A QUICK SUMMARY TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY:
The 2009 film, ‘The Blind
Side’ depicts the life of Michael Oher, a homeless black boy who is adopted by
a white Republican family. The film describes how Oher is ‘saved’ from his
childhood in the inner city ‘ghetto’ of Memphis by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy
who provide Michael with a loving home, a private tutor to help him with his
studies, and nurture his athletic talent. With the support and ‘sacrifice’ of
the Tuohy family, Michael becomes one of the top high school football players
and is drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
WHAT
WE WILL DISCUSS:
This installment of The Hollywood Race report
will critically analyze three issues we found present in the academy award
nominated film ‘ The Blind Side.’ The issues that will be
addressed include the depiction of black motherhood, race and its mobility
through spaces and black masculinity. The first section will take
an in-depth look at how black motherhood is portrayed in the film in contrast
to white motherhood. The author will discuss how the movie depicts Denise Oher as the
‘crack mom’ stereotype opposite to Leigh Anne Tuohy’s character who is
portrayed as the perfect mother. This section will also
discuss how certain scenes in the movie are fictitious and have been added to
the film to create a “better” storyline while at the same time pushing Denise
farther into the ‘crack mom’ characterization. The second section will discuss
the racialized nature of space as well as the mobility and privilege that
whiteness provides in the occupation and expansion of space. The third section
will cover issues of black masculinity and black men in sport in ‘The Blind
Side’, particularly how black men are “othered” in the film as delinquent and
hypersexual. In addition, the section will cover the topic of black men in
sports and how Michael Oher’s character was “tamed” for practical use on
the football field.
No comments:
Post a Comment