Cultural Appropriation

[Lincsong]

With this latest Angelia Jolie movie Mighty Heart being released. It brings up the question of Cultural Appropriation; is it permissable for one culture to write plays of and about another? and is it permissable for one actor to portray a character of another culture?

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I think if one does write a play or movie, and they do not stereotype a culture or do not write something against the culture with out reason unless it is truthful and respectful of the culture, then there shouldn't be a problem. Though cultures tend to be uncomfortable when one culture portrays their own and it is not them who is creating it. I believe that is simply because they do not want to be looked upon inaccurately or wrongly. During the Golden Age, cultures tended to be stereotyped or inaccurately portrayed a lot of the time, especially during World War II. Ethnicity was portrayed wrongly as well. To speak for myself, I do not know whether other cultures portray American cultures or not, and do not know if they did 60 years ago, whether as a counter attack towards American culture or not.

I don't want to be too political but for a subject like this, it can be difficult.

 

[reetpleat]

I am not always very comfortable with writers portraying different cultures as they are often not very accurate. But not always.

I am more concerned with why a movie for example, will get made when it is done by a certain culture while it may not when it is authentic from that culture.

Even more so, why is an actor or actress of one culture playing that role instead of a person from that culture. Of course you can argue that a star is a star and should be used to make the movie successful. But why are there no stars of that culture or ethnicity?

Just some thoughts.

I know ethnic actors often complain about the lack of good roles, so they are even more upset when a good role comes along and goes to someone not of that culture.

Also, why are black or asian or mexican actors not cast in roles that are not specifically of that culture. In other words, they only get the role if it calls for a person of that ethnicity.

This may be changing, but that is the common complaint from these actors.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

It is entirely permissible for a person to write a play or story about other people, yes.

I've never seen, or heard of, a work written by a culture.

bk

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'd think if my mind tended to drift to questions of identity politics while reading a book or watching a movie or seeing a play, the story itself can't be holding my interest and therefore the writer and the actors aren't doing their jobs especially well. On the other hand, if they *are* doing their jobs well, such thoughts wouldn't even occur to me.

But then, I'm a person from a cultural background -- poor working class Mainer -- which has spawned only one writer of any note (Carolyn Chute, who I find both condescending and pretentious), and no working actors at all. So if I want to see my background portrayed at all, it will be by someone else. And as long as they get the dialect right, I couldn't care less who they are or where they came from.

 

[Lincsong]

But shouldn't an actor, by the nature of the profession, be able to play a multitude of roles regardless whether or not he's of that culture? For instance, if an actor is presented with a script that he likes, is offered the role and then proceeds to research and live among the culture in question in order to get a feel or the role. Would that be permissable?

In regards to foreign films, how are American's portrayed?????? Say for instance a film made in Argentina or India?

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

But shouldn't an actor, by the nature of the profession, be able to play a multitude of roles regardless whether or not he's of that culture? For instance, if an actor is presented with a script that he likes, is offered the role and then proceeds to research and live among the culture in question in order to get a feel or the role. Would that be permissable?

They should be able to if their role calls for it. They wouldn't take the job if they felt they couldn't.

For instance, in Apocalypto, many said the Mayans were portrayed wrongly. I didn't see the film, but an American director did create it. So was it permissable to the American culture? Yes. To the Mayan culture? No.

Do we know whether a culture is being portrayed accurately? A large part of America is not multicultural and are not familar with other cultures. We may take whatever is shown as the culture being accurate without any thought that is might not be.

 

[reetpleat]

But shouldn't an actor, by the nature of the profession, be able to play a multitude of roles regardless whether or not he's of that culture? For instance, if an actor is presented with a script that he likes, is offered the role and then proceeds to research and live among the culture in question in order to get a feel or the role. Would that be permissable?

In regards to foreign films, how are American's portrayed?????? Say for instance a film made in Argentina or India?

Well, of course it is possible, and of course it is permissable. But there are often plenty of good actors that would better suit the role, and the reason they are not cast is due to prejudice and bias. In an equal world it would not matter. But in a world where actors of color rarely get good roles, to have a decent role of a certain ethnicity go to a white actor is just wrong.


I did get a kick out of Charlton Heston playing a mexican though.

 

[Lincsong]

Charlton Heston is a good film actor, he definetely is not a voice actor. In the film A Touch of Evil where Heston played the Mexican law enforcement officer he did a good job. But his attempts at a spanish accent was not worth even attempting. A good film all around nonetheless.

 

[Lady Day]

Well there was a but hub bub about Spielburg directing The Color Purple, but in reading on it, he did an exhaustive amount of research. That might be an acception to the rule.

In Memoirs of a Geisha, the book was written by an American, with the horrible film, most of the major characters were Chinese, and the movie was in english [huh] I think that is when you get into trouble, wattering it down on the surface so it 'looks' like that culture, but not going beneath that and extracting the authenticity of the subjet matter.

This can be about anything from race, to religion, to class, to gender, to whatever.

But in all actuallity, you will prolly never see an Asian writer doing a script about the holocaust. No one would beieve it, even if it WAS good. Once people found out who wrote it, its over. There is a double standard with it. Especially when most major releases are not written by whatever culture is in representation of the subject, but the troupe of writes that are give whaever subject to write about.

Just my thoughts.

LD

 

[jake_fink]

Classy?

 

[Martinis at 8]

I think it is very appropriate.

I do support Angelina Jolie's efforts in this movie. I also thought that her movie Beyond Borders was excellent.

While most actor-activist types live in a fantasy world, including her, I do appreciate her efforts, as she does more than most, and does get the word out on certain plights.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

M8

 

[Fletch]

hijack?

"The past is another country. They do things differently there."
- L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between (1953)

The Golden Era was a foreign culture in a lot of ways, and I've always been a little sick about how movies and TV and such paint it up and slap it around, without much love or respect for it.

I think it started when I was taken to see Woody Allen's Stardust Memories as a young swing fan of 12 or so, and was so put off by the way Allen used 20s and 30s jazz records as the soundtrack to his own narrow, self-obsessed little clich?©world that I got royally chewed out by my mom in the parking lot.

Little did I know how much worse was in store. [huh]

 

[gluegungeisha]

If the portrayal is done with respect and with the intention of better understanding and empathizing with the culture, than I have no problem at all with it.

 

[Lincsong]

Is it possible for a member of a cultural group to "misrepresent" and be "insensitive" in his observations of said group?[huh]

 

[Viola]

Is it possible for a member of a cultural group to "misrepresent" and be "insensitive" in his observations of said group?[huh]

No, but there's a level of "this was MY experience, so it applies to ALL of *group*"

Woody Allen is a good example of this phenomenon. It drives me batshit.

-Viola

 

[carebear]

No, but there's a level of "this was MY experience, so it applies to ALL of *group*"

Woody Allen is a good example of this phenomenon. It drives me batshit.

-Viola

And herein lies the huge problem with placing more importance on the group an individual is (apparently) part of instead of on the individual themself.

In the case of movies or books or any other story, what matters is the story and its validity (if not, being fiction, actual truth), not the author.

 

[Martinis at 8]

We can write or say, portray, act out, etc. as we see fit. This is the nature of artistic license and freedom of speech and expression. If there is a tort such as libel or slander then the wrongdoing can be addressed in court.

Cheers,

M8

 

[carebear]

We can write or say, portray, act out, etc. as we see fit. This is the nature of artistic license and freedom of speech and expression. If there is a tort such as libel or slander then the wrongdoing can be addressed in court.

Cheers,

M8

Missed the past few decades have we?

If only this were still absolute.

 

[reetpleat]

We can write or say, portray, act out, etc. as we see fit. This is the nature of artistic license and freedom of speech and expression. If there is a tort such as libel or slander then the wrongdoing can be addressed in court.

Cheers,

M8

Or the court of public opinion. I do not deny anyone's rightto writ about any culture they want. But I often find it offensive when people not of or very close to a culture write about it, and also find it offensive when publishers or film makers choose to use those while ignoring much better ones because they are from people of that culture.

As well as actors being chosen to play thos roles.