Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by jamesgarvin (A) on January 19, 2009 at 15:22:41

In Reply to: RE: Yes, and I think it's worth pointing out that Clint likes being the white guy posted by tinear on January 17, 2009 at 23:42:27

First, Clint is white, and I am not sure he can change that part of him. Morgan Freeman in Unforgiven played a black man, who, during the time period of the mid to late 1880s, would certainly have been a former slave. Reality dictates that his station in life would have been lower than Eastwood's, though Eastwood treats Freeman as an equal during the entire course of the film. And, in the end, is willing to sacrifice his own life, and the father of his children, to avenge a black man's life. At that period of time, I argue that this is a postive, not a negative.

You can find racism where you want. I took a black girl I was dating to Unforgiven, and her first comment in the scene were Freeman and the kid take some advances was that this was another film which depicted black men as obsessed with sex. I politely reminded her that the young kid, who is white, was also taking advances. I suspect Eastwood included the young kid in the 'advances' to diffuse that argument, but it still went over some people's heads.

Eastwood directed 'Bird,' and some people argued that he focused too much on Parker's drug use, and failed to appreciate that Eastwood brought Parker's music to a group of people who never would have known about Charlie Parker but for the film. How many other major film makers have attempted to bring to the marketplace a relatively obscure film about a major black musician?

Then you have Letters from Iwo Jima, telling the war in the Pacific from the non-white point of view of the Japanese, certainly a brave position. Even that, though, was not good enough, because people like Spike Lee complained he failed to show the black soldiers in the Pacific.

You also have Josey Wales, where he protects a rag tag group, including Indians, from marauding northern white Union soldiers. The traitor is actually a white southern confederate. Indeed, Eastwood depicts the indian tribes with great reverence and integrity in that film.