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This may stir up the pot as to the question as to the issue of slavery in the backwater areas of the south. Feel free to delete this thread if it's too inflamatory.
Published on Sunday, January 4, 2004 by the San Francisco Chronicle
'Cold Mountain' Freezes Out Black History in Civil War
by Erik Todd Dellums
I am an African American, professional actor, semiotician and film lover. I am, therefore, underemployed, underappreciated and an afterthought in Hollywood. I am also a man who rarely sees an accurate depiction of black people and American history in film and on television. It's something I've grown used to, but now I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!
All people who truly care about honest representations of American history in Hollywood should boycott the heavily promoted "Cold Mountain." At a cost of $80-plus million and sporting a stellar cast and crew, this film adaptation of Charles Frazier's acclaimed best-seller opened Christmas Day and is being touted as the film to beat at the Academy Awards. It has generated glowing reviews for Disney, Miramax and all involved.
It is also a sham, a slap in the face of African Americans whose ancestors gave their lives in the Civil War, fighting for true freedom (take that, President Bush) from the most heinous form of slavery known to modern man: the American slavery system. How could a three-hour film depicting life in the heart of Virginia and North Carolina during the Civil War use only momentary shots of black people picking cotton and a few black actors portraying runaway slaves as its total picture of slavery during this period?
In an article in the Washington Post, the film-makers have said that slavery and racism were simply "too raw" an emotional issue to present in their film. In other words, who would want to see a love story with the beautiful Jude Law and Nicole Kidman set in the reality of the Southern monstrosity of slavery?
The film opens with a depiction of one of the more important battles of the Civil War, one in which the Union-trained black soldiers tunnel under Confederate lines -- a battle in which blacks suffered their highest rate of casualties of any Union division in the fight. Yet, it is almost impossible to spot any black actors fighting in this film (as three University of Virginia history professors recently noted in another Post article). It plays like "Saving Private Ryan," another Hollywood epic in which black contributions to history -- namely the Battle of Normandy -- are left out. Shame on you, Hollywood.
The Weinstein brothers (owners of Miramax, the distributors of "Cold Mountain") are smart, astute businessmen with keen cinematic sensibilities. They should know better. Could you imagine "The Pianist" or "Schindler's List" ever being made with but a few seconds of the reality of the Holocaust? Of course not. A film with such a gross misrepresentation would never make it past page one of a screenplay! And in reality, isn't the Holocaust, which occurred a mere two generations or so ago, emotionally "rawer" than slavery?
Year after year, an Academy Award goes to a documentary about the Holocaust, and every year Hollywood releases sumptuous, hauntingly beautiful films about this horrifying chapter of the 20th century. And every year I go. Why? Because I love film. And I love the truth. But there must be some reciprocity somewhere. I have attempted to sell stories to Hollywood -- true stories -- from our history as black people during the years of slavery. The response from Hollywood is generally along the lines of "I saw something like that already in 'Roots' ." What an insult!
Why are we as a people always an afterthought? We must let Hollywood know that we deserve respect. How do we? By not giving them the pleasure of our dollars. Let a boycott of "Cold Mountain" begin our response to Hollywood: Tell our stories, tell the truth, and we will come.
Erik Todd Dellums is a Brown University graduate and actor who has appeared on TV shows such as "Homicide," "NYPD Blue" and "The Wire" and in the films "Boycott" and "Dr. Dolittle." He is the son of former Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, D-Oakland, and attorney Roscoe Dellums.
©2004 San Francisco Chronicle
This may stir up the pot as to the question as to the issue of slavery in the backwater areas of the south. Feel free to delete this thread if it's too inflamatory.
Published on Sunday, January 4, 2004 by the San Francisco Chronicle
'Cold Mountain' Freezes Out Black History in Civil War
by Erik Todd Dellums
I am an African American, professional actor, semiotician and film lover. I am, therefore, underemployed, underappreciated and an afterthought in Hollywood. I am also a man who rarely sees an accurate depiction of black people and American history in film and on television. It's something I've grown used to, but now I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!
All people who truly care about honest representations of American history in Hollywood should boycott the heavily promoted "Cold Mountain." At a cost of $80-plus million and sporting a stellar cast and crew, this film adaptation of Charles Frazier's acclaimed best-seller opened Christmas Day and is being touted as the film to beat at the Academy Awards. It has generated glowing reviews for Disney, Miramax and all involved.
It is also a sham, a slap in the face of African Americans whose ancestors gave their lives in the Civil War, fighting for true freedom (take that, President Bush) from the most heinous form of slavery known to modern man: the American slavery system. How could a three-hour film depicting life in the heart of Virginia and North Carolina during the Civil War use only momentary shots of black people picking cotton and a few black actors portraying runaway slaves as its total picture of slavery during this period?
In an article in the Washington Post, the film-makers have said that slavery and racism were simply "too raw" an emotional issue to present in their film. In other words, who would want to see a love story with the beautiful Jude Law and Nicole Kidman set in the reality of the Southern monstrosity of slavery?
The film opens with a depiction of one of the more important battles of the Civil War, one in which the Union-trained black soldiers tunnel under Confederate lines -- a battle in which blacks suffered their highest rate of casualties of any Union division in the fight. Yet, it is almost impossible to spot any black actors fighting in this film (as three University of Virginia history professors recently noted in another Post article). It plays like "Saving Private Ryan," another Hollywood epic in which black contributions to history -- namely the Battle of Normandy -- are left out. Shame on you, Hollywood.
The Weinstein brothers (owners of Miramax, the distributors of "Cold Mountain") are smart, astute businessmen with keen cinematic sensibilities. They should know better. Could you imagine "The Pianist" or "Schindler's List" ever being made with but a few seconds of the reality of the Holocaust? Of course not. A film with such a gross misrepresentation would never make it past page one of a screenplay! And in reality, isn't the Holocaust, which occurred a mere two generations or so ago, emotionally "rawer" than slavery?
Year after year, an Academy Award goes to a documentary about the Holocaust, and every year Hollywood releases sumptuous, hauntingly beautiful films about this horrifying chapter of the 20th century. And every year I go. Why? Because I love film. And I love the truth. But there must be some reciprocity somewhere. I have attempted to sell stories to Hollywood -- true stories -- from our history as black people during the years of slavery. The response from Hollywood is generally along the lines of "I saw something like that already in 'Roots' ." What an insult!
Why are we as a people always an afterthought? We must let Hollywood know that we deserve respect. How do we? By not giving them the pleasure of our dollars. Let a boycott of "Cold Mountain" begin our response to Hollywood: Tell our stories, tell the truth, and we will come.
Erik Todd Dellums is a Brown University graduate and actor who has appeared on TV shows such as "Homicide," "NYPD Blue" and "The Wire" and in the films "Boycott" and "Dr. Dolittle." He is the son of former Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, D-Oakland, and attorney Roscoe Dellums.
©2004 San Francisco Chronicle
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