Bamboozled

Year: 2000

Director: Spike Lee

Context Analysis:

The movie, Bamboozled unfolds in the mid-nineties and highlights issues within modern television programming. It is a social satire that focuses heavily on television’s seemingly racist practices and the manner in which it works to fuel popular culture. The film’s characters correspond with media’s stereotypical roles of black people, such as  “Uncle Tom” and the “Coon”. These representations allow producer/director, Spike Lee to explore both the issues and the influential historical factors that contribute to them, in order to provide his audiences with contemporary relevance.

Usually, in American film, the Coon and Uncle Tom are the main stereotypical black characters. There is a lot of history that contributes to each character’s being that have been proudly displayed since the birth of television.

The Tom references the Uncle Tom character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The main character was played originally by a white man in blackface who represented an enslaved black man. This slave was usually passive and submissive to his white masters, despite the abuse he received at their hands. When real black people were finally cast in movies, most of their roles were associated with this character. These roles were conceived by a need to create a socially acceptable black character that entertained whites while giving blacks, a sense of  inferiority.

The Coon, however, was completely different in its intention. This character portrayed blacks in a different light, presenting them as stupid, indolent and uncivilized. Many blacks probably believed this notion, after having been conditioned, to seeing themselves as something dehumanized. If playing such exaggerated roles meant that they could grace the silver screen, then so be it. Coon characteristics were usually laziness, exaggerated eye bulges, messily eating watermelon, stealing chickens, shooting crap and a terrible grasp of the English language, most of which is portrayed in the fictional production as part of the movie.

In the opening sequence of the film, Pierre Delacroix (the main protagonist – played by Damon Wayans) gives a brief definition of “satire”. He defines it as “a literary work in which human vice or folly is ridiculed or attacked scornfully”. By including this definition in the script, Lee’s intention was clear: he wanted to direct the public’s interpretation of the film, to illustrate how black America is viewed by white and elitist America. He also sought to raise awareness among the black race - another important message. He does this by highlighting the misappropriation and subjugated roles that are meant to humiliate blacks without much protest as a response.

The film also explores the view that the elite in society have the authority to determine what is  offensive content. The blatant use of the word “nigger” on television, for example, is an attempt to pacify the offensive origins of the word and it’s link to slavery. Additionally, black cultural assimilation, evidenced by Dunwitty’s self-indoctrination of blackness also illustrates the paradigm that the elite (mainly white America) popularizes and demeans black culture in the same vein. Contemporary examples of this grave confusion are the use of black hairstyles (such as bantu knots and dreadlocks, inherently black styles) and exaggerated features (such as Kylie Jenner’s lip filling controversy). This just shows that white America borrows trends from black America, a culture that is seen as harsh and aggressive, and makes them more visible and widely accepted by the wider society.

The concept of using a show within a show to bring across a message is similar to Paddy Chayefsky’s “Network”.  There is even one particular scene during the minstrel show itself, where Mantan preaches and falls to the ground unconsciously, a clear recreation of Howard Beale’s “I’m mad as hell” monologue on his show. It gives off a similar feeling of preaching to an audience who is supposed to be angry and tired of particular situation while demanding them to take some action and make a change within society.

Thematic analysis of film's perceived messages - both overt and sub-textual

The main theme of the film is cultural appropriation, very evident from beginning to end. The cultural association of the watermelon patch allowed for the resurgence of the perversion of black culture, depicting black people as unclean, lazy and juvenile. This cultural association is also mimicked by contemporary media in the film, evident in the scene where Manray and Womack (pre-Man Tan and Sleep ‘n Eat) feast on fried chicken while Delacroix discusses the intended concept of the show. Another example, can be seen whenWomack uses a watermelon to wake Mantan out of his unconsciousness.

Furthermore, other black caricatures are demonstrated on the production as Mantan and Womack are joined by other racial stereotypes such as Aunt Jemima and The Alabama Porch Monkeys.

These portrayals, coupled with the figurines that litter Delacroix’s office, are a not-so-subtle reminder of the misrepresentation of black people and black culture in the media. All of this seems intentional by Lee, who clearly wanted to stir up some type of emotion within every scene rather than just save it all for the minstrel show. Although, a lot of people have gotten over the mental strains of slavery and their history, Lee still manages to make the film uneasy for them. It is as if he is telling the audience to not forget, at any point, where you came from. Admittedly after constantly seeing these figurines, it eventually gets viewers upset. Especially since Delacroix, a black man, is so comfortable and playful around them.

Racial subtexts within the film also acknowledge the discomfort of white America with the middle class black family, evident in Dunwitty’s explanation that “nobody wants to see that junk” as a rebuttal to why Delacroix’s previous television show concepts were rejected. Additionally, these subtexts uncover a startling revelation of how African-Americans see themselves, illustrating the double consciousness that in order to be accepted by white America: that they must assimilate an identity that is similar to that of the elites.

Moreover, despite the uproar from the black community in the film, Mantan is embraced by critics and is seen as a liberating character, simply because his appeal makes the show a trendy parody of black culture. This misappropriation is linked to the reality of the black hip hop world today whose lyrics and overall message(s) have created an avenue to remove the historical shame and embrace the word “nigger”. This is evidenced in the film when several members of the production’s live audience, (all black-faced) enthusiastically explain why they are “niggers”.

Subtexts in the film also uncover the power structure of the America where white America still has control over the media and entertainment industry, alluded in the film by Dunwitty and other white CNS executives. They have the command of the entertainment industry and, as such, determine its content. Contrastingly, this power association is flawed, as the successful, racially controversial show illustrated the power of the African-American to influence real change in society.

It should be noted that although Delacroix is intelligent, it is this that drives him to come up with this idea in the first place. All his other ideas were uplifting to black people but only this concept seems to be a winner. The irony is that Delacroix, who conceptualized and produced the show, was a university educated black man. This begs the question: is black America more cunning than they let on? This says to the audience that the Minstrel show is somewhat justified because a black man is behind it. After all, everyone knows it would be racist and stereotypical if the white man did it. Therefore, this gives reason for whites to enjoy the show even if blacks do not. This is seen visually after the show becomes a huge hit and audience members and even the crew begin to proudly wear blackface.

There is also the message that blacks are not aware of their culture. For example, Delacroix gave Mantan and Womack names that they did not know the origin of. “Mantan Moreland” was well known in the 1930s and 1940s for his characters that showcased and exaggerated black people’s features and personalities. He made an entire career of this act, appearing in over three hundred films. However, no one saw a problem with his representation of black people because he himself  was black which was seen as a type of license to proceed.

By pairing Mantan and Womack together Delacroix has brought back a piece of black history that negatively but perfectly fits into the theme of the show.

Another subtle message that could be missed is the manner of which white Americans believe they have the privilege of acting black whenever they like. This is represented by Mr Dunwitty who specifically says to Pierre, “I have a black wife and biracial kids. Brother man- I’m blacker than you.” The Dunwitty character creates an interesting racial paradox as this white man has - whether successfully or unsuccessfully - assimilated black norms. In the film this comes across as comical; however, Lee is showing how many white persons can be quite egotistical about the subject. It is as if they think they reserve the right to mimic black culture and tell black persons what they know about their own race.

This is type of behaviour is also vividly represented in the “Timmi Hillnigger” ad. This may seem funny but it holds a deeper meaning. This speaks to the fact that black people are ridiculed if they speak or dressed well because they are deemed as wanting to be white. However, if a white person tries to act black it is not seen as a problem by other whites. Black persons should be angry about this because it still represents blackface but in a modern way. 
        
                                                  

The mannerisms and views of Sloan Hopkins, Pierre’s assistant, also carries an important message. In the film, Sloan was against the idea of the minstrel show from the beginning. She always tried to oppose and challenge anyone who encouraged it further. However, it was only until the near end of the film that she totally ended her involvement with it after she was affected by the consequences.

This represents the percentage of blacks who pretend to be blind to racial stereotypes regarding them, in  order to get ahead in the workplace. Similar to Mantan and Womack, Sloan is passively hopeful that the show would fail while trying to preserve the job that she worked so hard for.

Lastly, The Mau Maus (Sloan’s brother’s rap group) had an important contribution to add to the overall message as well.

At the end of the film when Manray is killed, speaks to the heartache and anger blacks feel with the way they are represented in the media. Strangely enough the anger was only shown after the Mau Maus’ audition for the Alabama Porch Monkeys was unsuccessful. At first they were chasing the fame only to realise just how degrading it was to them. This is replicated in modern media with television stations like VH1 for example. This network produces a lot of shows that portray black people in a negative light as a form of entertainment eg. "Love and Hip Hop". This therefore, causes a divide in the black community of persons who see this type of content as harmless while others are offended.

Conflict analysis as relates to one major character:

The character Pierre Delacroix, whose original, given name is Peerless Dothan, is one of  the main characters in the film. Delacroix is the only black writer at CNS and is a perfect representation of what we can call whiteface- a black character with white traits. He rejects his culture and identity which is evident in his name change and outrageous accent. He also displays many characteristics that would identify him as a contemporary reproduction of the Tom character.

Like the typical Tom character, Delacroix aims to please his white “master,” his boss at CNS, even at the expense of his own racial identity. He also displays many characteristics that would identify him as the integrationist negro - a new type of negro.  He obeys orders, even if he finds them unreasonable and takes any form of abuse from his boss with little to no protest at all, even when his boss uses the word nigger in his presence.

Being the obedient and conscientious worker that he is, Delacroix aims to create a show that will both boost ratings for CNS and as a result, please his boss. He has an ulterior motive though, a personal one of  being recognized as a superior writer. Despite his race, Delacroix’s aims to please method results in the creation of a sensational and controversial, yet socially accepted television show, “Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show.” The show features degradating images and racist iconography: watermelons, and chickens alongside the Aunt Jemima, Rastus, Jungle Bunny and Sambo characters. Delacroix seems to have good intentions at first but only manages to resurrect horrible events of the past and stir up old conflicted emotions for the black audience. He takes his ridicule like a man and achieves a high from the success of his show. He has waited for so long to be recognised that the reason behind his recognition does not seem to matter anymore. This is clearly shown in scenes where he imagines winning various awards for the show.

With the success of his show, Delacroix is faced with constant criticism from friends and family, and is seen as a traitor to his race by reproducing past stereotypes. As mentioned previously, Delacroix seems to be whiter than even the average white man, in his mannerisms and exaggerated speech. Contrastingly enough, cultural assimilation also presents itself in Delacroix as he accepts the white culture and denies his own black culture, which ironically is accepted by Dunwitty, his white boss. However Dunwitty has the power to misrepresent black culture without any objections as the Senior V.P. of the entertainment division of CNS.

Although Delacroix is a modern spin of the Tom character, he can be seen struggling with making certain decisions as it pertains to the show. The movie also exposes the relationship between Delacroix and his father, a comedian who doesn’t accept his son’s career choice and the path he has created to gain success. When their relationship is highlighted, it makes you question why Delacroix chose to adapt to an European identity.

Delacroix’s character has more depth and dimensions to it than the typical stereotype he is depicting. The character’s journey throughout the show gives actual reason as to why he has chosen to live his life that way.  Spike Lee did not just reproduce cultural historical stereotypes and caricatures but he instead re-appropriates them.

It is almost as if Lee is countering his argument on blackface by showing whites in particular how ridiculous they look when they try to be something they are not. It is a visual for blacks to see what they should not accept and for whites to know of the feeling if the pages were turned.

How Successful was this Film?

This film was successful in its objective. Besides the obvious, there were a lot of hidden messages within each scene that makes the viewer think. Admittedly, the execution of the director’s ideas were a bit odd and over bearing at some points.

This exists mainly with the main character, Pierre Delacroix whose accent and mannerisms were increasingly aggravating but still carried a sensible reasoning behind it. The main idea of blacks wearing blackface in itself is a ridiculous and shocking idea but it was also a very brave route to take in making the film.

When looking at the bigger picture it’s easy to see why this amplified depiction works in Lee’s favour; many of the main messages come across as raw and unfiltered. This means that Lee is not trying to be PC (politically correct) or hide what he wants to say, hence the reason why the film received and still continues to receive backlash. He took a more literal approach in trying to get audiences - regardless of race - to see the ridiculousness of the situation. He wanted the audience to see that this so called equality and liberation for all is not what it really seems, especially in the  America's case. 

It deals with the mental state of both blacks and whites when coming to such a tender topic. It is almost as if he is spelling out why racial stereotyping is wrong in hopes of influencing a change or in depth discussion in real life society.

The film became the topic of many conversations when it was released in 2000, proving its reach amongst the public. With its controversial theme being race in American media, it got the attention of many worldwide, making the intentions of Lee successful. And that intention was to highlight his disappointment with the representation of blacks in American media.