Angry Black Bitch on King Kong

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:00pm

Love her!!!!!
You'll have to scroll down to get to the meat of what she's talking about.
ABB's blog

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:08pm

LMAO--she is HILARIOUS!

I had never seen KK as racist. Do we think the creators of the original film were trying to make a racist film? I doubt that the remake was intended to be racist. And, I really doubt that this current film is racist.

I will say that the guy I'm seeing has hesitations about seeing the film due to the "white people arriving on an island of dark-skinned savages" that doesn't sit well with him. I can see his point. But, I always felt that these films were benign.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:11pm

Ouch. Good thing I was never terribly attached to that story in the first place.

And jrb, I think she was just showing where she thinks the imagery and content of the King Kong story comes from and why it disgusts her.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:15pm

I know---I just want to know if she is right. If that was someone's intention. That would sadden me greatly.

But, if they didn't, then I would say to her that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:21pm

I had never seen KK as racist. Do we think the creators of the original film were trying to make a racist film? I doubt that the remake was intended to be racist. And, I really doubt that this current film is racist.

Apparently (and I've been referring to these interviews all day), Peter Jackson and company consciously tried to steer away from the inherent racism of the original 1933 movie, while still staying faithful to the set-up. While the original portrayed the natives as kooky and superficially primitive, his idea was to make the natives a bit crazy and on-the-edge from having survived on a hellish jungle island with giant predators.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:24pm

Wow, it's really interesting that the remakers knew about it.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:26pm

If you watch the original 1933 film, you'd be a bit uncomfortable watching the portrayal of the natives.

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:44pm

Oh...I don't think you have to dig deep to find the racist undertones to the piece...even if that wasn't the intention (who intends to be racist when they say 'But he's so well-spoken!')

This past summer, in a production of CORPUS CHRISTI I was in, there's a line said by Thomas along the lines of 'Don't be upset, you ape!' The guy to whom he was saying it to was black. His response, 'Who you calling ape?' became something VERY different.

We all know what the stereotypes are...we all know what the racial imagery is...even if we don't 'intend' it to be that way.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:49pm

BTW, scroll down a little further and she does a priceless rant on Kanye West's "Golddiggers".

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:54pm

Very interesting take on the film.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:56pm

The vast majority of jungle-themed films have racist overtones of one sort or another. Look at all those idiotic Tarzan movies. The books and early films originally reflected Burroughs' European colonialist biases toward "savages" which were demeaning and insensitive to say the least. As the series continues through the decades (up through and including the Disney animated film and upcoming Broadway show), as much as the racist imagery has been softened, it's still a ludicrous caucasian fantasy that some white man could end up being the "king of the jungle" (and that the natives are depicted as "primitives" and seen as the enemy).

"King Kong" was born out of this same racist colonial mindset which will never be completely eradicated from any telling of the story. That Jackson decided to confront the problematic nature of the story head on is certainly a good thing.

Updated On: 12/6/05 at 02:56 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:58pm

What would the reaction be had he cast, say, Halle Berry in the Watts role?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:58pm

Thank you, Margo. I'm stunned that my fellow posters have never clicked into this. It seems as obvious as the blue sky to me, and always has.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 2:59pm

Well, we all know blond isn't her best look.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:03pm

*cough* jrb, for once we're in perfect agreement. :)

ETA- That "Golddiggers" jab is priceless.
Updated On: 12/6/05 at 03:03 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:04pm

The only black chick that pulled off blond effortlessly was the delightful Toukie Smith!

Updated On: 12/6/05 at 03:04 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:05pm

And Dennis Rodman.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:07pm

I don't know, Halle was pretty fine in BAPS.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:08pm

Margo---u made me laugh. I take back the **** comment.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:10pm

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:14pm

Oh DAMN I loved her in BAPS! Now that's one great bad movie!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:16pm

And whatever happened to Natalie Desselle? Hopelessly lost in the moors of the WB?

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:20pm

Talk about an Effie!

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 3:29pm

ABB is actually a real-world friend of mine. I'm the certain "Blood Ray" she mentions on there (little personal shill for me).

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 4:02pm

She rocks! I just turned on to her today.