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lotesseSelma might be the most absorbing, intense, engaged viewing experience I've had since first watching The Fellowship of the Ring as a teen. I will fight anyone who says shit about this picture; apart from a couple of complaints about the handling of Coretta Scott King, it was flawlessly done. And imo less violent/brutal than it could have been; I felt very safe seeing it on the big screen. It made me feel stronger, not weaker; affirmed, not beaten.
I'm trying to remember everything I want to say - I saw the movie with my gran, so wasn't taking notes at all.
I'm amazed, after seeing it, that white historians have kicked up such a fuss about the portrayal of LBJ - I thought the way DuVernay framed his climactic speech was amazingly generous. She totally gave him his hero moment, and also showed the intensity and wide-ranging character of national reactions. I also really appreciated the footage of him reacting to the scene at Pettus Bridge.
If this movie had been made next year, I swear to god we would all have been saying that the parallels to current events were too heavy-handed and forced. It was like watching August all over again. Just exactly like. The two moments that broke me hardest were ones that kicked off those resonances: the murder of the young Black teen after the local protest, and his mother after, thinking of Lesley McSpadden preaching in the aftermath of her loss - and, the second time the marchers approached the bridge, I totally lost it, because I kept thinking of the two young men who ran from Atlanta to Ferguson last year, and the photos of them kneeling down at the end of their journey at the spot on West Florissant where Mike Brown's body fell.
The Coretta Scott King issue - yes, there was too much of the "ask the man to not do the brave thing" script going on, but I found her confession about the effects of being surrounded by death and violent racism deeply moving and importantly human. I wish that we could talk about the sacrifices made by female revolutionaries without falling into traditional gender stereotypes; you know if she had been a son, not a wife, I think the character would have read very differently. I mean, insofar as the John Lewis character sort of shares Coretta's narrative function, it quite evidently does.
DuVernay should also get credit for her multiple distinctive female characters; the film is a solid Bechdel pass, and includes some wonderful images of young Black girlhood as well. Also I will stand by the opinion that Oprah Winfrey is a hell of a powerful actress; I don't know if there was an intentional parallel being built with her work in the (unfortunately Spielbergian) film of The Color Purple, or if proudly and courageously resisting racist violence and getting beat down for it is just something that she plays really well. Either way, she plays it really well, and I respect the hell out of her for doing yeoman's work in a non-starring role.
I continue to look to revolutionary Black culture as an example of how to treat young people well and respectfully; just as I've been repeatedly struck by the support offered by many in the wake of this summer's events to the voices of youth activists, I'm struck by DuVernay's recognition, here expressed through the channel of the legacy of MLK himself, of the importance of youth voices to the survival of the cause.
I'm trying to remember everything I want to say - I saw the movie with my gran, so wasn't taking notes at all.
I'm amazed, after seeing it, that white historians have kicked up such a fuss about the portrayal of LBJ - I thought the way DuVernay framed his climactic speech was amazingly generous. She totally gave him his hero moment, and also showed the intensity and wide-ranging character of national reactions. I also really appreciated the footage of him reacting to the scene at Pettus Bridge.
If this movie had been made next year, I swear to god we would all have been saying that the parallels to current events were too heavy-handed and forced. It was like watching August all over again. Just exactly like. The two moments that broke me hardest were ones that kicked off those resonances: the murder of the young Black teen after the local protest, and his mother after, thinking of Lesley McSpadden preaching in the aftermath of her loss - and, the second time the marchers approached the bridge, I totally lost it, because I kept thinking of the two young men who ran from Atlanta to Ferguson last year, and the photos of them kneeling down at the end of their journey at the spot on West Florissant where Mike Brown's body fell.
The Coretta Scott King issue - yes, there was too much of the "ask the man to not do the brave thing" script going on, but I found her confession about the effects of being surrounded by death and violent racism deeply moving and importantly human. I wish that we could talk about the sacrifices made by female revolutionaries without falling into traditional gender stereotypes; you know if she had been a son, not a wife, I think the character would have read very differently. I mean, insofar as the John Lewis character sort of shares Coretta's narrative function, it quite evidently does.
DuVernay should also get credit for her multiple distinctive female characters; the film is a solid Bechdel pass, and includes some wonderful images of young Black girlhood as well. Also I will stand by the opinion that Oprah Winfrey is a hell of a powerful actress; I don't know if there was an intentional parallel being built with her work in the (unfortunately Spielbergian) film of The Color Purple, or if proudly and courageously resisting racist violence and getting beat down for it is just something that she plays really well. Either way, she plays it really well, and I respect the hell out of her for doing yeoman's work in a non-starring role.
I continue to look to revolutionary Black culture as an example of how to treat young people well and respectfully; just as I've been repeatedly struck by the support offered by many in the wake of this summer's events to the voices of youth activists, I'm struck by DuVernay's recognition, here expressed through the channel of the legacy of MLK himself, of the importance of youth voices to the survival of the cause.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-22 04:17 am (UTC)