Noble Magic Tricks

NOTE: there may be spoilers of The Green Mile, Pocahontas and Avatar if you have not already seen these films. Also Ruth/Rachel this is the post I would like graded for week 4.

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This week I want to focus on one popular stereotype of people of color that is seen in film, "The Mystic". This can be seen in the forms of the 'Noble Savage' (in Native Americans and Indigenous peoples) and as the 'Magic Negro' (in Blacks). Some other common characters I mention include the 'White Messiah' who come to save the day for people of color and the classic white protagonist with a friend who is a person of color.

The noble savage is seen in almost all depictions of Native Americans in film. Pocahontas and Avatar are two films that show both the 'Noble Savage' and the 'White Messiah' and in fact have these two characters in a romantic relationship together. Interesting to note that in both cases the savage is both a woman and indigenous and the messiah is a white male. Placing the messiah in the position of power and the savage overpowered both by race and gender.

In Pocahontas, the relationship

exists between John Smith (White Messiah) and Pocahontas (Noble Savage). Pocahontas is very in tune with nature, she talks to animals and considers them part of her family. As well, she speaks with a spirit tree which shares the heritage of her people and sees the future. She does make the point that she does not want to be labeled as a savage in the song "Colors Of The Wind" (Thomas, 1995):

"You think I'm an ignorant savage and you've been so many places, I guess it must be so, but still I cannot see. If the savage one is me, how can there be so much that you don't know?"

However, she goes on to prove that she is not a savage by expressing her unity with nature. John Smith learns some of Pocahontas's culture of embracing nature but tells her of the right (European) way of life, the importance of gold and tells her how to be civilized. In the end John Smith (with a little help from Pocahontas) stands between the battle of the colonizers and Pocahontas's tribe and to save the day.

In Avatar Jake Sully plays the "White Messiah" and Neytiri plays the "Noble Savage". Their story follows along almost all of the same lines as Pocahontas, Jake Sully is sent to make diplomatic compromise to obtain a natural resource from Neytiri's people, the Na'vi. Neytiri is very connected with nature and like Pochahontas speaks with and prays to a magical tree that is the lifeblood of her culture. Throughout the disputes with humans, saving grace Jake Sully leads the Na'vi people in battle and his tactics and techniques once again save the day. Both of these examples show the message that though noble, indigenous people are unable to stand up for themselves and they will always be uncivilized.

Another interesting relationship developed between the mystic of color and the white protagonist are friendships between the 'Magic Negro' and the white protagonist. One clear example of this is in The Green Mile. In this film the 'Magic Negro' is John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) and the white protagonist is Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks). John Coffey is the bearer of a great healing power, but it does little to change his own situation. He is a poor, uneducated man who is accused of the rape and murder of two small white girls and spends the majority of the film behind bars. Coffey and Edgecomb develop a sort of friendship as Coffey begins to show his truly docile nature and displays his magical powers. Despite his great power Coffey continues to humble himself and calls Edgecomb "Boss."

Coffey's greatest achievements in this film in his magical healing of white people. Coffey takes away Paul Edgecomb's urinary tract infection and heals the warden's wife of her grave illness and tumors. When Coffey heals these illnesses they become a sickness inside of him before he coughs it up. Even the way that Coffey uses his magic symbolizes taking the burden off of white people and places it on himself. In the end of the film despite all of John Coffey's spiritual power and despite proving his innocence by transmitting the memory of the true attack to be seen in Edgecomb's mind he is still killed. The 'Magic Negro', regardless of strength, wisdom, or power, is bound to the chains of white man's wants and ways.

The mystic stereotype of people of color oversimplifies them. Just as white characters are complex and developed more like real people, characters of color should be as well. There is more than one dimension to any person, regardless of race. Additionally, when fewer roles exist for people of color and one-dimensional stereotypical roles are the majority of what is offered the perpetuating message is that people of color are rarely seen and one dimensional, if not just invisible.

I enjoy all of the films that I have discussed in this entry and believe each have strong narratives and entertainment value. Additionally, all of these films have had some progressive steps in terms of discrimination. Sully, the hero in Avatar is differently- abled. Pocahontas features Native voices for all of its Native characters and shows the second Disney princess of color. Michael Clarke Duncan received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in The Green Mile. Despite these progressions I wanted to bring up the underlying themes of oppression which exist in these films, as to better understand and be aware of the stories that they truly telling. A movie can be compelling, entertaining, and moving while still spinning the wheel of oppression. And many still are.

Images from:

Huffington Post

Studio Bendib

Wisdomtree Blog

BE A MAN!

The first outside screening required for this course was to watch a favorite childhood film. I chose to view Mulan because when I was young Mulan was someone I viewed as a role model. Unlike many other female characters in Disney films she was not motivated by a romantic relationship and did not use her attractiveness as her only means of power. She was active, intelligent, creative, strong, brave and was more often the rescuer than the rescued. She was the kind of woman I wanted to be, but she was impersonating a man.

In the beginning of the film, the feminine standards held by the film's characters is seen and heard as Mulan is beautified and prepares to be interviewed with a matchmaker. "Honor to Us All", the song playing during this scene summarizes explicitly what is expected of Mulan:

"Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who work fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist, you'll bring honor to us all." (Zippel, 1998)

As Mulan is unable to bring honor to her family by achieving the feminine ideal, she decides to cut her hair, steal her father's armor and horse and impersonate a male soldier to fight for China against the Huns in the place of her disabled father.

In training camp Mulan learns how to "be a man", as the soldier's theme repeats the phrase dozens of times. The soldiers are then taught by the General Shang to be strong, forceful, swift and mysterious and that these qualities are representative of their masculinity.

As the soldier's come into their masculinity, the masculinity of the character Chi Fu is a joke among them. Chi Fu is not a soldier, is adorned in furs and more lavish clothing, moves with a sway, and is laughed at when he says he has a girlfriend. Chi Fu's character could be seen as be portraying a gay man who is seen by his peers as not masculine. In the end of the film Chi Fu continues to be looked down upon by his peers, is used as a scapegoat for not accepting Mulan's impersonation and is demoted by the Emperor.

Mulan ends up saving the lives of her fellow soldiers & General and outwitting a mass army of Huns, but after being wounded in battle her sex is discovered. She is not killed, but dismissed. Later, she ends up getting her three soldier friends to cross-dress as to distract Hun soldiers as concubines. Even this film shows female sexuality as a weapon. She ends fighting the leader of the Huns, Shan-Yu, and defeats him with her quick-thinking.

Mulan ends with her receiving praise and gratitude from her fellow soldiers, the Emperor, the crowd, and her family. Shang comes to Mulan's home to stay for dinner, but aside from that the ending is left fairly open. It is possible to imagine Mulan pursuing more adventures, maybe with Shang, maybe not. I enjoy this film on a pure entertainment level but also that their is a strong active female as the protagonist, but it is unfortunate that she is the only strong active female, and that she had to be a man to be strong and active.

Though the ending of the film was fairly open, the merchandising outside of the film seems to show a clearer ending. Though Mulan is portrayed through the majority of the film with short hair, no makeup, and in armor or gender neutral clothing, the overwhelming majority of her merchandise is a glamorized, princess-ized image. I could not find a single doll that features her in armor and only one had a hair-cutting "fashion feature". It seems that through merchandising the manufacturers may very well be trying to place Mulan back into her correct gender role. Teaching girls that though Mulan was a soldier, in the end she will go back to fulfilling the path of femininity that was set for her in the beginning. She's had her fun, but it is time for her to put her dress back on.