The Help And Spielberg's Portrayal Of Racism In Film

“I want to stop that moment from coming--and it come in every white child's life--when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites. (Columbus & Taylor, 2011)” Much like this message that was delivered in the movie The Help, it has always been a challenge for producers to create films that portray controversial themes, namely racism. Especially recently, viewers are quick to cross-examine movies and vocalize any issues they discover. The Help (Columbus & Taylor, 2011) and The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) are two films that are notorious for receiving an intense amount of backlash (in addition to praise) upon release because many audience members disagreed with the way that the films depict African American characters.
Yurii Horton, along with other authors, wrote Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media and Entertainment Industries (1999), which is an article that is used as a reference point in this essay to relate the two films to one another, and to scrutinize them using criteria that are alluded in the article. Although The Help and The Color Purple do a commendable job of attempting to accurately portray the lives of African Americans in the 20th century and contribute positively toward filtering out racism from Hollywood’s film industry, The Help does a better job of providing viewers with a story that is relatable and comedic to all audiences; therefore, creating an opportunity for it’s message to reach farther. One of the most prominent criticisms that controversial films receive is that said films do not accurately depict the struggles of African Americans. Namely, they are accused of not being harsh enough. Likewise, the previously mentioned films did not have a shortage of this exact criticism. As far as how the plot of the movies gave viewers a look at racism, they are very similar. The Help (Columbus & Taylor, 2011) followed the story of a group of African American nannies and housekeepers who were hired by white men and women. One of the biggest issues that audience members had with this movie was that the view that is portrayed is very narrow: the movie solely follows these characters and their struggles, which do not seem very severe when compared to many other African Americans at the time. On the other hand, The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) follows the story of a young African American girl who went through much turmoil in her life as she changed households and encountered multiple different abusers and toxic relationships as she ultimately struggled to reunite with her long-lost sister. Although this story is harsh enough to satisfy the desire of some viewers to give justice to the struggles of African Americans, the story is so specific that the view of said struggles is limited. Overall, The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) does a slightly better job of accurately depicting the issue of racism, specifically in the 20th century; however, The Help does a commendable job, so the difference between the two is not vast. Although both films are primarily about racism, both do an admirable job of disseminating information about the issue, and can be contrasted on the specific act, they are very similar in how they achieve another goal: contributing in filtering out racism in Hollywood itself.
Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media and Entertainment Industries (1999) explains how, since the beginning of this nation as a whole, people of color have been treated as being inferior to white people. Unsurprisingly, when it comes to the film industry, this concept is present as an archetype. It was not long ago when absolutely no non white actors and actresses would be hired to perform in films. Instead, whenever a person of character was to be present in a movie, a white actor or actress would artificially blacken their complexion using paint in a process called “blackface.” Now, this process is frowned upon and is universally known to be a racist act, but it was the only way that movies contained characters of color for a long time. Therefore, the presence of actual African American actors and actresses in both movies contributes to a more inclusive film industry. Furthermore, these movies are famous for being controversial for a reason. For a long time, it was frowned upon to discuss “lewd” topics which are present in both movies such as racism, sexuality, and physical abuse. Both movies, which contain views of all of these aspects, unconsciously contributed toward the change of the
structure of Hollywood’s film industry. This is not a process that has been meant to happen immediately, so any progress that is made at all makes a huge difference, and both of the previously mentioned movies made tremendous, cumulative progress, which has made it possible for more movies which contain similar themes to be created in the future.
Despite the fact that both movies have contributed to the prolonged transformation of Hollywood, another more essential element remains: getting people to watch the movies and to enjoy them. Because of the presence of themes in both movies that are controversial and sometimes hard to watch, it is crucial for the movies to be attractive to a wide range of audiences (in order to widely spread the message), and be entertaining enough that viewers do not feel uncomfortable after watching them. In this regard, The Help (Columbus & Taylor, 2011) does a better job. All the while, both movies did a admirable job of containing a cast of actors and actresses that viewers would be excited to see. Although The Help contains subjects that are thought-provoking, the movie contains a lot of comedy, and viewers are left with several comedic moments that are worth talking about. On the other hand, The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) is both too outdated for modern audiences and is considerably brash for the purpose of opening the minds of doubtful viewers. It does not do a horrible job of being a movie that is enjoyable and definitely worth watching, but it does not appeal to modern audiences as well as The Help.
In summary, The Help (Columbus & Taylor, 2011) and The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) are two movies that have made a positive impact on the world.
Enormous audiences have felt the legacies of these two movies and, as a whole, they have brought the issue of racism to the forefront of countless conversations. Even though The Color Purple provides viewers with a slightly more realistic perspective of the absurd lives of African Americans in the 20th century, and both movies have pushed Hollywood businesses in a more accepting and progressive direction, The Help is the more superior movie; to elaborate, The Help is a movie with a much more modern feel. The presence of comedy in the movie also makes it much easier to watch than The Color Purple. To conclude, even though these movies were criticized for not being forthright enough in the issue of racism to many people, they have made a difference for better in the world since they were released. Despite what nitpicking people do, any effort made is welcome, because it gets conversations started. Little by little, movies like these and other ventures that address the issue bring the world closer to finally eradicating
racism.