Boycott Boots

Do you have a problem with all the films where Jesus, Moses etc are played by white actors?

 

Of course she is not factual wrong but her tone was racist.

Had it been a white on black comment what would you said ?

 

Meryl Streep played Thatcher in a film a bit back - that's an American playing a Brit. It's historically inaccurate. Is that ok?

 

Gary Oldman is a disgrace. Putting on an American accent to play Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK. Totally historically inaccurate.

 

And he's never actually killed anyone! Unbelievable! What were they thinking! Obscene.

 

He did once play a little person in a film. The trailer is crazy, it's like a pisstake:

 

If it’s factually accurate, it’s not racist.

I’ve not heard the comment or know when it was or know the context.

But given historical racist incidents from the royal family down the years, not just relating to Harry’s wife, it feels a valid comment to me.

 

Hmm .
Therefore by your own admission you have only recently seen the advert and have never seen the white footage that has caused the comments .
Therefore how can you be so judgemental against people when basically you know f#ck all ?

 

yep, its plausible

 

Youre deliberately missing the point. On purpose. To make a stand. To sound righteous when you're actually not. Its not clever, its patronising and belittling, Argue the case on its own merits or dont. Respond appropriately instead of using easy soundbytes to sound superior. Doesnt wash with me. I completely agree with your longstanding stance on racism on here. But sometimes one has to appreciate other peoples' views about certain situations and realise that people who comment on situations where a black person is present and criticise the context of the black person aren't necessarily racist. I'm in no way racist (if you read my comment on this thread you'd acknowledge that). I stand by my views and until I'm offered a narrative that dissuades me intellectually from holding them I'm not changing them. I am not being bullied and being called a racist on here either openly or subtly. Cheap innuendos and 'in jokes' used to garner support and make others on the thread take your side equally dont wash with me. As I said, argue the specific comments, without knee-jerk casualism, without point-scoring and with some understanding of context.

 

I dont know enough historical context about Jesus so at the moment, not knowing enough background, I would be perfectly happy for a black guy to play Jesus, cant see a prob with it.
Edit: Sorry I didnt answer your specific question. No problem at all with a white Jesus or Moses. No problem at all with a brown Jesus and Moses. No problem with a black Jesus and Moses.

 

How can you say a white person playing Jesus is fine but a black Anne Boleyn isn't?

 

Ive explained it. If you don't agree with the specifics of my argument address that.
Edit: This is one of the problems with this site sometimes. People dont read things carefully enough. I did say that I had no problem with a black Anne Boleyn in certain circumstances. I also said I had no problem with a black Jesus or a brown Jesus. People are too quick to read their own narratives into things beause it suits them. Read the posts carefully please.

 

You said you had no problem with a black Anne Boleyn if a film isn't "serious," but don't seem to have the same qualms about white people portraying non-white figures in "serious" films. I don't think I'm reading anything into something here - I'm genuinely struggling to understand the difference and I think it's a legitimate question to ask.

 

Nice enough reply. Ta. I was trying to comment on the historical perspective of films. Thats all. It just seems wrong to me that there is a black Anne Boleyn in a historical film. Doesnt sit right with me. As I said in my original post we have to have some sense of 'appropriateness' for certain contexts and casting a black lass as Anne Boleyn is patently, historical inappropriate if the film is trying to be taken seriously. Do I have the same qualms about white people in other films? Yes I would. If a white guy portrayed Nelson Mandela in a film it would strike me as wrong. Totally inaccurate. Mandela was a black guy, historically. He should be played by a black guy - just like Anne Boleyn should be a white lass. Cant undertand why Im being jumped on and made the butt of subtle jokes to be honest

 

Jesus was a black man?
No, Jesus was Batman.
No. That was Bruce Wayne.

 

No I'm not.

I'm giving you examples of where actors have played parts that are "historically inaccurate" - yet you only seemingly have an issue with these "inaccuracies" when it has something to do with an actors skin. I'm not trying to catch you out - I've no issue with you.

But I really can't see why you're happy with Streep playing Thatcher, but you don't like it when a "Black Lass" plays Anne Boleyn.

 

I am not naive and/or silly enough to assume that all historical films are accurate. They are interpretations by authors, producers and directors. I've explained my stance on Anne Boleyn. If it was not meant to be historically correct (even given inaccuracies) fair enough, I'm ok with it. Film is obviously a visual medium though and a black Anne Boleyn would not be appropriate if it was depicting real historical events as that - real. It doesn't sit, even allowing for non-prejudicial views. I've not seen the Meryl Streep Thatcher, but visually she looked like Thatcher I believe and if she pulled off the voice good for her. I can live with that. I would also be completely happy if black actors did an audiobook/radio drama of the Tudors. Its the VISUAL representation of a black actor being cast in a clearly historical role that I dont agree with. Its not right historically, even allowing for historical error. It comes over visually 'wrong' because it is.
What would your views be if a white actor was cast to play Nelson Mandela in a biopic? Same argument applies for me. Wrong historically so it shouldn't happen.
Glad you say you weren't having a go at me. Perhaps I misinterpreted. If so, apologies.

 

By my own admission I see nothing racist stating a truth. Can you post the footage that you are alleging is racist.

 

I'd find it very difficult to get to grips with a white actor portraying Martin Luther King. I would find it equally difficult with a black actor playing Anne Boleyn etc.
And that has NOTHING to do with racism. It doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, simply that I would find it difficult to immerse myself in the film.
It's historical and, therefore, historical facts should matter.
Hamlet is not historical and I'd have no problem with a black actor playing the role and I've seen Maxine Peake play the role too and thought she was fantastic.
There IS a tendency on here to relate anything and everything to racism. Sometimes it just isn't.