Spike Lee's Bamboozled Film Analysis

The story of Bamboozled revolves around a Black studio executive and his attempt to create a successful show for the major network where he is employed. Instantly, Spike Lee’s film becomes a format for political discussion, as he highlights the state of the media industry and the difficulties minorities face within it. Pierre Delacroix, the Black studio executive, is tasked with creating the idea for a show that represents Black culture, however, his boss insists the storyline must be “as black as can be.” The end result arrives in “Mantan: The New Millenium Minstrel Show,” which instantly turns heads with its ability to push the bounds to an extent never seen before on television. Although Lee’s film is satirical, it shows the harsh reality
Instantly, we notice a strong sense of misrepresentation in the network office, as Delacroix walks into a meeting where he is the only minority. As the film progresses and the audience learns more about his character, we see that his whitewashed lifestyle is most likely the only reason he is even represented. In relation to Warren’s point on racial ambiguity, Spike Lee raises an issue with this strategy, because Delacroix seems to need to act white to get his job, but he is ridiculed for not acting black enough once he has the job. This leads into the question about skills required for certain tasks. The dichotomy between skills vs. ability is present throughout Mantan’s performance on his variety show. Mantan is initially depicted as a character who has no real talents, but he must work for financial reasons. The allure of Mantan revolves around his appearance and lifestyle, which highlights the limited roles for minorities. It is not until Delacroix desires to make a stereotypical black show, and then, Mantan is contacted about potential work. These is a representation of reality for many minority and female stars. It often seems that they will be requested for work when they fit a character’s type, but instead, it should be an equal playing field for all potential candidates for roles and jobs. In addition to minorities, the story exactly parallels Warren’s comment on women in the workforce. She explains that many women she talks to had “an internship that led to a fulltime job” (Warren). A scene in Bamboozled explains that Delacroix’s assistant, Sloan, had to perform sexual duties in order to receive the position. However, she always stated that she “had an internship that led to a fulltime job” (Warren). Perhaps a coincidence, but the movie proves that this occurrence happens too often. The story also seems to turn poorly for Delacroix’s character. His early role as