Black Panther: Representation in front of (and behind) the Camera
Marvel's Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) has undoubtedly changed the landscape for superhero films. Since its release in February, the film has amassed a worldwide box-office gross of over $1.2 Billion, proving that people will pay to see a film with a majority black cast, despite negative speculation.
Not only does Black Panther positively and strongly represent black people on the screen, but does so behind it too. The film was written and directed by African-American men, as well as shot by Rachel Morrison, the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Mudbound (Dee Rees, 2017). Black Panther has been praised for its proud portrayal of a vast number of African cultures, dark-skinned women, and its inspirational narrative. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge said: "Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, "Black Panther" is a radically different kind of comic-book movie, one with a proud Afrocentric twist, featuring a nearly all-black cast, that largely ignores the United States and focuses instead on the fictional nation of Wakanda — and guess what: Virtually everything that distinguishes “Black Panther” from past Marvel pics works to this standalone entry’s advantage." (2018).
Hopefully the undeniable success of Black Panther has forced Hollywood to realise that films like this have audiences ready and willing to watch. Not only this, but a study by the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) - published in the LA Times - proves that diverse films make more money across every budget level. If money-making and 'risk' is such an important factor in why many Hollywood producers are afraid to create films targeted at non-white audiences, then maybe they should start taking this study into account. More can be read about the CAA study in my first post.
Unfortunately however, thanks to Hollywood's history of repeating itself, using tried and tested formulas to make hits, it's completely possible that further down the line, these types of films could be being made left, right, and centre. This could saturate the big screen with the same characters, creating new stereotypes that will need to be broken.
In her article for The Guardian, Eliza Anyangwe questions whether or not recent portrayals of black women in Hollywood cinema have really been as positive as some may say. Of course, films such as Black Panther, A Wrinkle In Time (Ava DuVernay, 2018), Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016), and Girls Trip (Malcolm D. Lee, 2017) have all portrayed black women as strong, independent individuals, but could that come at a price? Speaking on #BlackGirlMagic - a term coined to celebrate black women's achievements in the face of adversity - Anyangwe states the hashtag has become a marketing tool for Hollywood, something they know they can profit from. "So is black girl magic coming of age in film or does the concept serve as an easy way for executives to market to audiences they know have been starved of representation? Also, does it always serve black women to be seen as magical?" (2018)
It's clear that it can be inspiring for black children to have role models and inspiration on the screen - as this was something I didn't have much of growing up - but it can also be limiting, and put pressure on these young people to live up to the images they're seeing. Anyangwe goes on to say that "for all the opportunities that black girl magic creates in film and on TV, ultimately [filmmaker, Jen] Nkiru warns against creating another limiting trope." (2018). We'll see how Hollywood deals with this, as only time can tell.
Not only does Black Panther positively and strongly represent black people on the screen, but does so behind it too. The film was written and directed by African-American men, as well as shot by Rachel Morrison, the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Mudbound (Dee Rees, 2017). Black Panther has been praised for its proud portrayal of a vast number of African cultures, dark-skinned women, and its inspirational narrative. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge said: "Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, "Black Panther" is a radically different kind of comic-book movie, one with a proud Afrocentric twist, featuring a nearly all-black cast, that largely ignores the United States and focuses instead on the fictional nation of Wakanda — and guess what: Virtually everything that distinguishes “Black Panther” from past Marvel pics works to this standalone entry’s advantage." (2018).
Hopefully the undeniable success of Black Panther has forced Hollywood to realise that films like this have audiences ready and willing to watch. Not only this, but a study by the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) - published in the LA Times - proves that diverse films make more money across every budget level. If money-making and 'risk' is such an important factor in why many Hollywood producers are afraid to create films targeted at non-white audiences, then maybe they should start taking this study into account. More can be read about the CAA study in my first post.
Unfortunately however, thanks to Hollywood's history of repeating itself, using tried and tested formulas to make hits, it's completely possible that further down the line, these types of films could be being made left, right, and centre. This could saturate the big screen with the same characters, creating new stereotypes that will need to be broken.
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Promotional poster for A Wrinkle In Time (DuVernay, 2018). (source). |
In her article for The Guardian, Eliza Anyangwe questions whether or not recent portrayals of black women in Hollywood cinema have really been as positive as some may say. Of course, films such as Black Panther, A Wrinkle In Time (Ava DuVernay, 2018), Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016), and Girls Trip (Malcolm D. Lee, 2017) have all portrayed black women as strong, independent individuals, but could that come at a price? Speaking on #BlackGirlMagic - a term coined to celebrate black women's achievements in the face of adversity - Anyangwe states the hashtag has become a marketing tool for Hollywood, something they know they can profit from. "So is black girl magic coming of age in film or does the concept serve as an easy way for executives to market to audiences they know have been starved of representation? Also, does it always serve black women to be seen as magical?" (2018)
It's clear that it can be inspiring for black children to have role models and inspiration on the screen - as this was something I didn't have much of growing up - but it can also be limiting, and put pressure on these young people to live up to the images they're seeing. Anyangwe goes on to say that "for all the opportunities that black girl magic creates in film and on TV, ultimately [filmmaker, Jen] Nkiru warns against creating another limiting trope." (2018). We'll see how Hollywood deals with this, as only time can tell.
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