Ferchrissakes Yet another Slave epic??..Roots remake and more.

originally posted by: Looselungjones2
a reply to: Spider879

Complain much....... 200 plus years of slavery vs a few movies. CRY....

Complaining not enough, thousands of years of history and all they can pump out is one Slave epic after another?? if not then Hood movies?? come on.

a reply to: Spider879

Then by all means, raise the millions it takes (accept loans form everyone with a promise of profit) and then hire the writers and technical experts to make that film. See how easy it is for yourself, and make the films you want to see made. Otherwise, yes, it is only whining and complaining.

It's obvious you have an agenda or another issue going on that you tried to disguise via this rant because I can't think of any other reason you mentioned the Tarantino film Django Unchained.

The fact that you listed this film with the other films while then saying "can we ferfeksakes have a period piece where the Black people are not victims but in charge and in control of our own destiny" tells me you actually didn't watch Django Unchained because if you did then you would have know how inapplicable your statement was.

originally posted by: opethPA
It's obvious you have an agenda or another issue going on that you tried to disguise via this rant because I can't think of any other reason you mentioned the Tarantino film Django Unchained.

The fact that you listed this film with the other films while then saying "can we ferfeksakes have a period piece where the Black people are not victims but in charge and in control of our own destiny" tells me you actually didn't watch Django Unchained because if you did then you would have know how inapplicable your statement was.

Off course I have an agenda I want diverse story lines , and I like Django Unchained all I am saying is too much of the same theme.

a reply to: Spider879

Yeah diverse story lines...you mean like the 100 other movies every year that are not slave related?

Yeah I can see how this handful of movies is certainly causing the absence of diversity

Besides, as mentioned above, the only theme happening right now is Marvel, DC and a couple of independent comic movies

a reply to: Spider879

I understand your position, however I agree to disagree.

1. I appreciate the surge in interest and reflections and movies and shows regarding the topic. Its important. You cant take for grated that every one understands the conditions and ramifications of 400+ years of abuse and oppression. If they did people would not make thoughtless statements like, "get over it already". Im more interested in the terrible psychology/philosophy of the people who created the conditions than the atrocities of the condition. I think much can be learned from truly understanding the "why".

2. Its such a visceral emotional topic. No Jews have complained to hollywood about all the Holocaust movies created in the last 40yrs. So as an ancestors of the survivors on one of Americas most disgusting crimes, I wont get tired of seeing them. But in now way is creating art around this period going to make up for my 40 acres and a mule. IJS

3. All of these movies have one thing in common that roots did not.. a view of the slave fighting back. Up until Django, no slave epic showed the slave rebelling. Django for all its fiction was therapy for many. Underground was the most inspiring to me. It was layered with truths about the condition that alot of other movies/shows omitted. We saw slaves escape, fight, plot, work together, and best part of all .. we saw the head house girl do what none had ever seen... Kill the master and stage it as a suicide. This is one of the few movies showing the slave taking control of his condition. I appreciated it.

4. And exactly in what period would you like this piece of media to reflect when black people were not oppressed?? Clearly you must not want the movie set in the home of the free, the US of A! Any instance when we were "free" prior to 1865 was shown in the Book of Negros, but it still involved slavery as it should if it was going to correctly depict this period. Perhaps it should be a period piece set in Canada or Hati or such where blacks had regained their humanity within society.

5. Hollywood has made some of those movies you speak of like Daughters of the Dust, Bessie, Rosewood. I would really like if more films could be made about great African Americans who WEREN'T musicians or athletes. There is a myriad of writers, scientist, activist, entrepreneurs, etc to choose to create a story about.

6. I for one want more revolts and escape, coos and such depicted in this genre. I think its important. You will never read about all the great slave revolts in any history book used to educate American children. They work hard to paint the African captives as docile and weak spirited.

a reply to: Istaywoke77

And a few movies of this genre that I feel are important to make that im sure you wont be watching:

The story of the Nanny of the Maroons
This would make one hella action movie. Strong Female Lead, battle, mayhem!
Nanny of the Maroons: Jamaica, c. 1680 — c. 1750, was a Jamaican spiritual leader who fought against British slave trading during the eighteenth century. An expert strategist, Nanny implemented the use of camouflage and guerilla warfare to protect her people.

Elizabeth Key Grinstead
Elizabeth Key Grinstead -A mixed-race slave living in 17th-century Virginia, Key sued for her freedom using a complex legal argument -- and won. In 1655, after the death of her master, Key argued that she and her infant son should be classified not as slaves but as an indentured servant with a freeborn child. Hers was one of the earliest freedom suits in the English colonies filed by a person of African ancestry.

Gaspar Yanga
Gaspar Yanga was leader of a slave rebellion in Mexico during the early yrs. of Spanish rule. Said to be of the Bran people + member of the royal family of Gabon, he was head of a band of revolting slaves near Veracruz around 1570. Escaping to the tough terrain of the highlands, his people built a small maroon colony, or palenque. For 30 years it partially survived by raiding caravans bringing goods to Veracruz. Then, in 1609 the colonial government tried to regain control of the territory...

a reply to: Istaywoke77

Don't get me wrong, I think all those yet to be told stories should be to told, and I would pluck down mad money to go see Nanny of the Maroons, but surely one can widen theme a bit, surely there is room for a
Taharqa,
A story about Axum.
Mythological characters like Memnon .
The tale of Bida the Black Snake.
Nzingha.
Queen Amanirenas who stopped the Roman fearsome military machine dead in it's tracks reportedly from the back of an elephant blinded in one eye in battle, how badass and inspirational is that??.. or any of the Kandakes of Kush for that matter.
I remember Spielberg saying he had a very difficult time raising money to make Red Tails the WWII story about the Tuskegee Airmen, Danny Glover still can't seemed to find funding for Toussaint L'Ouverture. yet Slave epics continues to have funding readily available , not that those stories should not be told or glossed over, as a self styled history buff I know that all too well and do not shy away from the subject I am saying there is much much more than that.

You can't remake Roots. It was epic. Also the censors wouldn't allow half of what was made then. Watch the real Roots.

originally posted by: intrepid
You can't remake Roots. It was epic. Also the censors wouldn't allow half of what was made then. Watch the real Roots.

That's another point why remake it, nothing wrong with the original, would one remake a classic like Lawrence Of Arabia??

If you watch a movie about black folk and your not black ,does that mean you appropriating black culture? Jus saying?

So you want a period piece about African Americans that doesn't have any themes of slavery or gangs in it? I assume by 'period piece' you mean set any time but the present, or just in the 1800s? It's hard to make a movie set in the 1800s that doesn't touch upon slavery. It's kind of like asking for movies about Germany during the 1940s that don't mention the Nazis. Or how about movies set in 1930s New York about Italians that don't mention the Mafia? Kinda hard to do, plus people want drama and action and those settings provide that. There is conflict.

There are movies like what you describe, but they are not as plentiful. I'm thinking about 42, the Jackie Robinson movie, the one about Martin Luther King, but there again there is conflict, and it's a good story.

What the one member said, about raising money and making the movie yourself, you don't even have to do that much. Just write the screenplay for the movie that you want to see. Come up with a good enough story and maybe you can get someone to take notice. Who knows, maybe someday your movie gets made.

a reply to: TheComte

I get you the problem with me is I lack the talent/skill set to do so, perhaps I should go back to school and take up screen writing but for me it's like having meatloaf every Wednesday and fish every Friday, yes it's hard to deal with a subject matter about Black folks in America or anywhere on the American side of the Atlantic without broaching the subject of Slavery,but every period piece need not take place on the American side of the Atlantic stories like Troy etc was set on the other side with great results.
Btw Nucky Thompson/Boardwalk Empire only one of my favorite characters and movie ever.