Saturday, July 22, 2006
PC OR NOT PC; THAT IS THE QUESTION
Today's NYTimes 1176 Best Film was
The Green Pastures (1936)based on the Broadway musical of the same name. The stories are all from the old testament.
Let's get two things out of the way.
First, that this film is filled with old racial stereotypes and is an affront to everything civil and right, is agreed.
It is as though Amos and Andy put together a religious pageant.
Indeed, there is a whole section about Moses in Egypt which takes place in a meeting hall suspiciously similar to the Mystic Knights of the Sea.
I know. This dates me. A lot of you never saw Amos and Andy.
But I did and I thought it funny as hell and still think about it. I certainly did when I saw this picture
To rub it in even further, the musical was written by writer, director, and producer Marc Connolly; a white man straight from Broadway.
The other PC hurdle is that the film is blatantly religious from the southern christian point of view.
So, it is not a comedy as such. There are angels in heaven and a walking talking humanoid god and all that.
But, in its simplicity, it is a sweet story and the music (all traditional spirituals) is beautifully sung.
It may not be politically correct but the drama and theater of it hits the mark on all counts.
It is touching and funny and, once we get over the 'yassuh' talk, involving.
Hey, I gotta admit, it is a great story! It sure has had staying power.
The other thing is that, oddly, the setting in the antibellum rural south—a land that never was—somehow takes the religious sting out of it.
So, I have shown my colors so to speak and to not find it offensive. I rather enjoyed it and would recommend it to your happy viewing.
Rex Ingraham, the main star, is kind of stiff but some of the other actors more than make up for it.
Eddie (Rochester) Anderson is featured as Noah. The parade of the animals is wonderful!
This one gets a 4 out of Netflix5.
