White savior narrative in film: Difference between revisions
This section focuses on one film, and it should belong at Lincoln (2012 film). Other sources also mention Lincoln having this narrative, so unnecessary to have undue weight here |
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In film, the '''white savior narrative''' means that a [[white people|white]] character rescues [[person of color|people of color]] from their plight. David Sirota at ''[[Salon.com]]'' said, "These story lines insinuate that people of color have no ability to rescue themselves. This both makes white audiences feel good about themselves by portraying them as benevolent messiahs (rather than hegemonic conquerors), and also depicts people of color as helpless weaklings — all while wrapping such tripe in the cinematic argot of liberation."<ref name="sirota" /> Noah Berlatsky in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' said the narrative varies from film to film, though slavery films, including award-winning ones, lack range in theme. He wrote, "All of these critically acclaimed films use variations on a single narrative: Black people are oppressed by bad white people. They achieve freedom through the offices of good white people."<ref name="berlatsky" /> The white savior narrative is considered a cliché in [[cinema of the United States]]; the narrative is especially common in films about white teachers in [[inner cities]].<ref name="goff" /> |
In film, the '''white savior narrative''' means that a [[white people|white]] character rescues [[person of color|people of color]] from their plight. David Sirota at ''[[Salon.com]]'' said, "These story lines insinuate that people of color have no ability to rescue themselves. This both makes white audiences feel good about themselves by portraying them as benevolent messiahs (rather than hegemonic conquerors), and also depicts people of color as helpless weaklings — all while wrapping such tripe in the cinematic argot of liberation."<ref name="sirota" /> Noah Berlatsky in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' said the narrative varies from film to film, though slavery films, including award-winning ones, lack range in theme. He wrote, "All of these critically acclaimed films use variations on a single narrative: Black people are oppressed by bad white people. They achieve freedom through the offices of good white people."<ref name="berlatsky" /> The white savior narrative is considered a cliché in [[cinema of the United States]]; the narrative is especially common in films about white teachers in [[inner cities]].<ref name="goff" /> |
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==Single handed savior== |
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Sirota states that "It’s the catalog of films that features white people single-handedly rescuing people of color from their plight." in his definition. Yet his principle example is the film [[Lincoln]] which shows Lincoln's reliance on several other individuals including [[Francis Preston Blair]] , [[William Seward]] , and [[Thaddeus Stevens]]. This was pointed out by Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman who stated that Lincoln does not fit the category because the historical Lincoln was a “very bold and crafty politician who put together the votes in an all-white Congress and got that amendment through the Congress" <ref> http://newsbinge.com/videos/cnn-panel-is-the-key-to-winning-the-oscar-a-white-savior </ref> |
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==List of films== |
==List of films== |
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Revision as of 21:32, 1 July 2014
In film, the white savior narrative means that a white character rescues people of color from their plight. David Sirota at Salon.com said, "These story lines insinuate that people of color have no ability to rescue themselves. This both makes white audiences feel good about themselves by portraying them as benevolent messiahs (rather than hegemonic conquerors), and also depicts people of color as helpless weaklings — all while wrapping such tripe in the cinematic argot of liberation."[1] Noah Berlatsky in The Atlantic said the narrative varies from film to film, though slavery films, including award-winning ones, lack range in theme. He wrote, "All of these critically acclaimed films use variations on a single narrative: Black people are oppressed by bad white people. They achieve freedom through the offices of good white people."[2] The white savior narrative is considered a cliché in cinema of the United States; the narrative is especially common in films about white teachers in inner cities.[3]
Single handed savior
Sirota states that "It’s the catalog of films that features white people single-handedly rescuing people of color from their plight." in his definition. Yet his principle example is the film Lincoln which shows Lincoln's reliance on several other individuals including Francis Preston Blair , William Seward , and Thaddeus Stevens. This was pointed out by Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman who stated that Lincoln does not fit the category because the historical Lincoln was a “very bold and crafty politician who put together the votes in an all-white Congress and got that amendment through the Congress" [4]
List of films
| Film | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 | [3] |
| The Air Up There | 1994 | [3] |
| Amistad | 1997 | [2] |
| Avatar | 2009 | [1] |
| The Blind Side | 2009 | [3] |
| City of Joy | 1992 | [5] |
| Conrack | 1974 | [6] |
| Cool Runnings | 1993 | [3] |
| Cry Freedom | 1987 | [1] |
| Dances with Wolves | 1990 | [3] |
| Dangerous Minds | 1995 | [3] |
| District 9 | 2009 | [1] |
| Django Unchained | 2012 | [2] |
| Finding Forrester | 2000 | [7] |
| Freedom Writers | 2007 | [8] |
| Glory | 1989 | [2] |
| Gran Torino | 2008 | [1] |
| The Green Berets | 1968 | [5] |
| Half Nelson | 2006 | [6] |
| Hardball | 2001 | [8] |
| The Help | 2011 | [3] |
| Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | 1984 | [5] |
| The Last Samurai | 2003 | [3] |
| Lawrence of Arabia | 1962 | [9] |
| Lincoln | 2012 | [2] |
| Machine Gun Preacher | 2011 | [8] |
| The Man Who Would Be King | 1975 | [5] |
| The Matrix | 1999 | [5] |
| Mississippi Burning | 1988 | [1] |
| Music of the Heart | 1999 | [3] |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 1975 | [5] |
| The Principal | 1987 | [3] |
| Radio | 2003 | [8] |
| The Ron Clark Story | 2006 | [10] |
| The Soloist | 2009 | [8] |
| Stargate | 1994 | [5] |
| Sunset Park | 1996 | [6] |
| Three Kings | 1999 | [5] |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 | [7] |
| Wildcats | 1986 | [3] |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Sirota, David (February 21, 2013). "Oscar loves a white savior". Salon.com. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Berlatsky, Noah (January 17, 2014). "12 Years a Slave: Yet Another Oscar-Nominated 'White Savior' Story". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Goff, Keli (May 4, 2014). "Can 'Belle' End Hollywood's Obsession with the White Savior?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ http://newsbinge.com/videos/cnn-panel-is-the-key-to-winning-the-oscar-a-white-savior
- ^ a b c d e f g h Vera, Hernán; Gordon, Andrew M. (2003). "The Beautiful White American: Sincere Fictions of the Savior". Screen Saviors: Hollywood Fictions of Whiteness. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4616-4286-2.
- ^ a b c Hughey, Matthew W. (2010). "The White Savior Film and Reviewers' Reception". Symbolic Interaction. 33 (3): 475–496.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Barber, Mike (December 3, 2009). "White Man's Burden Redux: The Movie!". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Barone, Matt (September 20, 2011). "The 10 Lamest White Savior Movies". Complex.com. Complex Media. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ Gehlawat, Ajay (2013). The Slumdog Phenomenon: A Critical Anthology. Anthem Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-85728-001-5.
- ^ Kivel, Paul (2013). Living in the Shadow of the Cross: Understanding and Resisting the Power and Privilege of Christian Hegemony. New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55092-541-8.
Further reading
- Hughey, Matthew (2014). The White Savior Film: Content, Critics, and Consumption. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-4399-1001-6.