In the second part of analysis of the role of race in three of this year’s most celebrated films, Steven W Thrasher focuses on Selma and American Sniper
When it came to people of color making better lives for themselves, Ava Duvernay, the director of Selma, was not “interested in making a white-savior movie”.
DuVernay did start her film, which centers on Martin Luther King’s role in the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, by focusing on girlhood, opening with the death of four black girls who were blown up at 16th Street Baptist Church. The scene is a lyrically haunting nightmare of the disregard for the worth of black lives. Yet while it sets in motion the urgency that Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Lewis and others feel as they fight for black lives over the next two hours, it is never a revenge film. (American Sniper...
When it came to people of color making better lives for themselves, Ava Duvernay, the director of Selma, was not “interested in making a white-savior movie”.
DuVernay did start her film, which centers on Martin Luther King’s role in the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, by focusing on girlhood, opening with the death of four black girls who were blown up at 16th Street Baptist Church. The scene is a lyrically haunting nightmare of the disregard for the worth of black lives. Yet while it sets in motion the urgency that Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Lewis and others feel as they fight for black lives over the next two hours, it is never a revenge film. (American Sniper...
- 2/20/2015
- by Steven W Thrasher
- The Guardian - Film News
Understanding the Republican mindset through the prism of the ancient Roman Republic, with your host, Brian Trenchard-Smith.
George Clooney’s indictment of the corrupt nature of contemporary politics is a brave piece of film making.
The Battle of Algiers , Z, All The President’s Men, 3 Days Of TheCondor, Dr. Strangelove, In The Loop—these are just a few of my favorites in a long line of heartfelt movies critical of establishment thinking; not to mention advocate documentaries like Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 911. But can politically themed movies influence an electorate, or do they just preach to the converted? Let’s hope The Ides Of March persuades voters of the need for radical change to the way our administrations are elected. The title refers to March 15, 44 Bce, the day upon which Julius Caesar was murdered by his fellow Senators. If you read Michael Parenti’s book, The Assassination of Julius Caesar,...
George Clooney’s indictment of the corrupt nature of contemporary politics is a brave piece of film making.
The Battle of Algiers , Z, All The President’s Men, 3 Days Of TheCondor, Dr. Strangelove, In The Loop—these are just a few of my favorites in a long line of heartfelt movies critical of establishment thinking; not to mention advocate documentaries like Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 911. But can politically themed movies influence an electorate, or do they just preach to the converted? Let’s hope The Ides Of March persuades voters of the need for radical change to the way our administrations are elected. The title refers to March 15, 44 Bce, the day upon which Julius Caesar was murdered by his fellow Senators. If you read Michael Parenti’s book, The Assassination of Julius Caesar,...
- 10/4/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Four-letter Gill
"Wonky cock documentary" is AA Gill's term for Channel 4 shows like Embarrassing Bodies, Monkey discovered during the Sunday Times TV critic's interview with BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser at the Sheffield Doc/Fest. But when media journalist (and Guardian contributor) Kate Bulkley tried to defend the broadcaster for what she believed was legitimate public service broadcasting he proved a more-than-succinct debater. "Fuck off," was his only response. Monkey wasn't quite sure how Bulkley felt about this. Or indeed how this tallied with Gill's later assertion that television "at the moment is in the process of being very abusive to its audience. It used to be quizshows where people were respectable and say thank you and give them a cuddly toy. Now it's much more abusive." Unlike, say ... conference sessions chaired by Gill.
Not digging Giles
Gill wasn't a big fan of his friend Giles Coren's BBC...
"Wonky cock documentary" is AA Gill's term for Channel 4 shows like Embarrassing Bodies, Monkey discovered during the Sunday Times TV critic's interview with BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser at the Sheffield Doc/Fest. But when media journalist (and Guardian contributor) Kate Bulkley tried to defend the broadcaster for what she believed was legitimate public service broadcasting he proved a more-than-succinct debater. "Fuck off," was his only response. Monkey wasn't quite sure how Bulkley felt about this. Or indeed how this tallied with Gill's later assertion that television "at the moment is in the process of being very abusive to its audience. It used to be quizshows where people were respectable and say thank you and give them a cuddly toy. Now it's much more abusive." Unlike, say ... conference sessions chaired by Gill.
Not digging Giles
Gill wasn't a big fan of his friend Giles Coren's BBC...
- 6/13/2011
- by Monkey
- The Guardian - Film News
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