Racism in Film

Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012).

An ever-present issue showing bleak signs of progression

We live in a time where racism, although vastly improved as compared to olden days, is still very much apparent.

Racism is common in our everyday lives - be it shopping for groceries, filling up your car at a petrol station or getting yourself some food at a fast food restaurant.

Why is that? Why can't we all just get along?

Well, that's what I'll be discussing in this post. Since it is on my film blog, naturally I'll relate it more towards racism in the film industry - be it in the subject matter of actual movies or in the casting of actors for roles.

Ever heard of the term 'whitewashing' in film? In a nutshell, it means the casting of white actors in roles which are not historically or culturally intended to be portrayed by a white actor. Basically, it's the idea of a white guy playing a character meant to be of colour.

It is a practice which is extremely common within the film industry and definitely most evidently in Hollywood.

Here are just a handful of examples I could immediately pick out from the top of my mind:

Here we have good ol' Tom Cruise popping up as the titular character in The Last Samurai (Edward Zwick, 2003).

Here's Mickey Rooney playing Japanese Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards, 1961).

This here is Peter Sellers playing an Indian man in The Party (Blake Edwards, 1968).

As you can clearly see from these images, why would Hollywood cast white actors in roles not meant to be played by white actors?

Personally, I feel that the excuse of the specific white actor cast in the role (let's say, Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai for example) being a commercial magnet is absolute bollocks. It's an absolute violation of the Japanese people. Can you imagine the Japanese watching the film and wondering why the lead is a white man dressed in Samurai armour?

The problem with Hollywood is that production companies are so hellbent on making as much profits as possible that they don't care how ethnically correct their films are. Stars like Tom Cruise attract moviegoers no matter what he stars in, and that was obviously what they were going for in the case of The Last Samurai.

The older examples mentioned came at a time where the depiction of people of colour was extremely stereotypical and downright offensive.

I am a fan of Blake Edwards' films, especially his Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies which, to this date, remains perhaps one of my favourite film series of all time.

Coming attached as excess baggage to his CV, however, is the fact that his depiction of people of colour in his films is very, very wrong.

Below we see some images of Blake Edwards' Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers which were released between 1963 to 1978, where we have Chief Inspector Clouseau (Sellers)'s manservant Cato (Burt Kwouk) in a very stereotypical role for an Asian in a Western movie - the martial arts expert, high-pitched screaming-type character.

So then, Mr. Yunioshi, white man playing an Indian man and an Asian actor in stereotypical 'Asian role'. A nice way to build a fan base in Asia, aye, Blake Edwards?

Now, how far have we come since then? For one, there is no doubt that there's been a vast improvement in Hollywood - but is that enough?

I used an image from Tarantino's western Django Unchained (2012) to start this article off because he is one director who is well-known for his appreciation of all the different ethnicities.

In Django Unchained, Tarantino gives a black actor in Jamie Foxx (who plays Django, a freed slave-turned-bounty hunter) the lead in a plot which revolves around him and Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz) hunting down white men who enslaved Django and his wife.

Why I chose the film to kick things off is because I personally feel that the film covers many themes of racism which is relatable to all of us despite the film being set back in the American Civil War in the 1800's.

Hence, with directors like Tarantino, there is clear optimism with regards to the future of racial concerns in Hollywood, but what we need is more directors and producers like him who focus more on quality and accuracy of their work rather than focus on commercial gain.

The most recent example of whitewashing in Hollywood lies in Marvel's latest offering in their cinematic universe, Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016).

Here we see the character of The Ancient One portrayed by Tilda Swinton, a white actress. The role is meant to be portrayed by someone of colour. In the film's context, The Ancient One should be played by a Nepalese native since the character's base of Kamar-Taj is in Nepal, although I heard that it was meant to be Tibet.

About that issue of location disputes, though, I did read an article written by my friend Jeanne (who is a massive comic book nut) on how the production of Doctor Strange moved from Tibet to Nepal in order to appease the film's massive Chinese market. Again, a clear-as-day example of what studios will do just to make profits - as if Marvel don't already have loads of that.

Sure, they did try to make amends by casting black actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo (a character meant to be white) as well as giving the Asian Benedict Wong a decent role. Plus, they made The Ancient One a woman but still, that's not the point. The point is that roles which are designed for people of colour should be played by people of colour. So sorry Tilda Swinton, as good as you were, it's still a major example of pathetic whitewashing.

What does the future look like for equal and fair racial representation in film? Well, to see how far it has come, I have a lot of optimism that racism will slowly but surely be filtered out. However, the film industry is a business, and businesses are only concerned about making money.

With that ever-present issue which will undoubtedly hinder the progress of this movement, only time will tell as to how racial representation can be fixed in movies.

I feel that it is the duty of filmmakers to portray racial harmony on-screen, for the media they produce is one of the most powerful tools of education we have. It is the media we consume that teaches us what's right and wrong, and it is the duty of production companies and filmmakers to set the message straight that all human beings, regardless of race or religion, should have equal representation on film and in reality.