pleep: Django unchained said the n-word too much. It was awkward as hell to watch

Are some aspects of reality and history like this sometimes "too awkward" and unsettling to be depicted in movies?

Spike Lee seems to be put off by the entire film and by the use of the n word in some of Tarantino's films more generally. Do you (pleep, or anyone else) agree with his perspective on the movie?

To other posters that have seen the movie, particularly anyone descended from African American slaves, were you offended by the movie in some way and/or was it awkward to watch?

@ pleep, I didn't want to derail that other thread too much, since it was about a completely different topic.

@ mods, the TV/Movies section is way deader than this section, and what I want to discuss is kind of cultural in a way. . .so I'd prefer if the thread stayed here. . .

I haven't seen it but I heard it was mad racist!!

shymexx: I haven't seen it but I heard it was mad racist!!

Well, I didn't really get that feeling while I was watching it, but other people might have different feelings entirely.

I definitely don't regret seeing it though. I honestly thought it was the best movie I saw in 2012. Better than Bond, Looper, Total Recall, Argo, Flight or the Dark Knight Rises. I haven't seen The Master, The Hobbit or Lincoln though, but even if some of those are better overall movies, I still think Django would probably still be in the top 3.

PhysicsQED:
Well, I didn't really get that feeling while I was watching it, but other people might have different feelings entirely.

I definitely don't regret seeing it though. I honestly thought it was the best movie I saw in 2012. Better than Bond, Looper, Total Recall, Argo, Flight or the Dark Knight. I haven't seen The Master, The Hobbit or Lincoln though, but even if some of those are better overall movies, I still think Django was probably in the top 3.

I'll check it out later tonight...

Thanks, bruv..

The movie actually said the N-word 110 times lol, i get the sense that tarantino gets a kick out of putting it in his movies. It actually was a pretty unique plot and actually a very entertaining movie but i abosoultly hate the director. All he does is make his movies as violent and controversial as possible to get ppl to watch them.. all spike lee is doing is giving him more shine.

Even the Lincoln movie said the N-word a couple times, its becoming more acceptable i guess. What makes it awkward is how all the white ppl start laughing when they hear it and all the black ppl get quiet and angry

however, i don't like how black ppl make such a big deal out of the N-word... its a bad look. We have more important issues to worry about

blka peepel make big fuss over nword when nword no importance nword no matter
blka peepel need focus on revenue streams and economy blka peepel nword me no care
blka man make big deal bout nword but let pink lady call him slave during fukky sukky

China_Made: blka peepel make big fuss over nword when nword no importance nword no matter
blka peepel need focus on revenue streams and economy blka peepel nword me no care
blka man make big deal bout nword but let pink lady call him slave during fukky sukky

boom.

pleep: The movie actually said the N-word 110 times lol, i get the sense that tarantino gets a kick out of putting it in his movies. It actually was a pretty unique plot and actually a very entertaining movie but i abosoultly hate the director. All he does is make his movies as violent and controversial as possible to get ppl to watch them.. all spike lee is doing is giving him more shine.

Even the Lincoln movie said the N-word a couple times, its becoming more acceptable i guess. What makes it awkward is how all the white ppl start laughing when they hear it and all the black ppl get quiet and angry

I think Tarantino should be given some slack on this issue - especially since it actually was a quality film. As a kid, his black neighbor took him to go see blaxploitation movies (according to Samuel L. Jackson in an interview). So Tarantino is coming from an unusual perspective - a white guy who sometimes wants to make blaxploitation movies where the black characters triumph over "the man" (the evil white arch-villain). He appreciated those kind of movies growing up, so he wants to make his own homages - and in this case (Django), mix in his love of classic westerns.

I think Spike Lee didn't get that Tarantino genuinely grew up liking those kind of blaxploitation movies and that's probably why Lee asked (about the movie Jackie Brown) if Tarantino wanted to be made an "honorary black man or something" (i.e., if Tarantino kept using the n word in his movies because he was trying to be "down" with black people).

I think this article gives a balanced view of Tarantino and I basically agree with most of what is written there, apart from the title:

http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/tarantino_is_the_baddest_black_filmmaker_working_today/

I don't think he's making the movies violent and controversial just to get more viewers. He seems to just love violent westerns, racy blaxploitation movies, and B movies and wants to make some or most of his own movies in those styles.

Also, just as an aside, I think one of the movies - apart from the original Django westerns with Franco Nero - that may have inspired Django Unchained that Tarantino may or may not have seen, and which he probably wouldn't list as an influence even if he had seen it, is the 1975 blaxploitation film Boss Nigger, where Fred Williamson and his costar play two black bounty hunters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Nigger

I watched it a few years ago after becoming curious about the title and it was a decent movie, even if somewhat predictable. After watching Django Unchained, I remembered it and I realized that there seem to be some pretty significant parallels between the two movies.

i SAW the movie. I left half way into the movie. I was upset and angry that i could not have slaves. Why are black people walking around free? why i ask you why?





SLAVERY NEEDS TO COMEBACK.

somalia9: i SAW the movie. I left half way into the movie. I was upset and angry that i could not have slaves. Why are black people walking around free? why i ask you why?





SLAVERY NEEDS TO COMEBACK.

You would probably be the first to be enslaved, seeing as you collect unemployment and don't contribute anything to society.

Nigger

pleep: You would probably be the first to be enslaved, seeing as you collect unemployment and don't contribute anything to society.

Nigger

Well those who are weak get enslaved. My ancestors in somalia had negroid slaves from tanzania, uganda, kenya, and ethiopia. We were never enslaved.


Even 1991 when the U.N. , USA, EUROPEAN UNION, came to somalia, we fought until the THE WORLD said ' these people will keep dying as long as we are on their soil' AND THEY LEFT. LMAO



YOUR THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN FAILED BY YOUR OWN ANCESTORS. EVERY WHERE YOU NEGROIDS ARE, YOU ARE SLAVES. SOMALIS OWNED YOU, ETHIOPIANS OWNED YOU, ARABS OWNED YOU, AMERICANS OWNED YOU, EUROPEANS OWNED YOU.


NEVER SAW AN ENTIRE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SO SUBMISSIVE AND WEAK AND YET LOOK LIKE BODY BUILDERS. THAT FUFU IS NOTHING IF YOUR JUST GONNA RAISE YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND BE ENLSAVED.

PhysicsQED:

I think Tarantino should be given some slack on this issue - especially since it actually was a quality film. As a kid, his black neighbor took him to go see blaxploitation movies (according to Samuel L. Jackson in an interview). So Tarantino is coming from an unusual perspective - a white guy who sometimes wants to make blaxploitation movies where the black characters triumph over "the man" (the evil white arch-villain). He appreciated those kind of movies growing up, so he wants to make his own homages - and in this case (Django), mix in his love of classic westerns.

I think Spike Lee didn't get that Tarantino genuinely grew up liking those kind of blaxploitation movies and that's probably why Lee asked (about the movie Jackie Brown) if Tarantino wanted to be made an "honorary black man or something" (i.e., if Tarantino kept using the n word in his movies because he was trying to be "down" with black people).

I think this article gives a balanced view of Tarantino and I basically agree with most of what is written there, apart from the title:

http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/tarantino_is_the_baddest_black_filmmaker_working_today/

I don't think he's making the movies violent and controversial just to get more viewers. He seems to just love violent westerns, racy blaxploitation movies, and B movies and wants to make some or most of his own movies in those styles.

Also, just as an aside, I think one of the movies - apart from the original Django westerns with Franco Nero - that may have inspired Django Unchained that Tarantino may or may not have seen, and which he probably wouldn't list as an influence even if he had seen it, is the 1975 blaxploitation film Boss Nigger, where Fred Williamson and his costar play two black bounty hunters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Nigger.

I watched it a few years ago after becoming curious about the title and it was a decent movie, even if somewhat predictable. After watching Django Unchained, I remembered it and I realized that there seem to be some pretty significant parallels between the two movies.

What you are saying makes sense, we cant really make a judgment on the director without knowing his past, and his real motives for making the movie (other than money ). So spike lees argument is kinda flat... The movie was good, but i still dunno about Tarantino

There was still alot in the movie that was courting controversy.. and have you seen Inglorious Bastards? That film was craaaaaaaaap, there is no way he didnt come up with a plot like that just for cheap publicity. I honestly believe the only reason it was reviewed so well is because of the jewish influence in hollywood.

ive only seen half of django so far (gf wanted to see les mis) ... ill put a full review of of the movie after i finish it tonight.

Wow... apparently i missed the 'good' part.

I'm even gunna write a full review, im just gunna say that the film was incredible and awful the same time. I cant decide. Anyone who hasn't seen it MUST see it. After that scene with the mandingo wrestling it became hard to laugh at any of the jokes, even though they were hilarious

Yeah, the wrestling scene was terrible and when they brought out the hammer it was clear to me that they wanted that scene to be as shocking and revolting as possible. The only worse scenes in the movie were Kerry Washington's torture scenes and when the slave D'Artagnan got eaten by those dogs.

But don't tell me you didn't still laugh at some of Samuel L. Jackson's lines. The way he played that character was brilliant.

pleep: There was still alot in the movie that was courting controversy.. and have you seen Inglorious Bastards? That film was craaaaaaaaap, there is no way he didnt come up with a plot like that just for cheap publicity. I honestly believe the only reason it was reviewed so well is because of the jewish influence in hollywood.

I saw it soon after it came out and I actually thought Inglourious Basterds was very good.

PhysicsQED: Yeah, the wrestling scene was terrible and when they brought out the hammer it was clear to me that they wanted that scene to be as shocking and revolting as possible. The only worse scenes in the movie were Kerry Washington's torture scenes and when the slave D'Artagnan got eaten by those dogs.

But don't tell me you didn't still laugh at some of Samuel L. Jackson's lines. The way he played that character was brilliant.

Samuel L jackson was awesome, easily the most entertaining character in the whole thing. i found that all the use of the N-word in that movie wasn't offensive because it was incredibly funny. The only thing that may have topped that was the scene with the KKK guys and the Masks lol

As for that scene with the dogs i was soo glad he didn't make it as graphic as it could have been. Thats what i was expecting

...and why was there a close up of Jamie fox's nut sack? dafuq

But anyway over all the movie really was great but something about it left a bad taste in my mouth.

The masks thing was pretty funny as well, I agree. And the closeup of Foxx's jewels was totally unnecessary. Now that was in there just to gross people out. The other revolting scenes at least served a purpose in some way - to make the audience view Calvin Candie as a despicable guy and to show how unsettling all this stuff was for Schultz, even though he was a professional killer. I don't see what the purpose of that balls scene was though. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they were trying to imply that Billy Crass was gay - there was that "moonlight stroll" comment from Django to him and also the kind of effeminate way he walked away after they told him he couldn't castrate Django.

^ dude! i actually thought that guy was a chick when he was walking towards him, him being gay would make alot of sense. But the male n.udity in movies is getting out of hand, I don't know where all this dick and balls in movies is comming from... they didn't even have a proper t.itty scene in the whole film.

But in all seriousness the audience seemed to find that castration thing to be humorous, and that was kinda disturbing and angering. Cuz they really did do that kind of stuff and its not funny

Yeah, I think people who aren't aware of the history of that would probably just view it as something humorous, put in there for tension and comedy and not drawn from what really happened.

I wasn't expecting n.udity in the film, male or female, but I'm not sure how a t.itty scene would really have improved the film.

If there had been one, it would probably have involved Candie or "Big Daddy" or one of the overseers having their way with one of the female slaves, which would have been very hard to watch. That's probably why there wasn't really a scene like that in the film. In the beginning of the movie, when Django and Schultz rode into that small town (where the bar owner had to call the sheriff and then the marshal), there was some woman admiring Django and Schultz (or at least one of them) from the window of some building and for a moment it looked like she might be significant in the film in some romantic way, but then she soon disappeared into obscurity.

Really, the film doesn't focus on romance much, so the absence of female n.udity isn't really that strange. It would just have been gratuitous if it was in there.

there was some woman admiring Django and Schultz (or at least one of them) from the window of some building and for a moment it looked like she might be significant in the film in some romantic way, but then she soon disappeared into obscurity.

I also thought she would play a bigger part in the movie... same with that mysterious lady dressed as man with the bandanna covering her face. The one who appears with the axe after they sick the dogs on that slave

could that have been candies sister? it just seems strange how they would draw ur attention to characters who seem to have no role

I was curious enough about who the woman with the axe and the bandana over her face was that I looked it up. It's Zoe Bell, from Tarantino's movie Death Proof. I don't know if you saw Grindhouse (I did, and I liked both parts), but she's a professional stuntwoman and one of the stars of Tarantino's part of Grindhouse. She's been in several of Tarantino's movies either as a stunt person or an actress so I guess she's one of his "regulars" now and they just gave her a sort of cameo (although with a mask over half her face) because they like her or maybe to intrigue the audience. I think Candie's only sister was the one they showed us, and that this was just a minor character that was given a cameo.

As for the woman staring out of the window of that building, it might have been just to show the kind of appeal that they had to women, otherwise, I don't see what the purpose of it was.

I saw the movie and it was just uncomfortable watching it with a white man seating beside you. But it ain't bad.

I'll commit murder the day a whiteman uses n-word by my side.

PhysicsQED

Please get to me on charlesnwaizu@gmail.com. Please we need to discuss about a project am working on. We planning a documentary of notable Nigerian Scholars around the world. Thanks

racial jokes cracks me up every time not only about blacks but all racial stereotype jokes makes me laff.while this movie was great I couldn't help but feel sad for our predecessors and couldn't be glad enough to be born in a time where this kind of prejudice if not completely gone is at least toned down.That been said who ever thought leo could play a very good bad guy huh ? solid performance by all though.
For the dude looking for some nip slip I think they flashed some flesh when django's babe was been carried away from the box.

PhysicsQED: The masks thing was pretty funny as well, .

why would this be funny to you con sidering those masks is the type of crap slaves REALLY had to wear?

Bet nigerians were laughing like hyenas watching this. Ugh

ThiefOfHearts:

why would this be funny to you con sidering those masks is the type of crap slaves REALLY had to wear?

Bet nigerians were laughing like hyenas watching this. Ugh

Since you haven't watched it, you could have at least tried using a search engine to try to find out what pleep was referring to when he mentioned the masks in the movie. That way you would have had some idea of what we were talking about. The masks thing that pleep and I referred to has nothing to do with what slaves wore. The scene we were referring to was a deliberately comic scene meant to make a certain violent hate group look more silly and ridiculous.

And I didn't watch it in Nigeria, I watched it in the U.S. It premiered in Europe only a day ago, several days after it was first shown in the U.S., and I don't think it has been shown in Nigeria yet: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/djangounchained/releasedates/

Who careslike this is the first time

i have been watching the movie for two days - watching it is HARD - i don't know why - alsmot like an ordeal/work, in which i watch 30 minutes now, then do something else

PhysicsQED: Yeah, I think people who aren't aware of the history of that would probably just view it as something humorous, put in there for tension and comedy and not drawn from what really happened.

I wasn't expecting n.udity in the film, male or female, but I'm not sure how a t.itty scene would really have improved the film.

If there had been one, it would probably have involved Candie or "Big Daddy" or one of the overseers having their way with one of the female slaves, which would have been very hard to watch. That's probably why there wasn't really a scene like that in the film. In the beginning of the movie, when Django and Schultz rode into that small town (where the bar owner had to call the sheriff and then the marshal), there was some woman admiring Django and Schultz (or at least one of them) from the window of some building and for a moment it looked like she might be significant in the film in some romantic way, but then she soon disappeared into obscurity.

Really, the film doesn't focus on romance much, so the absence of female n.udity isn't really that strange. It would just have been gratuitous if it was in there.

we must not have been watching the same film - there is enough hinted at - you forget djangos wife was supposed to service his boss - and that scene where they dragged her naked from the box

i read roots as a kid, but there were some things i couldn't really comprehend at the time - how slavery destroyed families , the concept of house niggers - anyway, hopefully i will find the stones to finish the movie, or maybe watch another 30 minutes.

seems i don't have much stomach for atrocities - i couldn't finish in the land of blood and honey either

PhysicsQED:

Since you haven't watched it, you could have at least tried using a search engine to try to find out what pleep was referring to when he mentioned the masks in the movie. That way you would have had some idea of what we were talking about. The masks thing that pleep and I referred to has nothing to do with what slaves wore. The scene we were referring to was a deliberately comic scene meant to make a certain violent hate group look more silly and ridiculous.

And I didn't watch it in Nigeria, I watched it in the U.S. It premiered in Europe only a day ago, several days after it was first shown in the U.S., and I don't think it has been shown in Nigeria yet: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/djangounchained/releasedates/

oddly enough, that hooded scene is historically inaccurate imho, the kk started after the civil war