Art and Culture # 94

The Woman King and Rewriting History!

-For the Uncensored!

Pretext

If it’s no surprise to anyone in 2022, racism, when definitely aimed at African Dahomey tribe, played a role in the transatlantic slave trade. Now, there have been many times movies have had to rewrite history in order to tell a good story. Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson, written by Randall Wallace, had to rewrite certain moments in William Wallace’s life in order to tell a story acceptable for an audience[1]. But still Braveheart is an excellent film, and nobody to this day, counters the emotions Mel captured in his portrayal of William Wallace.

When 300, directed by Zach Snyder, and created by Frank Miller, depicting the Greeks last stand at Thermopylae in 480 BC, according to the brainlet Margaret Locklyer at CBR.com, on August 11th, 2020, states, “The shocking racism and pro-imperialism of 300 does not exist in a bubble, but it's irresponsible that the film refused to question or investigate the source material's problematic aspects in favor of focusing on capturing the comic's aesthetics. For instance, Snyder's Spartans are a society of white, able-bodied people fueled by aggression and violence, and they are praised as the unquestionable heroes. On the other hand, the villains are portrayed as a gender-fluid society that was visibly not white, and the incarnation of evil and treachery.”[2] To this, I argue, is bullshit, as well. Persians are definitely “not white” and in the comic book, depicted the Persians, as a horde, an onslaught of terror. As they should be, because I and many others can separate art from real life. 300 also looks over the idea of homosexuality in Greek’s culture, but that’s just one observation.[3]

Because 300 somehow, follows the logic of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. The film must say what it needs to say in order to communicate, a beginning, middle, and end. Both Zach Snyder’s 300 and Mel Gibson’s Braveheart still have a movie logic, and that is primarily aimed to entertain. No one who watched either films wanted to be entertained, but entertainment is different from historical events.

What doesn’t constitutes a failure in historical epics is, that history can be enjoyable, too. It should be. It’s a window into another time. Art is supposed to titillate, excite, disturb, and provoke a conversation. But in Sony’s 2022’s Woman King, released onto audience members the backlash concerning Viola Davis’s and Gina Prince Bythewood’s vision of the Agojie tribe’s fight to be rid of the evil white invaders.

After the Din

I didn’t cover this at the time, because I wanted the general din to calm down, and sometimes, to be correct is far more advantageous than being first. But the din surrounding hyper racist African Americans blathering on Tiktok, about the new Black Panther Film: “Go see the film, white people in the fourth and fifth week,” but “let black people have the first two weeks”[4] is downright not helping Marvel or at least even the Women King’s box office.

Voices of Color @VOCInsider

While the "Dahomey Amazons" were symbols of strength and power, they were also complicit in the capture, creation, and sale of other African people. insider.com/the-woman-king…

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A Phantom Audience

All of this doesn’t really fill me with great expectations as to see The Woman King because it didn’t really interest me. Looked generic, bland, and almost devoid of a personality. But Insider.com’s Yoonji Han’s September 23rd, 2022’s article reported that “The true history of the Agojie's role in Dahomey's involvement in slave trade is complex. While the "Dahomey Amazons" were symbols of strength and power — inspiring other films like "Black Panther"— they were also complicit in the capture, creation, and sale of other African people.”[5]

            Now, Viola Davis spoke out that the producers and directors “had to entertain.” But this movie, in and of itself, presents a very unclear, almost devoid of historical relevance. As if it had the middle range budget of a Michael Bay film with no substance or even basic motor skills. Because the conversation of African women being racist and slave traders is taboo in 2022. When America’s racial tensions have been at their worst since the 1960’s, it’s automatically a red flag. Because somehow criticizing a bad movie, like the Woman King, labels anyone a racist.

           

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Well, at least I know what good taste is, and the lack of logic in being able to at least glance at the Agojie’s slave trade, is not just problematic, but just as ignorant of history as any other historical epic. But at least Braveheart and 300 entertain and thrill me to this day. But the Woman King represents a feature length film based on a Wikipedia report that doesn’t allow subtlety or nuance into the picture or at least the score motivates people to watch it, either.

Not that weekend box office truly matters, but NYT’s Brooks Barnes conveyed  September 18th, 2022, that the Woman King “collected a strong $19 million in ticket sales for Sony Pictures Entertainment over the weekend, at least 25 percent more than analysts had expected.”[6] So, honestly, the box office is a dismal outlook for Sony’s the Woman King. And Barnes word for strong is synonymous with poor. And to call this Oscar bait is fitting because the Oscars doesn’t have a clue what audiences like anymore. Or what is relevant to the culture.

            Primarily, another cringe film that somehow doesn’t represent history or at least convey something entertaining. A bland cinematic fart in the wind for the Dahomey tribe and Sony’s lackluster contribution to historical accuracy. But I do suspect that if Sony makes anymore money off the Woman King, they will have to buy movie theaters with phantom audiences to go see it. Because that’s who it was made for. A Phantom Audience.

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[1] Fun cinema fact: BraveHeart and LOTR: Return of the King are the only two films that have won an Academy for each category, except for acting.

[2] https://www.cbr.com/zack-snyder-300-remains-intensely-problematic/. Found on 09.28.2022.

[3] We can make a case all day about historical inaccuracies, but that’s a minor observation, and nobody ever complained about that, either, because most viewers just accepted it was part of history. Minor point, but worthy to address.

[4]

@unclejessethe5th#CapCut #fyp #xyzcba #professorcorps #ProfessorcorpsQRF #downforthecause

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[5] https://www.insider.com/the-woman-king-true-history-agojie-dahomey-slave-trade-2022-9.

[6] https://archive.ph/NnjAY. Found 09.28.2022

-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 20 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline Part 2: Chaos, The Data Chase, The Disintegrating Bloodline part 3: Solvè, The Disintegrating Bloodline (and the original text re-released in 2019), Apocalypse Soldier, The Data Chase, Selection: The First Book of the Life and Death Saga, and Blinking Eyes: The Second Book of the Life and Death Saga, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep, The City of Sand, The God of Curiosity, To the Moon and Back, The Villain Lives and The Villain Lives: The Divided Pinpoint, Come Home, Young One. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Phoenix. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisBr88881650. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His newest book, The Voices Are Alive is out now: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/louis-bruno/the-voices-are-alive/hardcover/product-mvggdg.html?page=1&pageSize=4. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only content, please be sure to share the articles, as well. If you do Subscribe, you have long term access to the paid articles that some readers won’t get to see or access after the articles/books go private. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, I am also selling merch from t spring, if you want to help support me in other ways. I sell hoodies, shirts, phone cases, and trying to find something there loved ones would like. Links here: https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/too-many-strings-not-enough. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/duck-fuckery. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/headless-corpo. Every little like, subscribe share, helps. Thanks for reading.