Groundbreaking Comedic Satire, Sorely Underrated
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Hollywood Shuffle
Hershe — 15 years ago(August 18, 2010 06:16 PM)
I can't say enough how much I appreciate this film and Townsend's effort. Any time a comedy lover tells me he or she hasn't seen this movie I look at them like an arm is growing out of their head.
Hollywood Shuffle is as relevant today as it was over 20 years ago and why shouldn't it be? Racial attitudes toward Black folk, as a whole, have shifted very little (despite the socially desirable responses given for public opinion polls and surveys); so, few should be surprised that Hollywood still relies on the same racialized, stereotypical images and representations of Black life.
In terms of social factors in stereotype formation, tv and film
largely
convey imbalanced, often negative representations of Black people, which then impact negative, possibly aversive, attitudes about Black people.
While some argue that the awards and high box office draws that these roles and films receive point to signs of racial progress in Hollywood, I think it signals the exact opposite. It's what Townsend was shining a spotlight on 20 years ago.
For as much as things change, they stay the same? -
249 — 15 years ago(September 02, 2010 01:59 PM)
Agree.
I think the overall point of the film is that unless you create and finance your own project, it's always gonna be the same people making decisions about casting, dialogue, etc
produce it yourself
making a full length feature today is 200 times easier than what Townsend had to do to get his film made. -
shootingSTARdncr — 15 years ago(November 08, 2010 03:09 AM)
Agreed 150%.
I'm actually pursuing a career as an actor, and I was once told on set to make myself sound "less white." Granted, this was an independent short film, and I was told this by the black director, but I was still really offended!Lauryn*
"We should consider every day lost in which we have not danced at least once." Nietzsche -
RobBase086-1 — 13 years ago(December 29, 2012 06:15 PM)
I agree with what you are saying and it is a shame that USA Network was bought out by NBC to show the crap that they love to shove down our throats. I watched this on the weekends back in the day on USA Network and USA UP ALL NIGHT. I miss those days and would live for it to come back once again.
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Blueghost — 11 years ago(July 21, 2014 11:32 PM)
I like the film. In fact I think it's funny as hell. I have a copy on DVD, and saw it the week it opened. I've been attracted to women of all ethnicities, including several black women.
But I don't think the perspective on blacks from all other ethnicities will change with a slew of movies showing positive images.
Some miles from where I live is Oakland. Oakland used to be the most conservative and whitest part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Then before, during and after the civil rights era there was a huge amount of white flight. The flat land areas are crime ridden black neighborhoods.
Southeast San Francisco; i.e. Hunter's Point, same thing.
And this is after decades of integration, all kinds of money to go into schools, social programs to feed people who can't feed themselves, reading programs all it did was create an underclass that could read, but was just as violent and ruthless as the racists they accuse of keeping them down.
I shrug my shoulders at it. I think anyone who identifies themselves as being part of a group OTHER than their nationality (me, as an AMERICAN, for example) has dug a whole for themselves that they will never escape because of OTHER PEOPLE telling them that they need to identify with their ethnic traits, and others like them.
I think that's stupid. Wave the stars-and-stripes, quote the constitution, memorize the ideals and tenets upon which our great nation is based.
Just my opinion. -
activista — 10 years ago(August 08, 2015 12:23 AM)
@Blueghost
You identify with your culture, not just your ethnic traits. There's reasons behind why all of that happened, but you should look up, as opposed to just saying, "OH,everything went to hell when the black people moved in." Excuse me, but no one made the white people movethey chose to do that because they were racist as hell and didn't want any black neighbors around, no matter how clean and law-abiding they were. Do the research,please. And there isn't a damn thing wrong with with being proud of you are as an American and your ethnic roots. Only people who never had to struggle with being a minority in this country have the luxury of saying that.
I'm also sick and tired of how white folks can't make one damn comment about anything involving black folks to speak about all the issues black people have, especially when it has nothing to do to/do the movie-trust me, black folks always know what our issues are (and we sure as hell aren't the only people on earth with these kinds of problems-ours is just exacerbated by 300 years of slavery and racism that lasts to this day) and we're always tied to do and have been done something about said problems since whenever. Keep in mind, we black people as taxpaying citizens pay for ALL those programs you talk about,too. Why don't you call out people in the white community about the s*** they do sometimes.