As one of the most
controversial directors in the film industry, Spike Lee drives a
remarkably hard-hitting message to the screen with his new film
Bamboozled. With the onslaught of consistently horrid films dawning
in theatres, Bamboozled serves as a breath of fresh air, with its
beautiful exposure of a dark and racist aspect of American history, both
past and present. Packed with an all-star cast, the film comments on
the history of African-American racial discrimination in the entertainment
industry, and the shameful shadows of oppression that still lurk behind
our present day television shows and movies, with their subtle
African-American mockery.
The film is set in an urban metropolis, with the central character
Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), as a struggling television writer working
for a major network, CNS. In the face of plummeting ratings, his
boss Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), appeals to Delacroix to pitch a fresh
new idea for a television pilot that will shock and astonish viewers.
As the only African-American on the writing staff, Delacroix is frustrated
with the fact that the network rejected his wholesome pilot ideas;
however, he is given the task of coming up with a “shocking” hit show
about African-Americans, and he faces termination if he fails.
Along with his assistant Sloan Hopkins (Jada Pinkett Smith), DelaCroix
comes up with the idea of creating a modern day minstrel show of
African-Americans in blackface, starring two homeless street performers,
Man Ray the tap dancer (Savion Glover), and Cheeba (Tommy Davidson).
Knowing that a minstrel show with African-Americans in blackface is an
outrageous concept in present day 2000, Delacroix expects the network to
reject his pitch; however, astonishingly, Dunwitty becomes overwhelmed
with excitement and decides to go with the idea – regardless of the
politically incorrect connotations and prejudice the show may convey.
With not a penny in their pockets and few other options, Man Ray and
Cheeba agree to perform, changing their names for the show to “Mantan”
and “Sleep and Eat,” which, in effect, fully illustrates the
inferiority of their characters. Delacroix names the show “Mantan:
The New Millennium Minstrel Show,” and starts off on a runway of success
and recognition; however, he visibly bears the cost of internal guilt and
suffering for the injustice he is doing his people.
In the show, the two characters “Mantan” and “Sleep and Eat”
perform choreographed tap dance scenes as they bring to life all of the
stereotypes pertaining to African-Americans known – for example, working
on a cotton/watermelon plantation, obsessively loving chicken, and being
incapable of reasoning without their masters.
In time, “Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show” becomes a huge
success, and soon blacks and whites alike are shouting the slogan,
“Nigga’s is a beautiful thang.”
Eventually, Cheeba realizes the atrocities he has committed against his
people, and leaves the show. Subsequently, Sloan’s brother and
rapper, Big Black Afrika (Mos Def/Dante Beze) rallies his radical hip-hop
group to retaliate against Man Ray and the Minstrel Show’s distorting
image of African-Americans. Sloan later shows disapproval of the
show’s content and racial implications, but stays loyal to her boss till
the finale, which brings Delacroix’s tragic demise.
When it opened in theatres, Bamboozled provoked a huge negative
reaction from many critics in the film industry, motivated to protect
their political interests, due to its controversial subject matter.
The atrocious art of blackface began in 1828 with Thomas D. Rice donning
his blackened costume and performing in Jim Crow. From that moment
on, the minstrel show depicted African-Americans – both at home and
abroad – as exotic, irrationally comical imbeciles, which proved to
generate huge profits. The “art form” really began to flourish
in the 1840’s, becoming a prerequisite for African-American performers
while it symbolized White dominance over African-Americans.
When we look at contemporary television shows like In Living Color, The
Wayans Brothers, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Malcolm and Eddie, etc., we
see that African-Americans still have to jump through the hoops of
ridicule and belittlement to be successful performers. Granted,
there are television shows that depict African-Americans in a positive
light, but they are few and far in between. The overwhelming
majority of shows project foolish images of African-Americans that are
very much rooted in the average American psyche. These images have
fostered a belief that every black person is a comedian, and they breed an
atmosphere of disrespect and disregard for African-Americans, and for
issues that are pertinent to them and to all of us.
As Muslim’s living in America, it is important for us to understand
the history of those who have been oppressed in this country, so that we
may ally ourselves with them and, consequently, bring their and our
concerns to the national agenda. Bamboozled acts to educate
audiences about the background of African-Americans, and even if the
storyline does not interest a particular person or they dislike some
aspect of the film, one can’t help coming out of the film looking at
African-Americans and television in a different light. Moreover, as a
director who consistently makes films that surround social commentary,
Spike Lee added the finishing touches on the film when he concluded it
with archival footage of African-Americans in television shows, movies,
cartoons, and as puppets.
Personally, I believe that everyone should see Bamboozled except those
under the age of 13 (due to explicit language and violence) as it is
extremely educational as well as entertaining. The only issue that I
have with the film is the surprisingly abrupt conclusion that leaves the
audience with a hint of dissatisfaction. I feel that Lee could have
developed the characters more, and further stressed the political
relevance of the issues. However, overall, I consider the film as
being one of Lee’s best, and one of the best films of the year.
It is time that Muslims and non-Muslims join together in the struggle
against oppression, and that we constantly emphasize the importance of
this struggle. I urge those who watch the film to go a step further,
and review the experience of our African cousins in America as well as
extend our concern to those who are suffering similar oppression abroad,
which will eventually encourage a global Islamic concern
