"The Help" Needs Some Help

I watched the Golden Globes and celebrated Octavia Spencer's win for Best Supporting Actress in The Help.   I also had to bite my nails when one of my favorite actresses Meryl Streep won for her role in The Iron Lady and ousted Violo Davis for her incredible role in The Help in the Best Actress category.

Here is where I begin my rant.  I typically have a problem with Hollywood period films that especially deal with race or in most cases do not deal with race accurately. 

I read the book The Help and although it too seemed to waterdown the real atrocities of race relations during that time period you did get a more gritty sense of what Black women went though as Domestics.

My grandmother worked her entire life for white families and I saw first hand the caste system at work. 

The film The Help was a worst representation than the book.  I will not deminish the roles of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, in fact more on that later but the film, which is typical of mainstream Hollywood, reduced real life racial tension to a more palatable "feel good" film. 

The Help almost became some kind of interracial version of Steel Magnolias. 

It is no secret that Black actors struggle to find significant roles and characters with depth and interest.  But it does seem somehow ironic that here we are in 2012 and we are still dealing with Black actors playing domestic roles.

What is it with these mainstream awards that only seem to recognize certain roles as significant.

Hollywood seems to be much more comfortable with the Black actress as comedian and or fallen figure.  Let's test that theory:

Hattie McDaniel- Best Supporting actress for happy domestic in Gone With the Wind

Whoopie Goldberg- Best Supporting actress as funny medium in Ghost

Halle Berry- Best Actress as a Black woman who falls for her racist ex-husband's executioner in Monster's Ball,  now that was a real feel good film. 

Monique- Best Actress for her role as a caustic, abusive, sexual predator and Mother in Precious.

Octavia Spencer- Best Supporting Actress as the outspoken, witty domestic in The Help.

Did I miss anyone?

I have always maintained that it is not the responsibility of one film to carry the weight of an entire community and culture but the real challenge is that more films are made that show the rich diversity and experiences of that culture. 

And I think we are in a better place where more films are being made that showcase Black women and their complex experiences but also show them in very affirming roles. 

The issue or problem at hand is when will the mainstream industry both acknowlege and honor such great performances that do not fit it's historical narrow perspective of how Black women are portrayed?

 

 

 

Comments

[Kimberly]

Not trying to be hyper-critical, but it is the CASTE system - not cache system. Just thought you should know.