Wednesday, February 03, 2010

"It's a blessed condition, believe me": Images of African Americans in horror cinema #2.

Throughout February, ANTSS will be running images that reflect - for better or worse - the image of African Americans in horror cinema.



Scatman Crothers from The Shining, 1980

5 comments:

wiec? said...

I always felt really bad for Scatman in The Shining. He really gets the short end of the stick.

if the kid didn't have the Shining and was just a normal kid, Scatman never would have known anything was wrong and would have just stayed home. Instead Scatman takes the looong trip back to the Motel and 2 seconds after he gets there bang! he gets killed.

i will say the painting hanging over his bed was excelllent.

CRwM said...

wiec?,

I almost used an image of Crother's in repose back at the crib, but I went with this because it struck me as more complicated: we know he's acting heroically in the shot, and we know he's completely screwed. Plus his heroism contrasts with his expression, which almost seems like the ol' bug-eyed stereotype Hollywood used to love to trot out. Intentional on Kubrick's part?

Anonymous said...

"Plus his heroism contrasts with his expression, which almost seems like the ol' bug-eyed stereotype Hollywood used to love to trot out. Intentional on Kubrick's part?"

Probably just the way the guy looks when he's scared/acting scared.
Great idea for a series of posts, but I think your comment contains more racial stereotyping than the actual image in this case.

CRwM said...

Anon,

Hmmm. I see what you're saying. I guess I meant to imply that Kubrick was intentionally evoking a stereotype and using it in a way that complicated it - I racist trope of cowardice used in a scene of unquestionable heroism. But maybe I'm trying too hard. Thanks for reading and keeping me honest.

Zane Grant said...

The way he delivers the words "unreliable assholes" is one of my favorite moments in film.