Two other possible examples are Lilies of the Field, where Sidney Poitier helps those dizzy white nuns (as Paul Mooney called them) build a chapel, and a Patch of Blue, where he plays mentor to that blind girl whose racist mom was played by Shelly Winters. Even In the Heat of the Night, where he has to help the bumpkin white cops solve a murder, is an example. Oh, and what was the one where he was a doctor who had to save the life of Richard Widmark or somebody while they were actively spewing hate his way? To Sir with Love, another Poitier one. All those white British kids he had to set on the straight-and-narrow. He spent his whole early career saving white people. In fact, it may not be until he directed himself in A Warm September that he was even able to break away from the trope in any meaningful way. Great video though!

I think I first learned about the magical black man trope when I was a young teen from an older black guy I worked with (I know right, real life and art). I think at some point people wanted to put black people in movies but instead of making them regular people (instead on slaves and servants) they went too far the other way to make them seen special. But now that I think about really old movies like Shirley Temple they just had the slaves be magical...

Love this. I suggest talking slower and maybe articulating a bit more but I think you’re doing great work! Thanks!!

I like the video and hearing what u have to say but I would suggest tighter editing, there’s way too many pauses where there should be practically no single second of dead space

Subbed! I hope you're gonna fix that editing and audio quality, cause you deserve to get big!

Excellent video! Not only was it informative but entertaining! Thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work!🎉

So Red is also weird that it's considered a Magical Negro performance, when it is kinda the reverse. Morgan Freeman is the person whose life and trajectory is changed by Andy entering it. Yeah, Red can get you things, but Andy refusing to be institutionalized causes more waves and is somehow more magical than Red being able to get anything...

The pauses are killing me but this is good content

great vid i thought this was about the American society of magical negroes the movie that just came out maybe would have been a good bookend or reference point, cheers

This movie like the black wash version of Nicholas cages, sorcerers apprentice.

Shaq was khazam Morgan freeman was THE MAGICAL NEGRO he's litterally the voice of GOD in fiction

For people who understand longstanding character tropes and enjoy modern deconstructions from artists formerly prohibited from creating their own films.

I thought the premise of the movie had potential... IF the movie had been interested in a cutting deconstruction of the trope. If you wanna see a serious take on that trope, check out Goodbye Solo (2008) a devastating drama

You're making a really good overview of the subject that are really going to make me more critical with the movies I watch going forward, but some claims come off as a bit far-fetched to me, like the idea that movies like these are a distraction from specific societal issues. Because looking at tropes from individual movies across can be done to interpet practically anything. Also with the Stephen King adaptations, I feel there is subtext you are missing. John Coffey is written as a Jesus Christ analogue, sharing initials and even dying for someone else's sins. Why doesn't he save himself? Well, because to him that's not important. I see the argument that he is too interesting for being a side character, but I don't think racism is the reason for it. The Shining movie is about a lot of things, but primarily how American society is built on extreme violence that has not been dealt with, with extra attention given to the Native Genocides. That is why the roles and appearences of Haliday and Wendy were changed from the book, because they are made to pararel Native Americans falling victims to the European expansion. In his introduction, you can actually see Haliday in profile next to an image of a Native American face in profile. You can argue that none of this matters because the results are so similar and I definitely see that, but I still think context is important.

This movie wasnt made by a black american it was made by a biracial african who had no cultural nuances

dope vid

white grandmas

soooo what are the white people playing ?as a black actor i'm wanting to know. Lol

First