POWERFUL BLACK HEROES IN RECENT FILMS
By Marlene Ardoin
From 2013 to 2020, the last eight years, three major Black film stars have emerged, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Mahershala Ali.
Prior to 2013, Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy were the major Black film stars, who did all the heavy lifting.
Although, Washington and Murphy are still making films.
Murphy has “Coming 2 America” out in 2020 and Washington stars in a 2021 crime thriller, “The Little Things.”
In general, I would say that a new generation of Black stars are becoming heroes, but both generations have a way to go in accepting women as equal partners.
Danzel came close in his 1993 “The Pelican Brief” with Julia Roberts, but in the end, she was still a damsel in distress.
Chadwick Boseman, in “Black Panther,” gives respect to female warriors, but he does not share the throne with them.
The new generation of Black male stars are trying to define what it is like being Black in America, and are willing to show their more sensitive sides.
This has all happened against the backdrop of Obama’s and Trump’s presidencies.
There is some progress, however, age, gender and race are still major blocks in how Blacks, women and age are portrayed in film.
2020 – “21 Bridges”
Following in his father’s footsteps, Chadwick Boseman portrays a decent police detective, with strong moral values.
He appears to be unmarried and is taking care of his mother, who has dementia.
He is comfortable in his position, until he uncovers a hornet’s nest of bad cops, who have somehow made it okay to make money by drug dealing.
It appears that they all have their reasons, even the drug dealers, whom are almost heroic and full of pathos.
It all comes down to what kind of world we want to live in.
Honor or dishonor. Killer or peacemaker. Reason or chaos. Revenge or forgiveness.
And, if we do make the right moral choice, do we now live a life full of self-sacrifice that requires us to always look over our shoulder?
2019 – “Just Mercy”
Michael B. Jordan plays a real life attorney, Bryan Stevenson, who devotes his life to helping falsely accused Black inmates, who are on death row.
This film uncovers many layers of ugliness that makes watching it again, undoable, for me.
The inmates, who are falsely accused, have different reactions.
Some blame themselves.
And, some are resolved to being burned at the stake.
They do not believe that anyone would ever want to help them, because of some poor choices.
Stevenson is also unmarried in real life, because he did not feel that marriage was a safe or compatible choice.
2018 – “Green Book”
Mahershala Ali plays the real life classical pianist, Dr. Don Shirley, (another true story) who hires a driver to take him on a tour into Deep South KKK territory.
He hires a former bouncer, who is also several shades of prejudice, but who needs the money.
During the making of this film, Shirley’s family was not consulted.
His family insists that he was not gay, but rather escaped into academia and his chosen art.
In real life, (not covered in the film) he did marry a young woman, but came to the conclusion that he could not manage being married and being a pianist.
2018 – “Black Panther”
Chadwick Boseman is the humanitarian Black Panther king and the first African American super hero.
Michael B. Jordan opposes him, as the tough, bitter nephew of the former Black Panther king.
As a child, he was abandoned in America in an environment of deceit and betrayal.
Neither of these characters marry nor raise a family in this film.
Boseman’s character is put in the position of righting the wrongs of the past, and it is his own humanity towards others that saves his life.
The African proverb, “The foolish build barriers, while the wise build bridges”, was inserted into this film just before Donald Trump was elected President.
2013 – “Fruitvale Station”
Michael B. Jordan portrays the ill-fated 22 year old Oscar Grant, (true story) who was murdered by Bart police on a New Year’s Eve in 2009.
Oscar was attacked by gang members, and the police were called.
BART officer Anthony Pirone kneed Grant in the head and forced the unarmed Grant to lie face down on the platform.
While Pirone held Grant down in a prone position, Mehserle drew his pistol and shot Grant in the back.
Grant was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland and pronounced dead later that day.
The events were captured on multiple official and private digital video and privately owned cell phone cameras.
Grant was survived by his mother, sister, daughter, and girlfriend (his daughter’s mother).
A wrongful death claim was filed against BART following his death.
Jordan knew that Grant’s daughter may one day see this film about her father, so he wanted Grant to be portrayed in a way that she would be proud to see.
Eleven years later, George Floyd and others are still dying at the hands of police.
(The role of the police is to make the arrest, not to punish.)
2013 – “42”
Chadwick Boseman portrays the ground breaking, Jackie Robinson, (another true story) who becomes the first African American to play in major league baseball.
In 1947, Robinson had exceptional baseball skills, including the ability to turn the other cheek, when he was confronted with ugly forms of racism at a time when Blacks and Whites were still segregated in the U.S.
He had a wife and a child, who also witnessed his daily humiliation, but his grace under duress and his success as a ball player, made Robinson a role model for both Black and White children.
6/27/2020 # POWERFUL BLACK HEROES IN RECENT FILMS – 21 Bridges, Just Mercy, Green Book, Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, 42