The Woman King is one of the best movies I ever watched, controversy be damned

[dangerranger]

Replace Dahomey with Nazis then reread your post see if your sentiment stands

And y'all keep bringing up Black Panther like it's a gold standard of black cinema when that shyt has its own glaring issues that have been debated extensively. Black Panther is not some universally loved black masterpiece and is likely part of the problem that leads to shyt like The Woman King

And you can call it grandstanding but conversely this is the biggest example of white washing slavery I've seen in a long time, if ever

"BUT THE WRITERS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ITS BAD" like white people don't acknowledge racism is bad WHILE practicing

You reread my post while using Nazis instead. I’m sure there have been white films where there is a nazi soldier that has thoughts on what they were doing was wrong. They use that character as a vehicle to address that particular problem. If you disagree you’re being obtuse because it happens in movies all the time.

Whether you like it or not, in our current time, Black Panther is the gold standard. You don’t have another movie to date with a majority black cast with that kind of budget breaking those kinds of records. So for the time we are in it’s the gold standard. Will we have better movies in the future certainly.

Like I said, if there are better movies of this elk that have been made point them out. You can’t because they haven’t been done yet. It’s the inability to contextualize the times we are in and then look back on some high horse sh*t. No one in here is saying the Dahomeys were perfect or even good but in the story the film was telling the focus wasn’t slavery. That’s what I’m getting at. The slavery was in the background not the forefront.

I have an issue with people turning the movie into something it is not without watching the movie. More importantly it’s problematic when people who watched the movie are telling them they are wrong and these people are arguing with them like they have equal footing.

I’m not coming at you with this question, but did you watch the film?

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

@Booksnrain

@Ashley Banks

@Neo The Resurrected ONE

What are you all thoughts on this film?

I haven't seen it but im looking forward to it. I think the controversy is yet another psy ops campaign being waged on us as a people from the usual folks who don't like to see any type of representation of black people where we actually look halfway decent. I saw Frank Lucas celebrated and made into a celebrity when American Gangster came out by the same people who are now crying about "What about what they did to us as a people?? "

Frank Lucas did incredible damage to our people, and he is solely responsible for the many deaths and ruined lives and broken families, but these dumbass niccas didn't say a word about that movie. Because guess why?

Because them white folks didn't mind that movie being put out because they love terrible representation of us in movies where we are shown to be criminals and drug dealers.

We got a movie where black people are shown to be warriors and them devils made a controversy and used their agents to push it to keep the movie from being successful, much like they did with the Nat Turner Birth of a Nation movie to keep that from being successful. Movie was an Oscar contender... and then it wasn't.

And we fall for it. Every. Single. Time.

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

What bothers me is that there will be millions of ignorant people who will use this movie as a true factual history lesson in their talking points.

Historical fiction movies multiply the smart dumb nikkas like gremlins. I mean just starting with the obvious, like neither the colonizer or the soon to be colonized Dahomey spoke english. Too many Hollywood directors mess this up

U know what I respect about the foreign directors? When a movie has an english culture they use subtitles in THEIR OWN LANGUAGE to interpret the english.

So much is lost trying to make people speak english who didn't know a lick of english hundreds or thousands of years ago. From a non EFL speaker it just looks odd, but you make yourself try to adjust for the 1.5 - 3 hrs. It's just for entertainment but it has the power to dumb down.

Bruh I've stopped caring

It's clear Black ppl are willing to do whatever to have a seat at the table

I'd be fine with them making this movie, if they were willing to get into the dirt of it and have main characters looking fukked up

But it's just distorting some historical facts to make a I AM WOMAN film

Even white publication are saying this

Focus on yourself, Black Americans are lost

I don't care that @JadeB , he been a bytch

but Viola Davis is showing herself to be thirsty for recognition no matter what

American actors should have cared more

 

[Uachet]

You articulated your point well my issue is that some people are taking the historical inaccuracy and using it as the sword to die on. The movie’s focus is not the Dahomeys role in the slave trade. Is it a plot point? Yes. But It’s not even the focus on the film. The movie is based on tribal warfare with a more intimate story for the main characters based on their circumstances in the movie.

Dismissing an entire film because of one plot point and ignoring all of the other great things it does as a film is a disservice. Especially because it’s a great film with a majority black cast. All these black people worked on this movie and put their time and effort into this only to be rewarded but ppl sh*tying on it without watching it or making it seem like we have to be perfect for our stuff to get made when we barely get films made and rarely any of this caliber.

I am not dismissing a film because of one plot point. I am dismissing a film because it seeks to turn my ancestors enslavers into heroes we should cheer for. That is something I find repugnant. I don't care how great the movie is, how exciting the fights are, how beautiful the cinematography is. I find the whole premise of a tribe of slavers, who enslaved some of my ancestors, turned into a tribe of freedom fighters to be something I can not support at all.

Now if you have no problem with the premise, well then that is your prerogative. You have your own agency, and so I respect the fact that you find the film enjoyable. I personally will not see it, because I choose to honor the true history and not accept a retelling that I feel dishonors the memory of some of my ancestors brought here in chains through the actions of the tribe depicted in the movie.

 

[Uachet]

I haven't seen it but im looking forward to it. I think the controversy is yet another psy ops campaign being waged on us as a people from the usual folks who don't like to see any type of representation of black people where we actually look halfway decent. I saw Frank Lucas celebrated and made into a celebrity when American Gangster came out by the same people who are now crying about "What about what they did to us as a people?? "

Frank Lucas did incredible damage to our people, and he is solely responsible for the many deaths and ruined lives and broken families, but these dumbass niccas didn't say a word about that movie. Because guess why?

Because them white folks didn't mind that movie being put out because they love terrible representation of us in movies where we are shown to be criminals and drug dealers.

We got a movie where black people are shown to be warriors and them devils made a controversy and used their agents to push it to keep the movie from being successful, much like they did with the Nat Turner Birth of a Nation movie to keep that from being successful. Movie was an Oscar contender... and then it wasn't.

And we fall for it. Every. Single. Time.

Really, you can't fathom why some Black Americans would refuse to see the movie knowing the history of the Dahomey and the part that said tribe played in some of our ancestors enslavement? You really think the only reason why some would refuse to see it is because of White people talking bad about it? Do you really have such a low view of Black people and our own agency, and such a high view about the influence of White people on Black people's decisions that you think some of us could only be against the movie because of White people bad talking it?

 

[Romey Rome]

Can confirm. One of the best movies I ever saw.

 

[dangerranger]

I am not dismissing a film because of one plot point. I am dismissing a film because it seeks to my ancestors enslavers into heroes we should cheer for. That is something I find repugnant. I don't care how great the movie is, how exciting the fights are, how beautiful the cinematography is. I find the whole premise of a tribe of slavers, who enslaved some of my ancestors, turned into a tribe of freedom fighters to be something I can not support at all.

Now if you have no problem with the premise, well then that is your prerogative. You have your own agency, and so I respect the fact that you find the film enjoyable. I personally will not see it, because I choose to honor the true history and not accept a retelling that I feel dishonors the memory of some of my ancestors brought here in chains through the actions of the tribe depicted in the movie.

I can respect that.

 

[Phitz]

I won’t be watching this film because of the historical inaccuracy and the role the Dahomey tribe played in the slave trade but I do think people are doing too much with how they’re critiquing the film without watching it.

Shouting out uninformed hot takes about agendas and how the film portrays people actually makes those of us that don’t intend to watch it appear to be faux-militant when it simply comes down to a matter of principle for a lot of us. You can decide to not watch a film without being goofy about it

Its ok, that will remedy itself, those who dont support it can watch it bootleg online in a few weeks when it's a more clear, non cam version.

 

[the bossman]

It's no funnier than y'all gushing over her work

All the praise is mostly for the stellar performances that Viola and the rest of the all-black cast and crew members put on.

Nobody was praising BP for Stan Lees work. The cast, director, and crew is what made the film a blockbuster hit.

So again your obsession with this white chick I don't get

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

Really, you can't fathom why some Black Americans would refuse to see the movie knowing the history of the Dahomey and the part that said tribe played in some of our ancestors enslavement? You really think the only reason why some would refuse to see it is because of White people talking bad about it? Do you really have such a low view of Black people and our own agency, and such a high view about the influence of White people on Black people's decisions that you think some of us could only be against the movie because of White people bad talking it?

What about the part that Frank Lucas played in destroying black lives and families? Why weren't you refusing to see that? That was a true story, one that happened only decades ago compared to this Woman King story that happened centuries ago. How come you and others weren't against that movie?

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

What about the part that Frank Lucas played in destroying black lives and families? Why weren't you refusing to see that? That was a true story, one that happened only decades ago compared to this Woman King story that happened centuries ago. How come you and others weren't against that movie?

Stop deflecting

Did American Gangster white wash what he did?

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

Stop asking me good questions that I have no answer for

Okay

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

Okay

Did American Gangster try to portray him as anything other than what he was?

 

[O.Red]

You reread my post while using Nazis instead. I’m sure there have been white films where there is a nazi soldier that has thoughts on what they were doing was wrong. They use that character as a vehicle to address that particular problem. If you disagree you’re being obtuse because it happens in movies all the time.

Whether you like it or not, in our current time, Black Panther is the gold standard. You don’t have another movie to date with a majority black cast with that kind of budget breaking those kinds of records. So for the time we are in it’s the gold standard. Will we have better movies in the future certainly.

Like I said, if there are better movies of this elk that have been made point them out. You can’t because they haven’t been done yet. It’s the inability to contextualize the times we are in and then look back on some high horse sh*t. No one in here is saying the Dahomeys were perfect or even good but in the story the film was telling the focus wasn’t slavery. That’s what I’m getting at. The slavery was in the background not the forefront.

I have an issue with people turning the movie into something it is not without watching the movie. More importantly it’s problematic when people who watched the movie are telling them they are wrong and these people are arguing with them like they have equal footing.

I’m not coming at you with this question, but did you watch the film?

You can't even provide an example of this "doubtful nazi soldier" movie that you're sure exists, then premptively accuse me of being obtuse for disagreeing with a premise you couldn't even substantiate???? fukk it I'm obtuse then

I haven't seen the movie and I don't intend to. Another poster addressed it already but the idea that you have to watch a movie to know you don't like it is insane. I don't need to bite a shyt sandwich to know I don't want a shyt sandwich

I don't give a shyt how beautiful the cinematography is, how great the action is, the acting etc the movie is built on a disgusting premise. A deliberate lie about Dahomey's intentions crafted for the purpose of "They said slavery was bad tho" is not a good enough excuse

I really hope y'all enjoyed this movie and that this "I don't care how we get it just give me my representation kind white folks" shyt was worth it

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

What about the part that Frank Lucas played in destroying black lives and families? Why weren't you refusing to see that? That was a true story, one that happened only decades ago compared to this Woman King story that happened centuries ago. How come you and others weren't against that movie?

HONESTLY

This is a great comparison because Denzel has been on record on how the Black community needs to do better and would probably never be apart of a movie that glorified drug dealing

Meanwhile The Woman King is mcuing and girl bossing history