Sapphire's red and black paperback book, Push, is getting passed around my office. People have heard that it's the book the film "Precious" is based on. Maybe it's my imagination, but people who traditionally enjoy movies like "Mall Cop" and "Bride Wars" are talking about going to see it. The majority of people in my office are white.
I am having trouble with this. Like bristling, from-my-gut anger.
First, I just don't do well with issues of sexual abuse, hence, therapy. I remember I was living in NYC when Push came out in the mid-nineties. I was unfazed by the fuss over it; from what I could gather, it had already been done and done better in The Color Purple.
Second, why, I wonder, does a movie about a fictional, barely-literate, obese Black teen mother who is on welfare and physically and sexually abused by her parents get made? It's about hope, KellyBelle, overcoming stuff; your people have —stop right there.
As an avid reader and sometime writer, I am fascinated by the unsung African-Americans in history. I would love to know what Minniijean Brown's day was like before she poured that bowl of chili on that white boy's head and reduced the Little Rock Nine to eight. I want to know how Denise McNair's mother survived the loss of her child in the bombing of 16th Street Baptist. I co-wrote a play and spent time letting my imagination run wild thinking about how Harriet Tubman felt sneaking back to slavery to take her husband up north, brand-new custom made suit for him in hand, and finding him shacked up with another woman.
My friend, Nikki, says nobody, least of all Black people, want to see movies about slavery. I guess "Roots" was a fluke. I think —I know — there are stories in our history that are every bit as compelling as "Sophie's Choice," "Schindler's List," "Braveheart," "Dances With Wolves," "Gandhi" and other epic historical cinema. Has Tyler Perry and co. numbed and dumbed us down so that we won't go to see anything but the most perverse and pathological pictures of ourselves?
Third, Lee Daniels. I don't know the man. I have never seen his work and I'm pretty sure I won't go to see "Precious," so maybe it's not entirely fair that I speak on him. I do know he produced "Monster's Ball" and produced and directed "Precious."
Like I said, I haven't seen either, so (lovingly) correct me if I'm wrong. But those are two very provocative portrayals of African-American women. I'm all for seeing multi-dimensional images of us on screen. But can't there be balance? Do we have to go from being stern judges and trusty nurses to being self-hating whores and teen aged welfare mothers? The buzz I hear about "Precious" comes mostly from white people and that unnerves me. It's like the book and the movie are an amalgam of every negative stereotype about Black women, allowing people to wallow in their prejudices and then be absolved with some manner of uplifting, hope-filled ending. Ick.
Then, there is something Daniels said, both in New York Magazine and on Teri Gross' Fresh Air, about "Precious" lead actress, Gabby Sidibe:
"She is uneqivocally comfortable in her body, in a very bizarre way. Either she is in a state of denial, or she is so elevated, she is on another level. I had no doubt in my mind that she had four or five boyfriends, easily."
As I said, he said it twice, almost word for word. Perhaps I am disturbed by this because I have self-image issues my damn self, but why does a Black woman who loves herself and believes herself worthy of good love--regardless of whether or not she conforms to European standards of beauty--have to be delusional? As I posted two days ago, if I met Gabby, I'd sit at her feet and try to learn something because she's got a bodhi tree somewhere.
I know this was a lot to post about a movie I'm not even gonna see, but the thought of it stirred something up in me.
Posts
22 comments:
You've had a full glass of haterade, what other conclusion can be gleaned from your critique when you haven't read the book or seen the movie, nor do you plan to read the book or see the movie. I think Precious has a universal message and will touch women of all races in a positive way..
Get you a movied made with the type of women you want to see onscreen instead of hating on someone who has. (sheesh)
wow! daniels is clearly twisted. so is tyler perry. i think, in their minds, only black women like halle berry are deserving of praise and love. i don't know if I'll be seeing precious. On the other hand, both Sapphire and Gabby seem like the type of strong black women I'd love to meet and learn from as well...
Hello KellyBelle,
A friend of mine and i were JUST discussing this film, and Lee Daniels, this week and she read your review and sent it on to me. I am totally new to your blog so forgive me for commenting sort of our of context, but I just wanted to say I appreciate your honesty and wanted to share my thoughts, for whatever they are worth.
It's funny, becuase what started the conversation between myself (I am white) and my friend (she is black) is that I heard an interview with Lee Daniels on the cbc radio up here in Canada, and when asked if he was concerned that Precious would be pidgeonholed as far as marketing because of it's almost entirely black cast, he said no, because he had made the film specifically with the black community in mind, and wasn't expecting a wider audience to appreciate it.
He further went on to say (and this is what really caught my attention) that the two films he had produced that I had seen, Monster's Ball and The Woodsmen (both which I thought were well-done films) were made, in his words, for "the white world," and that his mother was always asking him, "why can't you just make a Tyler Perry movie?"
He went on to say that while he wasn't trying to make a perry film per se, he did set out, with Precious, to make a film for his community, the black community, as opposed to those other films which he did not.
And this confused and even annoyed me a bit, wondering what exactly he meant by making a movie for white people, especially one, in the case of Monster's ball, that dealt so heavily with race, and I sent a sort of confused email to my girlfriend wondering what her thoughts on all of that were. And that started what turned into what seemed like a 30 email discussion on race in the media, entertainment, etc.
And then my husband started reading reviews for the film and his first two were entirely polar opposites. The AV Club (a pretty white media source, I don't think they have a black writer on staff) gave it a good review, and had a round tablewith Daniels and the stars of the film. The second review he read was by Armond White, an African American reviewer, and he absolutely hated it. For that review, see here:
http://www.nypress.com/article-20554-pride-precious.html
Now White is apparently known in the film world as a contrarian for the sake of being contrarian, but I don't know that that invalidates all of his points and perspectives. And I just have to say I thought right away how ironic it was that Daniels said he was making this film for the black audience, and not the white, and the first two reviews we read showed a different dicotomy.
I also thought your mentioning of the Color Purple was interesting, as I thought right away of that book when reading White's review, as I know it got a good dose of similar criticism from black critics at the time it was published.
I guess, my immediate reaction is that it goes to show you just can't put people in a box. I haven't read the book or seen the film myself, and Im not sure I can as sexual violence on screen is one thing I simply can't take watching, but for me this entire thing has been an interesting, thoght-provoking exercise on race, media, entertainment, culture,and individuality.
Thanks for writing, and forgive me long comment!
Blessings,
Nicole
Ok, one of the first anonymous is clearly my ex-boyfriend trying to get some attention.
I welcome all comments but you have to be grown enough to leave your name.
Nicole--you rock! Welcome to the blog, and thank you for commenting! I think Armond White's reviews are interesting and I would love to hear what he has to say.
Wow. Just read the Armond White review:
"Not since The Birth of a Nation has a mainstream movie demeaned the idea of black American life as much as Precious."
I don't have to see shit to know I don't want to step in it.
KellyBelle,
Thanks for the welcome and forgiving my long comment. :) It seems to be a tough issue being addressed here, and that is the age old question of does art reflect reality, or does art create reality. I think the truth is both.
I thought White's comparisons to gangster rap were interesting, because there you have a group of 'artists' who would say that they are reflecting reality. Yet White is obviously more of the school of thought that what he see as their glorification of, romanticisation of, and embracing of, thug life and what many view as negative black stereotypes, actually contributes to a reality for black people and to a perception of said black people by whites.
It's a tough one, from my perspective, to come to a conclusion on, because I think ultimately people have the right to tell their stories, or speak from a place of honest creativity, and the audience has a right to decide whether or not those presentations of reality ring true for them. But at the same time, there's the issue of the responsibility of an artist, both to some absolute sense of realty and truth, and to whatever group or individual they are attempting to represent in their work. The tension between those two can often cause controversy and different opinions in the art world.
Thanks for the conversation and if you ever get around to seeing Monster's ball, drop mea line at my blog and let me know if you've written something about it (or just tell me your own opinion). I found it interesting, in light of Lee's comments, that my black girlfriend and I had pretty different opinions about that movie. :)
God Bless,
Nicole
the thought of white folk going to see this film doesn't bother me. the type of white viewers this film will attract are smart enough to assume that all black families aren't as dysfunctal as the one being portrayed on screen. in addition, as black folk, we need to stop worrying what white folk think of us.
moreover, what if all black characters were portrayed in a postive way? wouldn't that be boring and predictable? irresponsible?
black cinema has evolved over the years. and i think there is room for all facets of human behavior... the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
Embarrassed to say this, but my knee jerk thought when I saw the first 5 seconds of the preview was, "why did they choose such an incredibly ugly actress who is big as house to boot? Is this how they see us, or want us to see us?"
Attractiveness is an important point. Being ugly really is a handicap. Ugly people of any race and culture, especially females, catch hell. Others find it harder to empathize with them. As kids they're more likely to be bullied. It's a stigma.
But then I looked past all that and the story looked really interesting. I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of the preview scenes played out in real life with a stressed out mother ready to beat the living sh*t out her kid.
So I was ready to see it, since it resonated with my experience as a former CPS worker. Some parents are so stressed out they don't care if you see them yelling at or threatening their kids or not.
I still didn't know the whole story until I read a review. That's when I got turned off. Seems that Precious was being or had gotten raped and impregnated by her father. That kind of sexual abuse is comparatively rare in the black community, and distorts us as a group. Step-fathers might mess with your daughter, but the real daddies rarely do.
This brings us to Oprah Winfrey and her issues. She was molested by two male relatives growing up, an uncle and a cousin. Bankrolling two films with a similar theme suggests she's still in pain over what happened to her. The problem, as you put it so well, is that she's reinforcing already bad images of the black community - and adding one that barely exists, like we don't have enough problems with the media trashing us.
I am a 'social interaction and dynamics junkie'. I like to study the effect A has on B. The acting I've seen it has a real feel of genuineness, so I will watch the movie for that piece. I'll tell you afterwards what I thought.
Hey KellyBelle!
I am cracking up over here that you called out Anonymous #1!!
Gurrrrl.... *LOL*
Just. Stop. *LOL*
As for the interest in white audiences in seeing "Precious"....well... let's look at the box office for black movies where the main characters were compelling and were not dysfunctional.
We will find that white audiences tend to go to movies where a pathetic black woman is the main character or when black people are being portrayed in the settings that reinforce their understanding of "the black experience".
Of course, many white people DO think that most blacks come from that experience and it boggles my mind when they pretend that most of them don't...
Seriously.
Just look at how the white media has treated the Obamas...as if they are just such rare and unusual blacks.
I loved that Michelle's mother said in the Essence Magazine interview: "there are thousands of Michelles and Baracks in the black community". Of course, THAT quote never got picked up in the national press.
If she had said something crazy like that Michelle's father was a closet drunk, well then you can be SURE that it would have been quoted everywhere.
Movies about black people that are not dysfunctional just do not have huge box office receipts.
Tyler Perry was on 60 Minutes saying that his characters are stereotypical because he's trying to put out a message in the midst of the madness. OK. Why does he NEED to use negative stereotypes of blacks in order to convey the other messages that he wants his films to contain?
Does he feel that he would not have the same black audiences supporting his movies if he took out the "Ghetto humor" and if his characters spoke grammatically correct English? If he feels that he would not have the same success, then that is really demeaning.
I plan to see "Precious" and I plan to blog about it. I think that it is a film that will allow me to have a dialogue for black women who have been sexually abused who come to my forum.
I estimate that at least half of black girls in the lower class tier have been sexually violated by the time they reach adulthood.
I estimate that at least 90% have faced verbal violence and emotional battery (in school settings, in neighborhood settings or in family settings).
I am not saying that this isn't true of whites in the lower class tier however.
As for Lee Daniel's work... I never saw "Monster Ball". The mention of Halle getting an Oscar for having sex on the floor with a white man when she was fantastic as the lead in "Queen" (which was a television mini-series) was just deeply disturbing.
I saw Lee Daniel's film "Shadow Boxer" where Cuba Gooding, Jr. was in an incestous relationship with a white woman who had raised him from boyhood. In the film, she is dying of some terminal disease and so she goes outside of the house when it's time for her to die and she wants to get it on with her adopted son while she's dying! Yes.
So the movie has a scene where Cuba is having sex with his adopted mother and in the act, takes a gun to her head and blows her brains out and then buries her in the back yard.
Now why didn't I just get up and leave the theatre right then and there??
In this film, Mo'Nique plays a crack addict woman whose boyfriend looks like an adolescent Latino.
Gurrrl... Lee Daniels loves to call his fetish for racial stereotypes "art".
But I'll fork over $10 for "Precious"...
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
I have not seen the film or read the book. But I do think some films give a slice of life/reality that is real. Kind of like the movie CRASH--- that one had this domino effect of different race & ethnicities fears & prejudices in an amusing back to back kind of way. You almost understood what each different perspective was, as the film progressed.
So I can understand not wanting the worst elements of life (this happens to portray a back girl & family), but in reality this situation happens in all races.
I'd rather see a gripping film about something real- even if it is an extreme harsh reality, than some other bullshit action adventure film that has no depth or plot line to speak of.
Most everyone does not live a Huxtable life (Crosby family show- he was a doctor, she a lawyer).
They have stupid ass murder shows on as entertainment every night on TV.
Maybe a reality story about a very harsh life
is worse than murder?
No I would not think that story was indicative of "the black experience"--- but I used to go w my high school class to the housing projects deep in the inner city to help tutor kids in 5th thru 8th grade who could not read a 2nd grade level book.
The "system " failed those kids.
There is some harsh reality & viscous cycles
of living in poverty (regardless of race).
This is glimpse into that.
This is not fiction. Last year, when I visited Chicago, they set out 30 desks on the street in front of some legislators office. Each desk had a pair of gym shoes, and the name of a student who had been killed that year. An entire classroom of kids.
These glimpses of reality are disturbing and not entertainment, but you know, we ain't gonna fix it if we don't see the problems & issues
To me it's the same as listening to a fricking teabagger saying let everyone get their own health care. As a society, we NEED to look at this ghetto/poverty reality. We need to care about each other, and we need bout overall well being as a part of human compassion.
Hell MLK jr had already figured that out over 40 years ago. People needed decent education & jobs as a human right.
Maybe this gritty story invokes compassion...
maybe opening the door to this trauma, sheds light on how we've failed to care.
I dunno.... but there are real life Precious stories going on all over the country, playing out in different ways.
Maybe the film & book forces us to ask ourselves....
What are we gonna do about it?
**Plans on bringing kleenex to watch this film.
Kellybelle, you know i love your blog!
I agreed with you on this one I don't plan to see the movie either, but as I read the other comments, I had to ask myself why am I so desturbed by Domestic abusive violence?
I don't watch these movies, if it had not been for the music in "The Color Purple" I don't think I would have gotten through it..Even now when I watch it I have started notice I leave the room and or do something else until the abusive scene is over..
But the diaglog of todays blog has at last opened a door into myself and the past,that I have long denied....
Thank you.
Great post, great thread.
At least this flick has got people talking.
I have no desire to see it, but I am following the public discussion around "Precious" with enthusiasm.
What a great post! I plan to see Precious, because I've known women who have been sexually abused by their fathers (although none got pregnant and/or had abortions) This happens more than we know because it's kept quiet and the dirty secret kept under the rug. You would be surprised that the upstanding, caring, loving father who is sexually abusing his daughter and the mother knows about it.
This is not about race, or beauty (someone said he was distubed because Gabby was ugly). Mackinze Phhillips just came forward with her story of having a consentual sexual relationship with her father, John Phillips of the Mamma's and Papa's fame. And didn't he live in Beverly Hills? There so many women living with this secret because they can't deal with the reality of it and are suffering in a silent hell. Women who come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ecomonic and educational backgrounds. This is a human story, not a black story and it needs to be told again and again. Bravo to all those who brought this movie to fruition. Maybe these types of discussions will help some of these silent suffers get the strength to seek therapy or finally come forth with the truth to their families.
Still loving this discussion. I keep thinking about it all the time.
As a white moviegoer, I am not sure, with all due respect, that I agree entirely with Miss Lisa's position that white movie goers will shun a film about compelling, functional black leads and will flock to see stories about black women (or men) who are dysfunctional and embody black stereotypes. I'm totall willing to be wrong on this, I'd honestly love to hear some examples from Miss Lisa that might help me understand her point.
I do agree that there are too many negative black stereotypes in the media, and I would also agree that whites are too quick to embrace them, but if I could really go out ona limb and risk being villified here.. .haha.. I would also say that even black audiences can be too quick to embrace them. As a white moviegoer, I saw a movie like Hussle and Flow for example, as a terrible example of black stereotyping, and was aghast when Three 6 Mafia won the academy award for "It's hard out here for a pimp." But to be honest, what I was more aghast at, where the number of black entertainers who embraced that win as a win for black people. Meanwhile I'm sitting here thinking, "Malcom X is rolling over in his grave" because the idea of it being a victory for black people that a group won an award for doing a song about pimps and bitches just seemed insane to me. I'm thinking, where are the voices that are saying, well isn't that nice that these white folks gave an award to black people who fit the worst stetereotypes out there about us? And Im sure those voices were out there, but not so much in the mainstream media.
As for Tyler Perry, if he is an example of a director who portrays negative black stereotypes, I have to say that his films go largely unseen by white audiences, as do, quite frankly, most movies or televisions shows with largely black or minority casts. There have been a few notable exceptions, but by and large I think when a white audience member sees a film or show that has almost entirely black faces in it, consciously or subconsciously they think, "this is not for me." Even with precious, to be honest, my guess is youll have white indie film fans going to see it, and praise it, because Daniels has a bit of cred in that world bec of his other indie films, but I'mnot sure that your white soccer moms and the like are going to flock to see it, even if Oprah did endorse it. Not only is does it have an entirely black cast, which as I said white audiences seem not to flock to, but its also has some pretty tough subject matter, which makes it hard to draw your average movies goer, no m atter their race.
White audiences don't mind seeing, however, a film with black leads that exist otherwise in a largely white world, or more and more where there's a genuine mix of characters, but sadly it seems there still needs to be a rather white context for films in order for it be a draw for white audiences. And within that paradigm, I still agree that too much negative black stereotyping does exist, but I'd also say that white audiences are just as willing to see films with functional, compelling, "good guy" black leads. Again, i think consciously or not, it;s the context of the film, and how it's marketed, that determines a white audience, not so much the quality or character of the black lead or leads.
My honest observation as a media observer who happens to be white, is that all people, of all races, are too quick to accept and embrace negatie stereotpes of people of color. I think obviously black audiences think and wrestle with and critque more what they seen on screen of black characters than white audiences do (as is evidenced by this comment thread), but I do think that the problem goes beyond the white audience. The fact that the two powerful hollywood people who picked up and distributed this film, Oprah and Perry, where black, for instance, shows that the issue, if Precious is a problem, is bigger than that.
Blessings,
Nicole
Armchair Housewife.... What if the cast were white people living in a trailer park, wouldn't it still be a stereotype? Don't some people believe white people who live in trailer parks have incest relationships all the time, are more prone to violence and have lower intelligence?
Nicole's black friend here...
And I felt the same way she did when Hustle and Flow received critical acclaim, complete with a musical Oscar to show for it.
As black folk, we are too quick to embrace stereotypes. It's true. All you need to do is look at what TylerPerry is raking in to confirm that. Because I don't know ANY whote folk who have bought a ticket to one of his movies.
And a "white trash" trailer park movie would be stereotypical to some people, but not to all. We deplore stereotypes but we all know they aren't born in a vacuum.
I think my biggest problem with white acclaim of films that depict us in the worst possible light (to the virtual exclusion of the films that don't) is that no group of people, of any race, are a monolithic people. We all have different stories and have come from different backgrounds.
Unfortunately, it's the dysfuntional black person that has been embrace by the culture as normal. As if there are no incestuous, abusive, poor white familes. We all know that there are, but they are not seen as the norm. But for a black family? It's seen as normal. Why?
And I blame us (black folk) as much for this as whites, if not more because it is very disheartening to be raising teenagers who are deemed not black enough because they speak correct english and make good grades. Or to be villified as if I don't have a right to have my own political perspective. As if I should be some kind of robot.
Still, I think Armond White had a point when he said this:
The hype for Precious indicates a culture-wide willingness to accept particular ethnic stereotypes as a way of maintaining status quo film values. Excellent recent films with black themes have been ignored by the mainstream media and serious film culture while this carnival of black degradation gets celebrated.
First, let me say I "LOL"ed at Terry referring to herself as my black friend. By no means... *I* am Terry's white friend! Haha... anyway...
Jazzy,
Thanks for the question. I didn't want to give the impression through any of my comments that people's critques and concerns about precious were unwarranted, or that there was no negative stereotyping going on there, or that said stereotypes don't exist in films. In fact, I made a point to say they do exist, and far too often.
As a person with solid white trash trailer roots (haha.. sounds funny but true!) I can't say honestly watching a film about folks in trailer parks hits that same core with me as I think it might for folks from the black community. The plain truth is (at least from my perspective) that as whites being the majority in the culture, we aren't seen as a monolith in the same way by society at large, and so Im not sure there's that sensitivity to how we are portrayed.
But you're right that stereotpyes aren't good, and I think one that might ring more offensive for me would be, say, a modern film where all whites were portrayed as malicious racists or something. That might be a bit anachronistic and overdone, although honestly a movie like that probably owuld never get made, so it's a bit of a moot point. :)
I woudl like to say one more thing regarding the white perception of black folks, at least from my experience, and that is this. I actually grew up with the sort of "golden age" of black television, with the Cosby Show, 227, Amen, Family Matters, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, etc, where strong black families were portrayed and there were the kind of people with character than any kid could look up to and want to be like. In addition, as someone who lived in the suburban south as a kid, a number of m y neighbors were black families, and I had black teachers, and other role models in my community that were black.
So for me, I'm actually not sure that I accept a negative stereotype of black folks at "the norm". I'm not going to be so naiive as to say I am not affected by stereotypes, that would be going to far, but I know for myself, I certainy by no means look at the story of Precious and her family and think "yeah, that's what black people are like for sure!" Quite the contrary; I see her story as outrageously horrific, and would be regardless of her race.
That being said, that's just my personal experience, I can't speak for the however millions white people in North America. :)
So, just a few more cents worth there. :)
I have my reservations about viewing this movie based on trailers and long--almost forgotten memories. Some of the women in my neighborhood during my childhood and adolescent years could have been stand-ins for Monique's character in the film (Precious' mother). I couldn't bear to be around them --then (their children were may playmates) and can't bear the thought of viewing them on the wide screen NOW!
It's meant to be uncomfortable as it airs these traumatizing issues among people of color and then you add incest and child abuse to the mix and it can be devastating!
Kellybelle, I went to see it yesterday afternoon. It was incredible.
I am so glad I put aside my disgust at the media's constantly negatively portrayal of black folks, compounded by white folks liking the movie. They'd have liked that movie if the stars were blonde and blue eyed because it was done sooo well.
Precious and her mother nailed it in portraying what goes on behind some of these kinds of closed doors.
If ever there was a movie to not miss, this is it. It will blow you away.
Post a Comment