all of his other critics and shit talkers should be trying to work WITH him rather than complain about how bad his films are.

You mentioned that white people have more options to see themselves than blacks but the reality is MOST of the images and representations of whites in cinema and tv are NOT good and stereotypical of them but they control the medium so all you get is the hype of the FEW by comparison good works they produce. True equality in america is to be as mediocre or fucked up just like the white man and STILL be able to come back. If youre going to inflate Perry's negatives as having some massive detrimental influence then you should inflate his positives to the same degree otherwise your just cherry picking what you don't like.

 

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Because neither Martin or Eddie have built their careers on that exploitative bs. They both have had good strong films that didn't need racially damaging stereotypes to make it.

And as far black filmmakers who made it without building their career on colorism

Ernest Dickerson who is know for Juice
F Gary Gay know for Friday and the Italian Job
Steve McQueen
Kasi Lemmons who has Nativity out right now and also did Eve's Bayou

Just to name a few