KING KONG

so, i went to a test screening of "King Kong" last night, and i want everyone i know to boycott this film. Simply put, it is the most irresponsible and corrosive misrepresentation of aboriginal/indigenous/ phenotypically non-European people i have ever witnessed in contemporary cinema.*

a short description: The un - assuming Caucasian stars arrive on a remote tropical island in POLYNESIA - their first encounter is with a "savage" played by a small white girl - painted head to toe charcoal black - complete with small bones through her nose and ears - her uncivilized nature is further punctuated when she violently bites one of the benevolent white people when he offers her chocolate

of course, Mayhem ensues as hundreds of "savages" erupt onto the screen, violently assaulting and murdering the civilized white travelers.** a few important points - the actors chosen to fill the roles of the principal savages: an old woman chanting some curse. the aforementioned young girl, and a violent young male warrior type, are all white actors painted TAR black - BUT - the hundreds of extras who fill the roles of the rest of the savages are clearly black - if i had to guess - of west African extraction.

this may sound like overstatement - but when u see the film (please visit your local bootlegger - or download the film using file sharing software) u will understand how intensely irresponsible the filmmakers must have been - These are all seemingly intelligent people - artisans even - who were entrusted with two hundred and seven million dollars*** to turn out this film. it is insane that with that much money - and that many people involved - no one noticed that there were 200 people walking around on set - made up as if they were FRESH OFF the set of a 30's minstrel show.

i don't know about u - but i could make about 207 very good films with 207 million dollars - and that is another reason why we can't support this debasement. we are buying in 10 dollars at a time - to a system that values spectacle over all else - especially aesthetics.

so please - don't go - i know that the slick action sequences that 207 mil can turn out - are very seductive to say the least - but don't go to the theater and see this - or rather just don't pay - again i refer you to your local bootlegger or you dsl Internet connection.

-footnotes

*kinda like "Tears of the Sun" but worse... well maybe not worse because antoine fuqua - the guy who directed that movie is / (was) black

** if the Aztecs, Nguni, Maori, and Seminoles had known to kill the white "visitors" on sight - maybe the world would be a better place.

*** http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4384458.stm

as my mother says - "on and UP"

Terence