snood wrote:Here's the thing - history is history. What happened, happened. If, for example, in 1940's Queens, New York, you would probably see a few blacks when you walked through certain areas, then I think anyone attempting to depict the era accurately would show a couple of blacks.
(by the way Mysteriousman, I in no way suggested that the actual raising of the Flag at Iwo Jima should show some blacks doing it, or anything of the sort)
Now, if they have no interest in showing things as they truly were, that's one thing...
but if in all liklihood the blacks who served during WWII (my daddy was one of 'em) would have been seen here and there in various supportive roles, then why exclude them?
You are aware that a negative "spin" need not be put on the absence of Blacks in this movie. A "positive" spin would be to possibly ameliorate the fact that the usual function of Blacks were in support roles during a segregated era of the military. Unless one can read the mind of whoever wrote the script, one might also conclude that the absence of Blacks was to lessen the image that Blacks were usually only used as laborers, truck drivers, cooks, etc. Sort of like not showing the caricatures of Jews on Nazi WWII posters in the holocaust documentaries. Actually, the caricatures are shown, so perhaps someone is more concerned in not offending Blacks than offending Jews?
And, if Blacks were depicted in the movie, those actors would likely get paid as much as any white actors. Naturally, we want as many Black actors being hired as possible.
I think it abhorrent that any U.S. historical movie may not use Black actors as part of the background milieu. There might just be a need to have some Hollywood committee for truth in scene settings. Any 1920 gangster movie would then have a Black shoeshine boy, a Jewish pushcart peddler, an Italian street opera singer, an Irish cop, A WASP walking by quickly with the Wall Street Journal (perhaps) tucked under an arm; have I left out any ethnicities from a 1920's urban scene? Oooh, I forgot Poles, Scandanavians, and Germans. Hey, the scene wasn't supposed to be so crowded, but we can't omit any ethnic group, can we?
Yes, "history is history." And, with time many wax nostalgic about it rather than raising one's blood pressure. I don't know any Jews that are mad at the Egyptian Pharohs.
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