all black films are not comedies - AfroChat - African American

thinkslow · September 22nd, 2005, 12:33 AM

...so I'm looking for 'the wiz' on dvd thru bestbuy's website and I find it, listed as a 'comedy'. what? I almost screamed at the computer (unfortunately I wasn't at home). If it fits into any category, the wiz is a musical, or science fiction at the most. Just cause its an all black cast and some parts make you laugh does not make it a comedy. I laughed at parts in pearl harbor but it's still listed as drama. I have noticed this at blockbuster as well, when I am looking for a black film that I considered drama or action in the drama/action shelves and I can't find it because it's under comedy. I even went in once looking for 'u got served' and the attendant was like 'i think that's in comedy' and I thought how does that make sense, maybe special interest or drama but comedy? maybe the attempts at drama in the movie were laughable, but that's not how they categorize movies. The same thing with martin's 'thin line betw/ love and hate' and 'the inkwell'. I could maybe understand putting thin line in comedy, martin's a comedian, but just having a comedian in the main role does not make the movie a comedy. To me the movie would be a suspense/drama with some really funny scenes in it. It makes me think that movies with predominately black casts with a few funny scenes are automatically put in the comedy category and not categorized according to the same standard as 'mainstream' movies-not based on stereotypes of the race of people represented in the movie, but on the content of the movie by itself. I would be not be totally surprised if the movie 'ray' were put in the comedy section once it goes off the 'new release' shelves. This is so typical but it still makes me angry.

Samoon · September 22nd, 2005, 04:48 AM

Huh? The Wiz? A comedy? Make me understand? A Musical pure and simple...but I feel you. "Typical stereotype."

goodcookinmama · October 6th, 2005, 08:25 PM

you know the oldsaying we are all teeth and wartermelon smiles so maybe thats it

jimihaze · October 6th, 2005, 08:46 PM

I would think that it would be in with the musicals as well. I am glad that it is on dvd now I am going to get it.

sephari · October 7th, 2005, 01:43 PM

just came from the site and atfirst i thought it was racist but most of the movies in the comedy section where comedies, while they did have plenty of appropriate movies in the other sections. what i do have a problem with though is it seems that any movie with a black actor in it gets thrown into the 'african american cinema' ghetto, which has movies like blazing saddles(which has only 1 black character if i remember right)!

CooperSale · October 10th, 2005, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sephari

it seems that any movie with a black actor in it gets thrown into the 'african american cinema' ghetto, which has movies like blazing saddles(which has only 1 black character if i remember right)!

Blazing Saddles is a bona fide classic beloved by tons and tons of people. It is certainly not regulated to any "'african american cinema' ghetto." I'd wager it's filed in several catagories at once.

sephari · October 10th, 2005, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CooperSale

Blazing Saddles is a bona fide classic beloved by tons and tons of people. It is certainly not regulated to any "'african american cinema' ghetto." I'd wager it's filed in several catagories at once.

it may well be, but 'african american cinema' sounds glamourous as a praise of quality films made largely by black people, movies like carmen or x. but when you toss soul plane and don't be a mencace to society... in there it turns into a ghetto, and then when you throw indepence day in there, it just doesn't make since. that's what they did with blazing saddles and several other movies that only had one or two black characters.

SoularFlarez · October 17th, 2005, 01:13 PM

all the ''negro'' movies i see coming out are comedys...or ''hood'' movies

naskiecenye · December 11th, 2005, 06:50 PM

Sorry but the wiz was pretty funny to me

A teeny A teeny A teeny.......
U cant win u cant get even and u cant get outta the game......
Diana Ross's acting skills.....
Little munchkins..........
did u see how that witch with all the numbers were dressed .......
Richard Pryor was in this film for gods sake
if that aint comedy than i dont know what is

one of my fav films ever and i crack up everytime

sahara storm · December 13th, 2005, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naskiecenye

Sorry but the wiz was pretty funny to me

A teeny A teeny A teeny.......
U cant win u cant get even and u cant get outta the game......
Diana Ross's acting skills.....
Little munchkins..........
did u see how that witch with all the numbers were dressed .......
Richard Pryor was in this film for gods sake
if that aint comedy than i dont know what is

one of my fav films ever and i crack up everytime

lmao, I purchased The Wiz over the summer, and I'll have to agree. It could be a comedy or a musical. I don't know what You Got Served would count as. I wouldn't say it was a comedy but it's definately not drama. Thin Line was a comedy, I think it was meant to be a comedy with a little intelligence. It's hard to catergorize a lot of Black movies (The Best Man, The Brothers, Inkwell, Roll Bounce, Deliver Us From Eva, 2 Can Play That Game) because it would seem as though hollywood/writers think that Black people can't handle drama without some type of slapstick involved. It's really sickening. Ray IMO is one of the best Black movies out in years, and until Blacks stop paying to see movies JUST BECAUSE the people in them are Black, then it won't change.