The Black Panther Movie
From The Ramparts
Junious Ricardo Stanton
The Black Panther Movie
“On a
fundamental, emotional level, superheroes, whether in print or on film, serve
the same function for their audience as Golden Age movie stars did for theirs:
they create glamour. If that sounds crazy, it’s because we tend to
forget what glamour is really about. Glamour isn’t beauty or luxury; those are
only specific manifestations for specific audiences. Glamour is an imaginative
process that creates a specific, emotional response: a sharp mixture of
projection, longing, admiration, and aspiration. It evokes an audience’s hopes
and dreams and makes them seem attainable, all the while maintaining enough
distance to sustain the fantasy.” Superhero Worship Virginia
The recently released Marvel/ Disney film Black
Panther is generating excitement around the world as it breaks box
office records on a fast track to bring in at least one billion dollars if not
more. As of this writing after two weekends the film has grossed over $704,000,000
world wide! I’m not a movie guy but saw it twice in less than a week. The film
is sparking conversations and discussions about film, politics, portrayals of
African people and the new ground the film is breaking.
Some have postulated superhero movies are fostering
regression and an infantile mentality in our society. For me I think it is a
form of escapism a way of disconnecting and focusing on the day to day grind by
slipping into a fantasy world. I do agree
we are being programmed by Hollywood
For people of African descent the film Black
Panther offers a respite from the depictions of Black people started by
D.W. Griffith in his 1915 film Birth of
A Nation which imagined us as degenerate criminals, dullards and reprobates.
D.W. Griffith’s vile depiction of Black’s (played by white actors in blackface)
set the tone and tenor for over one hundred years of despicable US (and
foreign) filmmaking and film iconography. Following Griffith ’s
films we were subjected to Tarzan and Jungle Jim in the movies, Ramar of the
Jungle on US
Sadly
today filmmakers even Blacks still mimic Grifith’s iconography and acquiesce to
white America
Fast
forward to 2018, in the Black Panther film we are witnessing
a sea change and a revolution. Black Panther it is not a Black film
per se, it was produced by Marvel Studios a successful studio that is cranking
out block buster movies based on their comicbook characters. The Black Panther character
was first introduced in Marvel’s Fantastic Four comic in 1966. Later in 1973 the
Black Panther and his fictional Wakanda home were given with their own comicbook.
Over the years the comic has enjoyed a successful run in a genre where there
were few Black superheroes in the comicbooks and none on television or in the
movies.
Marvel changed all that when they introduced Wakanda
in the block buster film Avengers Age of
Ultron and Black Panther was introduced in a follow up movie Captain America
Director
Ryan Googler offers a unique vision of African people more powerful, imaginative
and positive than the images and depictions of African people shown in any previous
motion picture, even Eddie Murphy’s Coming
To America which was a comedy. Even though the film is based on a fictional
superhero and a mythical place in Africa , the
film is resonating on a deep psychological level with Black folks around the
world.
The
images of richly melanin endowed people living in a secret highly advanced
technological culture far superior to anything in our present reality,
functioning in an highly ethical and traditionally based society is inspiring
and glamorous! It is mind-blowing for many. This is uncharted territory for
most of us. The set designs, costumes, hair styles and imagery are awesome. And
the idea and depiction of a place like Wakanda is exhilarating because it
offers possibilities and inspires us to imagine a better us and a better world.
I saw the film twice within a week both times
except for a few scenes that evoked mild laughter, the audience sat in rapt
quiet attention, no talking to the screen, no side conversations just watching.
Most of the audience was white (owing to the successful Marvel movies that have
generated billions of dollars and millions of fans). The second time I saw it the people in the
theater applauded when the film ended. When I saw it on the first Friday, I
think people were so awestruck at what they saw they walked out talking quietly
amongst themselves. I was waiting outside and a few people nodded and gave the
approval sign.
While
I concerns about the violence in the film which is standard fare in these mega
budget CGI films, I feel are desensitizing and manipulating us for war killing
and imperialism, I was impressed and intrigued by the philosophical and
emotional tension the film raises amongst the main characters especially King T’Challa
the newly installed native born king of Wakanda who is still trying to determine
the kind or ruler he will be and his cousin Erik Killmonger a African-American
who has never seen Wakanda nor been initiated into the society who when we see
him as an adult is sociopathic mercenary. The tension is driven by the questions:
should Wakandans share their resources and knowledge with the rest of the
world, lead a global revolution to free all oppressed people or remain
isolated, hidden and secret. I am not going to spoil it by revealing anything
more.
At a
later date I will probably examine these questions and share some of my
thoughts on the deeper story lines, like are comicbook superheroes making us
infantile, explore the character relationships, the parallels to other mythical
stories themes and personalities and the irony the film is being distributed so
widely by Disney whose founder was an avowed racist and alleged pedophile.
The good news is, I don’t have to exhort you
to see the film because it is doing buffo at the box office, but if you haven’t
seen it, go see it.
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posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 7:11 PM
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