“Precious” is based on the book “Push”.. the movie must therefore be faithful to the storyline in the book. How is this Oprah's doing? She didn't write the book, or write the screenplay, nor did she direct the movie.

She attached herself to it because she clearly thought it was something of value. How does that make her someone who demeans black men?

“Precious” is based on the book “Push”.. the movie must therefore be faithful to the storyline in the book. How is this Oprah's doing? She didn't write the book, or write the screenplay, nor did she direct the movie.

She attached herself to it because she clearly thought it was something of value. How does that make her someone who demeans black men?

However, I did make a few deals with myself when I went to see the film, Platoon. One, that I would see it in the daytime, during a matinee, and not in the evening, where I would have to deal with sleeplessness or bad dreams. Second, that after I saw it, that I would take care of myself around it.

Sure enough, I felt shellshocked coming out of the film. I saw it when there was still daylight savings time, so I walked around town and slowly became more human with familiar, normal surroundings. When I was sure that I felt okay, I went out and had dinner. No bad dreams later, either.

Unfortunately with Glory, I had recurrent dreams of Union soldiers marching for a couple of weeks, but that's another story.

I'd say, see it with someone else or with a group.

I have not yet read Push either, but I am inclined not to read it because I am fearful of what I might find there. I remember reading the rape scene in The Women of Brewster Place and feeling painfully haunted and horrified by it for several days. Such words and such visions that come up with them are powerful. I am not blaming the author, and at the same time, I would not blame the actors who rise against the limitations of the film to bring these characters into the real.

I want to say too that it seems some black writing is still stuck in the “protest literature” vein, whether it is against white supermacy or against internalized racism and sexism in our community. I wish we could find that middle ground between that and some of the writing today.

The fact remains that these horrible things happen, and continue to happen in our community. Putting our degradation on the screen or on the page is not necessarily meant to parade our nakedness and vulnerability, but to tell us and to remind us of what we still need to do. It's really hard to look at such scenes, but we must.

One other thing. I am working temp for a woman who did take in a black youngster for several months to a year, until social services could place him with adoptive parents or guardians. He was brought into the family by the oldest son, because he was the son's schoolmate, at the very last minute. When she told me this, I began to see that such stories as depicted in The Blind Side are not uncommon. And it brings me to ask yet another sad question: why can't we take care of our children?

this movie was G-A-R-B-A-G-E!!!!

sick of this type of bull being portrayed as everyday black life! it is NOT!

i agree with ishmael's piece entirely.

ugh!!

I sooooo agree. I abhor how blacks reinforce and emphasize that true authentic blackness is misery, suffering, deprivation, poverty and neglect. If you ain't suffering you not truly black. That is a paradigm for failure as it glorifys the WORSE within us and about our circumstances.

It is almost as if, being successful, being independent and affluent is somehow wrong and you can't be black if that is your life. And for damn sure you can't celebrate that success without being tagged as 'uppity' particularly if you are speaking to those who do not have as much success.

The irony of that is that AA culture is the only one that puts down success while holding up ignorance, imprisonment and immoral behavior as the true reference bar for blackness.

It is a twisted sick sociopathology that perpetuates an enslaved black mentality.

Some people would counter that it still is worth noting that it was THIS movie that got their attention, but this movie was a book long before it was a movie.

This story that is told was told a long time ago and no one was upset with it then. It's become a fairly popular book among black folks and it's not until now that it's a movie that suddenly we “can't” with this story. Not the acting, not the cinematography, not the dialogue — but the story. It's backwards if you ask me.

I don't love everything Oprah and TP have done, but folks act like they've produced no good films, have added nothing of substance to the black film cannon. ::shrug:: I suppose that's their opinion to have.

I think because African-Americans are complex in the way we all live our lives, it's easier for Hollywood to focus on negative dimensions as oppposed to doing their homework and learning our nuances.

I agree – Lee Daniels' direction of the movie was sloppy, and when he's confronted by a viewer who confesses to molesting his kid, he CONGRATULATED THE MAN for being honest, instead of whipping out his cell and calling the police to come and get the molester to sling him UNDER THE JAIL.

I co-sign 110%! While I enjoy CPL’s posts, I thought her analysis was a bit of reach.

Having read the comments from those who have seen the movie, I'll reserve judgement and keep an open mind about whether or not I'll go see it.

It will probably make HBO by Spring, so I'll see it then if not sooner.

I have no problem with films like Precious, like I said I haven't even seen it. What I take issue with is more the lack of deversity. And if we want to see the full spectrum we need to support the films that make it out. Go find those movies, they actually exist. They don't always have a large distribution number but they're there.

One of the best films made on this subject is Hollywood Shuffle. Robert Townsand career is d.o.a now but the film is still a classic and dead on accurate on what it's like to be an actor/actress of color in HW.

This.

Hell, I remember when The Cosby Show came out in 1984, and people were like “That's not realistic.”

Say what? Shit, kids at my school joked me, calling my family the Cosbys, and we were just middle class, not upper middle like the Huxtables. It was amazing (and still is at times) how many people don't realize that there have been affluent blacks in this country for a long damn time.

Indeed.

However, I saw Precious and the acting in the film is pretty good and the story is authentically told – I don’t want to take anything away from the actors who performed their job well. That being said, the demon, economically inept black man we have perpetually seen in movies involving Oprah, Tyler Perry and others is getting played out.

Many of Perry's films always have a downright monstrous black man in them, and the “redeeming brotha” that usually appears, is only there to sell black women on this phony black prince/ knight and shinning armor fantasy. Tyler's films do not challenge his viewers, but only reinforces the widely held beliefs that his audience (black women) already hold. Part of those beliefs for many of these black women is that the black men they have been dealing with in their lives are the root causes of all the evils they experience – and a good churching going brotha will one day rescue them and sweep them off their feet. Very trite provincial stuff.

Many of the films that Oprah has been involved in such as the Color Purple, The Women of Brewster’s Place and now Precious, have the demon black man in them as well. The black man in films like these are always some sort of evil obstacle, buffoon, molester or worse. We can even look at some Of Terry McMillan’s' work like “Waiting to Exhale” (one of the worse films I have ever seen in my life!) and see every stereotypical bad black male that exist: The broke black man; the closeted gay black man; the cheating black man; the black man that can't screw; the black man that leaves his beautiful black wife for a white woman, and on and on. Often times these films serve as nothing but emotional porn for (gullible) black women at the expense of the black man's image.

It’s also interesting to note, that none of the black producers, writers and directors of these films I have motioned seem to have a healthy relationship with the opposite sex.