Disability and Movies

When thinking about a movie that features the main person with a disability it is hard to come by. One of the first movies that came to my mind when thinking about this subject was Rain Man (1988). It was an interesting movie because before seeing this movie I had never known about this disorder: Autism-Savant Syndrome. In the movie the main character has this disorder and has a great memory that can recall dates and times, for example: In the movie, Rain Man and his brother (Tom Cruise) go to a casino because Tom Cruise learns of Rain Mans undeniably excellent ability to remember things at a quick pace. He uses this ability to his advantage by having Rain Man scan cards thus beating the house and winning lots of money.

It was also interesting to me about the stereotypes that are given in this film on Rain Mans sexuality. At one scene in the movie at the casino when Rain Man is at the bar a prostitute approaches him to try to get business out of him, at first she doesn't know of his disability then she soon catches on and uses this to try to take advantage of him. I also noticed this in another movie that I watched before that deals with another main character having a disability: I am Sam (2001). In this movie a similar event takes place where a prostitute takes advantage of him and actually gets pregnant by him, then later runs off leaving him to raise a child on his own. To me there seems to be a certain theme in Western films where people with disabilities get taken advantage of.

I couldn't find any real masculinity themes in either movies, but in the movie I am Sam he holds a job and raises a daughter. In society this is mostly seen as feminine but can also be seen as both feminine or masculine. A guy raising a family and working is looked upon as a masculine trait. In the movie we watched in class, Murder Ball, that seems to be the only movie out of the three that shows actually masculinity. I think it's mainly noticeable because in Murder Ball they are playing a tough sport that is viewed as very masculine. In the movie Murder Ball the main characters are quadriplegic, this is physical disorder where as in the other movies they deal with mental disorders. In society people with physical disorders are still seen as needing help, but they are in a physical battle with themselves to be more masculine because being seen as you need help isn't very masculine. In the other 2 movies they didn't tend to focus on masculinity but more of the disability itself and how the characters were affected by it.

Image: http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20070925/465_rainman.jpg

Saving Face

There have been many films that have mainly a white male that plays a stereotypical male of a different race that has been repeated over and over in film history. A popular one quoted from America On Film: "blackface, a popular theatrical tradition of the 1800's that featured white performers darkening their faces with makeup in order to perform broad, comedic stereotypes of African Americans. Blackface was one way that popular culture distinguished between white and non-white behaviors and identities." This theme is seen in such films as The Jazz Singer (1972), and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1903) and many others which white actors portray and impersonate a black male. In films with blackface the actor is either just wearing the costume but not acting like black or they are, but most of the time they are.

Several days after we had watched The Jazz Singer in class I see White Chicks (2004), a movie not seen for a while on T.V. I thought it was a pretty funny movie, not one of my favorite Wayne's Bro's films but it was good for what it was, a suit movie. The film focused on two brothers (Shawn & Marlon Waynes) who are FBI agents that pretty much suck at being agents. There captain gives them one final task to finish or they will be fired from the force. There last chance to remain in the FBI is to protect two filthy rich cruise line heiresses from a kidnapping plot. The two heiresses get facial cuts in a car accident and refuse to leave the hotel so the FBI bros get a make up team and disguise themselves at the two sisters as look alikes to save there jobs.

(Courtesy of Revolution Studios)



I took a second look at the Waynes bros formula to make the movie sell, and I realize that it's not any different then how movies with the blackface technique was done. The major difference is that they've reversed the blackface theme and made it two black guys dressed in a full body suit to appear as two white rich bimbo blonde chicks. So now its a stereotype on the upper class famous white women, such as your Paris Hiltons, Lindsey Lohans, Nicole Richies, ect.

(Courtesy of Revolution Studios)

Through out the movie Shawn & Marlon are making the whiteface characters act out stereotypical things rich snobby girls are supposed to do and act like through out the movie to give the audience a laugh here and there, which I was apart of. At the same time I'm thinking in my head is this okay comedy to laugh at? I mean it's clearly all fun and jokes, but wasn't blackface comedy supposed to be the same? Laughing at any-colorface movie is wrong, why should this be an exception? Complex magazine's website lists White Chicks as number six in "The 50 Most Raciest Movies you didn't think were raciest". They deem it "reverse racism at its finest" which is something I never thought to think twice on the first time I watched the film. It may seem laughable at the idea of how silly they act out these fictional characters but at the same time it doesn't make it okay to make films with whiteface, blackface, any-face.


Sources:
America On Film pg. 79
imgage #1: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_chicks/pictures/slideshow/12.php#highlighted_picture
image #2: http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/040621/161529__wc_l.jpg
image #3: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1558223104/tt0381707