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Who is going to tell C Thomas Howell his career is over once this pic hits the papers?
Last edited Thu Feb 7, 2019, 08:31 AM - Edit history (2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Man_(film)
Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film about a white man who temporarily darkens his skin in order to pretend to be black and qualify for a black-only scholarship at Harvard Law School. The film was directed by Steve Miner and stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B. Sikking, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
<snip>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Man_(film)#Controversy
Controversy
The film was widely criticized for featuring a Caucasian actor wearing blackface. When the film was released, some protests took place within the black community.
NAACP Chapter President Willis Edwards said in a statement at the time, "We certainly believe it is possible to use humor to reveal the ridiculousness of racism. However the unhumorous and quite seriously made plot point of Soul Man is that no black student could be found in all of Los Angeles who was academically qualified for a scholarship geared to blacks."
In defending the film, producer Steve Tisch said it was like Tootsie. "It used comedy as a device to expose sexual stereotyping. I think Soul Man uses it to explode racial stereotyping."
"It was only controversial because Spike Lee made a thing of it," said Rae Dawn Chong years later. "He'd never seen the movie and he just jumped all over it... He was just starting and pulling everything down in his wake. If you watch the movie, it's really making white people look stupid... It (the film) is adorable and it didn't deserve it,""
"I always tried to be an actor who was doing a part that was a character versus what I call 'blackting,' or playing my race, because I knew that I would fail because I was mixed," said Chong. "I was the black actor for sure, but I didn't lead with my epidermis, and that offended people like Spike Lee, I think. You're either militant or you're not and he decided to just attack. I've never forgiven him for that because it really hurt me. I didn't realize [at the time] that not pushing the afro-centric agenda was going to bite me. When you start to do well people start to say you're a Tom (as in Uncle Tom) because you're acceptable."
Spike Lee responded by saying, "In my film career, any comment or criticism has never been based on jealousy."
"A white man donning blackface is taboo," said C Thomas Howell. "Conversation over — you can't win. But our intentions were pure: We wanted to make a funny movie that had a message about racism."
Howell later expanded:
I’m shocked at how truly harmless that movie is, and how the anti-racial message involved in it is so prevalent... This isn’t a movie about blackface. This isn’t a movie that should be considered irresponsible on any level... It’s very funny... It made me much more aware of the issues we face on a day-to-day basis, and it made me much more sensitive to racism... It’s an innocent movie, it’s got innocent messages, and it’s got some very, very deep messages. And I think the people that haven’t seen it that judge it are horribly wrong. I think that’s more offensive than anything. Judging something you haven’t seen is the worst thing you can really do. In fact, Soul Man sort of represents that all the way through. I think it’s a really innocent movie with a very powerful message, and it’s an important part of my life. I’m proud of the performance, and I’m proud of the people that were in it. A lot of people ask me today, “Could that movie be made today?"... Robert Downey Jr. just did it in Tropic Thunder!... The difference is that he was just playing a character in Tropic Thunder, and there was no magnifying glass on racism, which is so prevalent in our country. I guess that’s what makes people more uncomfortable about Soul Man. But I think it’s an important movie.
The film was seen by Ron and Nancy Reagan at Camp David.:"The Reagans enjoyed the film and especially enjoyed seeing their son Ron," a White House spokesman said at the time.
Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film about a white man who temporarily darkens his skin in order to pretend to be black and qualify for a black-only scholarship at Harvard Law School. The film was directed by Steve Miner and stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B. Sikking, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
<snip>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Man_(film)#Controversy
Controversy
The film was widely criticized for featuring a Caucasian actor wearing blackface. When the film was released, some protests took place within the black community.
NAACP Chapter President Willis Edwards said in a statement at the time, "We certainly believe it is possible to use humor to reveal the ridiculousness of racism. However the unhumorous and quite seriously made plot point of Soul Man is that no black student could be found in all of Los Angeles who was academically qualified for a scholarship geared to blacks."
In defending the film, producer Steve Tisch said it was like Tootsie. "It used comedy as a device to expose sexual stereotyping. I think Soul Man uses it to explode racial stereotyping."
"It was only controversial because Spike Lee made a thing of it," said Rae Dawn Chong years later. "He'd never seen the movie and he just jumped all over it... He was just starting and pulling everything down in his wake. If you watch the movie, it's really making white people look stupid... It (the film) is adorable and it didn't deserve it,""
"I always tried to be an actor who was doing a part that was a character versus what I call 'blackting,' or playing my race, because I knew that I would fail because I was mixed," said Chong. "I was the black actor for sure, but I didn't lead with my epidermis, and that offended people like Spike Lee, I think. You're either militant or you're not and he decided to just attack. I've never forgiven him for that because it really hurt me. I didn't realize [at the time] that not pushing the afro-centric agenda was going to bite me. When you start to do well people start to say you're a Tom (as in Uncle Tom) because you're acceptable."
Spike Lee responded by saying, "In my film career, any comment or criticism has never been based on jealousy."
"A white man donning blackface is taboo," said C Thomas Howell. "Conversation over — you can't win. But our intentions were pure: We wanted to make a funny movie that had a message about racism."
Howell later expanded:
I’m shocked at how truly harmless that movie is, and how the anti-racial message involved in it is so prevalent... This isn’t a movie about blackface. This isn’t a movie that should be considered irresponsible on any level... It’s very funny... It made me much more aware of the issues we face on a day-to-day basis, and it made me much more sensitive to racism... It’s an innocent movie, it’s got innocent messages, and it’s got some very, very deep messages. And I think the people that haven’t seen it that judge it are horribly wrong. I think that’s more offensive than anything. Judging something you haven’t seen is the worst thing you can really do. In fact, Soul Man sort of represents that all the way through. I think it’s a really innocent movie with a very powerful message, and it’s an important part of my life. I’m proud of the performance, and I’m proud of the people that were in it. A lot of people ask me today, “Could that movie be made today?"... Robert Downey Jr. just did it in Tropic Thunder!... The difference is that he was just playing a character in Tropic Thunder, and there was no magnifying glass on racism, which is so prevalent in our country. I guess that’s what makes people more uncomfortable about Soul Man. But I think it’s an important movie.
The film was seen by Ron and Nancy Reagan at Camp David.:"The Reagans enjoyed the film and especially enjoyed seeing their son Ron," a White House spokesman said at the time.
The point of my post is the year of release (1986 - two yrs after the alleged Northam pic was taken) and the contemporary criticism of it.
20 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
It really is that simple, isn't it.
Sid
On edit: I put the important part in bold...
Do people read past subject lines anymore? 
Welcome back to DU and nice try
Read what I bolded, Sparky....
