I have just watched one of the dopest movie trailers
I have seen in a long time. The scale of
the movie is epic, with effects that just take your breath away. I mean, for this to be a remake (technically)
of the story of the Ten Commandments, trust and believe this movie looks
to be on par with the original, if not
surpass it on every level. Exodus: Gods
& Kings updates the narrative to spectacular fashion, while still managing
to respect the previous incarnation……..right…..down…..to….the lack of persons
of color in key or prominent roles. I
have never been accused of being a conspiracy theorist or militant, but even
watching the trailer in all its magnificence, the casting is almost
jarring! Just when you think Hollywood could surprise
you…….it doesn’t.
At this point, you have probably seen countless
posts on social media or the internet in regards to the obvious “Whitewashing”
of the movie. The ensuing outrage has sparked
declarations of boycotting the film, as well as debates in regards to this
timeless “tradition” of Hollywood. And the disappointment is not coming just
from the African American community, as I have seen countless white critics and
bloggers shake their heads at the absurdity of it. Most of the commentary is centered on the idea that Tinsel Town is continuing its lies and trying to sell
the history that Egyptians were white. I’m
sure that I could get into a long debate about the ethnicity of the Egyptians
and historical accuracy, and I think the Egyptian culture ran the gambit of a
combination of Arab & African descent respectively. However I think that point is moot and what
Hollywood is attempting to do or say, has nothing to do with perpetuating that
Egyptians were white. What I see is
something far more damning.
The habit of whitewashing movies has been a long
standing practice in Hollywood that dates back as far as its earliest
inceptions. Often times you would see
white men & women with dark make up or such portraying Asians, Latins, Black or Native
Americans. Clearly these people and
actors of color existed at the time, but Hollywood was steeped in racism
(one could argue it still is….just not as in your face at times), so often
times persons of color would not be hired or relegated to background
roles. Many point to Cleopatra portrayed
by Elizabeth Taylor as one such insult, however as far as we know Cleo was of
Greek descent, so that movies' portrayal could very well be accurate. In the
new movie Exodus you have Christian Bale as Moses, Sigourney Weaver as Tuya,
Joel Edgerton as Ramses II & John Tuturro as Pharaoh Seti I, to name a
few. Don’t worry though; casting spared
no expense locating black actors to portray an array of thieves, slaves,
soldiers etc. Movies like Amistad & 12 Years a Slave, seem to have no problem
finding and selecting actors that fulfill the role but can also deliver the
acting chops.....and also achieve critical success. But yet, for this movie, in a position of power, black & Middle
Eastern actors are low in supply? Granted it’s two different studios, times and directors but the paradigm
is still prevalent. Do you see what they are telling us, yet?
The American public is much too educated nowadays
and informed for anyone to attempt to make a movie about Egypt and depict
characters as white. The advent of the
internet, cable and even the re-writing of history books, one would have to be
pretty arrogant to think that an intelligent adult that will be attending this
movie knows better than to believe otherwise.
What I see Hollywood telling us is that “We cannot sell a movie with a
black cast.” or “America is not ready to see a movie with an all/majority black
cast.” As a matter of fact, that goes for Asians, Latin and other ethnicities.
When most of us see a movie with a majority white cast, we don’t say, “oh that’s a
white movie”….we look at the story, then actors and if it looks interesting,
people will attend. However when it’s
majority black, Latin or Asian, the movie gets lumped into being a movie only
for that specific community. Hitch is
one of the funniest and my favorite movies, but I always wondered had the love
interest been someone like Kerry Washington and it co-starred Cedric the
Entertainer instead of Kevin James, would it also too find itself being labeled
another black movie?! I find that far more insulting and presumptuous. As a black man, I am offended and if you're white, you should be offended as well. Because you’re being told that you are
not intelligent or sophisticated enough to enjoy a film unless it’s white. I am all about getting the best actor available, and as much as I don't want to see films whitewashed, I also don't believe in giving a role to someone just because they are black or whatever. And yes, there are even times when you may have a character where there ethnicity has nothing to do with with who they are as a person......however there are instances where you do, and in those instances, with all things being equal in talent, you give the role to the appropriate ethnicity. While doing my research, i was surprised to find out some characters that were originally not white......like the hero John Rico from Starship Troopers. I never read the book....but in there his name was Juan Rico. Here's a link of other offenses:25 Hollywood Whitewashes
Ultimately Hollywood is a machine that thrives off
money. With a movie of this magnitude, I’m sure no expense was spared, and thus
the studio wants to make all that money back and then some. But apparently they feel they can’t do that if the focus of the cast is comprised with people of color. Now with Moses, being that he was Hebrew…his
ethnicity could be a bit ambiguous. But
the other key characters are definitely not of Anglo Saxon descent. I’m sure there are some white people that may
be turned off by a majority black cast, and that’s fine. Let them stay in their
archaic mindset of an all-white world. However I do believe that there is also a
contingent of audience goers and movie lovers that just want to see a great
movie and have awesome experience. Could
you imagine Christian Bale and Idris Elba chewing up the screen going at one
another?! In a day and time where historical accuracy is touted extensively, it
seems when it comes to the actual characters, one is more apt to use artistic
license to not hire actors whose ethnicity could fulfill the role, as well
as serve the script in talent level. A production like this, I'm had a demand at the highest level for authenticity, except when it comes to the
characters. It’s really a shame that I won’t
be seeing Exodus, because I am a movie nut and it looks to be a triumph to behold. However, I just can’t abide something that is so courageous
in scope, but not courageous in its casting. 
