When I first saw the movie poster for The Help I was shocked. There in all its candy coloured, Hollywood production glory was a glossing over of reality in such racially backward terms that I could not believe my eyes. Offset against a cheerful yellow background two coloured women dressed in maid uniforms stand next to a park bench where two classy, perfectly groomed, white women sit. The title of the movie which sits above their heads in its all-encompassing dismissal of identity and autonomy clearly refers to the women of colour. At the same time the voices of the white women are privileged as the central girl stares out at the viewer in a manner which foregrounds her personality and identity. Needless to say the juxtaposition of some flippant, ahistorical drama with serious social issues was not something I expected to end well. But I was wrong. Beneath its glossy advertising, The Help is a truly remarkable film. Set against a backdrop of the civil rights movement in Southern America in 1961 this movie is unique in the way it brings to life the anxieties and everyday pressures of living with ingrained social discrimination. With beautiful cinematography the films in-depth focus on the domestic world of women creates a unique platform from which to explore the remarkable nature of hope, dignity and endurance in the face of injustice. One of the most compelling aspects of the film is the subtle way the ever present threat of violence is conveyed. Although you never see a violent act carried through the tension from what we expect of a movie made about race relations in the 1960s1 is there. It is this combination of tension with a humour ‘that makes us laugh while going right to the heart of the matter’2 that makes this such a good film to watch. Truly thought provoking and entertaining it is exciting to see real issues becoming part of mainstream culture.
Eileen Abood
1. In the film The Secret Life of Bees, which is set in 1964 and is also centered around domestic life, the character Rosaleen, who is a coloured housekeeper, is shown being beaten up by a group of angry white men while walking in town.2. Kirk Honeycutt 8/7/2011, ‘The Help: Film Review’, Hollywood Reporter, viewed 1 September 2011, <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/help-film-review-219915>
Link to the official movie trailer
(...though the movie is best seen without introduction)
Yes! Even the advertising material for good movies is the worst most horrible manifestation of cliche, disgusting values and big flashing buy it now text. Its the reduction of film into its most base components as a packaged commodity, reflecting the values and desires of the widest and stupidest gamut of society.
ReplyDeletellewellyn