, a movie that features a white character saving people of color from situations they couldn't save themselves from.
These films often reinforce the idea that racism is largely gone today — a narrative that's becoming tired in the wake of racism's prominence the news.The film"Hidden Figures" is based on a true story, and one of its most powerful scenes is when Al Harrison, played by Kevin Costner, heroically rips down a"coloreds only" sign above a women's restroom.Later in the film, Harrison graciously grants Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P.
Kevin Costner's character is what's known as a"white savior." A white character who saves a person of color from their troubles, troubles that the person of color can't save themselves from. The white savior trope has been utilized since the beginning of filmmaking, but it really grew popular during the civil rights era. Offscreen, black activists were leading the fight for civil rights in America, but filmmakers turned to white characters to tell these nonwhite stories.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is about a white lawyer who defends a black man from fabricated charges."Lawrence of Arabia" is about a British lieutenant who acts as a liaison for the Arab National Council in the Middle East. As the years went on, the number of white savior films multiplied."Mississippi Burning" is the story of missing civil rights activists and the white agents' tasked to find them.
This is how we get movies like the 2019 Best Picture Winner,"Green Book." The film is about Don Shirley, a black, queer musical genius with multiple doctorates, told through the lens of his...driver? The film quickly became controversial because Shirley's living relatives say that it's incredibly misleading.
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