Movies That Move We : Little Mermaid review

[richardmurray]

 

 

MY THOUGHTS AS I LISTENED

 

1:17 the third black disney princess 

1:22 Hans Christian Anderson version was so different than this.

2:17 mmessages to  children and adults, remember christianity was originally taught through moral tales, not the bible, cause most couldn't read

3:45 good memory research, I never knew Queen latifah played ursula 

4:17 why did you like Melissa mccarthy's ursula

4:41 based on inflation , the animated made more

4:58 school time: Cinderella with brandy side whitney  : noni rose as tiani in princess and frog;  princess of wakanda in the Black Panther series; Halley Bailey as Ariel is fourth

6:26 yeah, the creature in the film lady in the water is more like what anderson or europan historical fiction described mermaids are

8:23 that's right Merida, I will fight for my own hand!

9:05 a lot of urban usa, most of rural usa isn't mixed

9:28 I can see the despisal of the female characters whose only goal is to get a man being slowly murdered off inpsires you:) 

10:50 your nice to disney, Disney over the last thirty years, is trying to make more money by placating the modern audience which has non white males with money. Disney would go bak to fantasia's black centaurs if the dollars went that way

11:49 Great point, philosophically having the casting untied to how characters are described is supposed to lead all in the audience to be aracial but it doesn't really work out that way

13:01 and they probably felt they wanted sebastian to be less "caribbean"

14:17 I remember telling people, this movie will make a ton of money. Disney knows how to make money. They comprehend how to be effective commercialist using art, I don't see them as culturally caring as many suggest but...

15:32 meow!:) leo season, have fun 

 

IN AMENDMENT

 

Again, I was very fortunate as a black child, not merely to be raised by two black parents of the opposite gender, but also cause both of my parents were knowledgeable of and exposed me to the cultures of the many black tribes in the black village. The one biggest problem, many communities have is their miscomprehension to their internal variance. It isn't that humans in any community don't comprehend the internal variance exist. But I find most people growing up tend to be raised by parents or guardians who criminalize, a negative bias, to be honest, those in their community by one racial standard who don't share something about them on another racial standard. 

I am of the same phenotypical race as clarence thomas. But we are not of the same philosophical race. But what is the point? The point I don't mind Clarence Thomas being of a different tribe in the village than me. Most black people do. That is the problem. Can you accept that other black tribes to thrive will hinder your own tribe? 

But what does this have to do with the little mermaid. 

Two things, each tribe in the black village in the usa has its own heritage<what is carried> or culture < what is grown> , that has similarities, but also variances to the other tribes in the village. Part of that heritage is its fantasy or mythology. Some tribes in the black village embrace white fantasy brewed of the usa, like huckleberry finn or disney products as their own. Some don't. I don't see disney products as black, but that doesn't mean I think all other black people do or most importantly, all other black people should. The problem is, again, too many black people think other black people should be changed. That is the simple truth in the black community. 

The second is, whenever Black people are present in media, no matter who is financing it, black people have to ask themselves the simple question. Does this represent us? And there lies a huge problem for the black village in the usa, cause the black village in the usa has so many tribes with unjoinable cultures or heritages that dysfunctional argument is all that can come from Black discourse on our identity in media. IT doesn't anyone is wrong or right in the discourse, but the tribes have differences that can not be bridged. And no tribe is strong enough to sway the others, unlike to be fair, the white village in the usa, who has tribes strong enough to move the entire village even if many tribes don't want it . ala the civil rights act. You can see this with the global Chinese community and the commonly called mainland. 

And this is where Disney's the little mermaid comes front and center. 

A village that has no central identity, because it doesn't have a dominant tribe in itself, can't make clear delineations to what is acceptable or not, which some tribes in the black village in the usa want as well. But, this means black discourse becomes an automatic negative whenever identity comes into play. 

So, a white film depicting a black mermaid based on a tale from a white european man to the modern global ticketbuyer who ars a hyper multiracial blend creates... an autonegative discourse in the black community, where no one is wrong, or right, but concurrence of thought between the members of the village is nearly dead. 

 

And this discussion by @Pioneer1 in this forum is a prime example

White People Who Can Pass For Black, Brown, and Yellow. - Culture, Race & Economy - African American Literature Book Club (aalbc.com)

The commentors are literally repeating their points because how one views race doesn't have a bridge to another when it simple doesn't. It becomes either someone just gives in and says they change their position or they say nothing. But everything else is repetition unless a deeper issue is discussed. The deeper issue is black identity in the usa, but as i said, the only way discourse can come to an all agree is if all have the same position. But which black tribe's position will be used? Again, Frederick Douglass was booed by a crowd of all black people speaking his composite nation speech. Douglass is a man that most blacks of wealth, the black one percent,  in the modern usa tout as a hero, what does it say that most blacks booed him at the end of his days and most blacks in modernity, the black ninety nine percent, boo the blacks of wealth today? The cohesion in history comes from the same problem. A position on blacks relationship to the usa isn't accepted between the tribes so you get argument and no actions. 

@Pioneer1 also asked the following

Help A Brother Out......My Thinking Patterns and Perspectives of the World - Culture, Race & Economy - African American Literature Book Club (aalbc.com)

But it is another prime example of different tribes. The reality is, every black home should had taught what should had been common knowledge. That the black community, a phenotypical race, in the usa began its existence in the usa unlike the whites, with a lack of cohesion that has never gone away. It is that simple. When black militants say: my forebears wanted to kill whites, they are correct, but not all black forebears in the usa wanted to do that or did do that.. When black voters say: my forebears fought to get the vote side whites as equals, they are correct, but not all black forebears in the usa wanted to do that or did do that. So you get people in the Black community as adults wondering why the Black community has such negative discourse, why blacks don't do like they do, when the answer should had been told to them by their parents who knew. 

And , just in case you may think this is an isolated issue in the black community in the usa, it isn't. I argue it is the usa's great problem.

The entire issue with the entertainment industry is the culture of slavery in fiscal capitalism in the usa, which is purer to the usa than unions or individual rights or anything else.

Hollywood KAput

The only thing that survived the english colonial form of the usa into its independent self from the british empire to modernity is slavery. Yes, slavery still exist in the penal system in the usa today. And yet, while all in the usa know this, the lack of this truth in the homes of people growing up, which all adults know, leads to people's shock that the fiscally wealthy desire or manage fiscal capitalsm in the usa to always be a slavery based way. From Ronald Reagan cutting government programs to give money to the rich , like the taking of native american land to grow plantations. From failed banks being given a welfare check by Bush jr + Obama like when the southern agrarian economy couldn't return to its former profitable self in reconstruction and the government embraced jim crow to get black people into the southern prison systems to revitalize the southern agrarian economy, which happened to gilded wealth accumulation. From the automotive or entertainment industries failures while being supported by the usa government reflects how the enslavers who lost everything were given it all back by the usa government , through the usa's power curtaling the essence of fiscal capitalistic that the usa advertises. But the key is all in the usa know this, but few say it. And some want slavery in a stronger form to make a comeback , ala the robot. The point being the usa's 300 million make up a village with a quite large number of tribes who don't fit together, heritage-wise or culturally or philosophically, but raise their children and suggest in themselves that a unity exist or will exist which of course is a simple lie, but which creates the discourse battles leading to no where.

 

Finally, and away from things, thanks to @harry brown

for announcing the anniversary of AALBC. I still have goals I want to see in this ecommunity and hopefully they will happen. 

 

 

 

[richardmurray]

Jos Rodriguez somewhere else made the following statement to the little mermaid film

 

My comment may not necessarily be as preferred because I think that it’s a double edge sword in one instance I think that is amazing that we have young black girls coming up in the movies and being seen and shown to all the little black girls and black boys, and I think that there is no words to describe how amazing of an impact that can have one society on the psyches of our next generation as a whole. However, the second part of that is I think that they throw bones because they deprive us so much that any one little thing is made into the super huge big thing when we should be celebrated all the time, not just given permission to be celebrated because of a certain instance, and I said it’s a double edge sword because I don’t want the latter part of my comment to taint the preceding comment

 

The following is my reply 

 

You ask four questions

a)Who or what determines representation in film?

b)What is the importance of seeing one's community in film?

c)Who or what determines how films are produced?

d)How can their be constant black presence in film?

The answers

a)Someone with money determines it. Someone has to pay for a film. They have to pay the actors/directors/screenwriters et cetera. This is not free.

If I am the producer of a film and you + nike are screenwriters. And you guy say, we want a paraplegic female heroine. If I say no, its no. why ? cause this is my money. At the end of the day, film's are one of the most expensive art projects so who gives the final say is the money. And in the USA who has the most money? Whites.

b) Film has become the modern book, rightly or wrongly, people don't do to books they go to film in some fashion: films/t.v./streaming to get content and sequentially, films is the primary source of media content and artistic identity for all communities. What's the problem? Black people have a literary legacy in the usa from the 1800s, so black people's representation in literature is over 150 years old in the usa. But, literature is a cheaper form of media than film. Film is expensive again, so the odds of seeing yourself in film is reflected by the financial oppulence in your community. White asians have chinese or japanese cinema. Indians of all phenotype have the various indian cinemas. White europeans or africans or americans have hollywood+ European cinema. Black africans/americans/europeans have Nollywood + independent film makers. Thus Black cinema is simply smaller in output or exposure thus , black people don't see themselves as much in the modern book, a problem. But the question is, why can't black parents figure out how to focus black children onto the literary world?

c) This question is the culture war question. Many people in the usa, white or black, want films to cater to all audiences, a multiracial audience. The problem is, producers, the people with the money, are not obliged to cater to all audiences. And I take myself. I am black. If I finance a movie, all black cast, black director, black musicians for the soundtrack, do I have to add someone white? But the reverse question also applies. If I finance a movie, all white cast, white director, white musicians for the soundtrack, do I have to add someone black? the answer to both question is no. PRoducers are using their money. Now when the government finances films then multiracial is justified as that is tax money. But private enterprise isn't obliged to spend their money based on anyone else but themselves.

d) The only way their be constant presence of black people in film, ala heavy saturation in film/t.v./streaming/ all other film/video media forms is money. Someone has to pay the bill for all of that. I remember Tyler PErry had the largest single film studio lot by square meter and i asked then what I asked now, who will finance all the films and shows to be in that studio? Comprehend one other element, film making is historically a financial loser. Most films don't break even.

[ProfD]

5 hours ago, richardmurray said:

At the end of the day, film's are one of the most expensive art projects so who gives the final say is the money.

 

The problem is, producers, the people with the money, are not obliged to cater to all audiences.

That's right. The final say belongs to whoever holds the purse strings.

 

I don't have a problem with producers making films for their audience. 

 

I'm not a fan of Tyler Perry's work. But, I respect the fact that he's built his own stiudio and production company.

 

If Black folks want to control how they see themselves in art and entertainment and more importantly how they are portrayed, it's time to put up (money) or shut up i.e. complain about how white folks represent us.

 

Black folks aren't exempt from consumerism. Pool our resources and invest in entertainmemt companies or buy sports teams.

 

Last week, a white man and a few investors including Magic Johnson bought my home football team for $6.05 billion dollars.

[richardmurray]

@ProfD yeah well,   I concur to your position with one adjustment. IT is time for financially wealthy blacks to put up so the financial poor blacks can shut up.

Hollywood happened because white jews knew white bankers to finance early hollywood and the theaters it needs and the transportation it needs, and the salaries for the workers it needs, and the workplaces< studios> it needs. 

Netflix and Twitter and youtube and a bunch of white owned esocial firms were allowed debt because of white banks connected to the federal reserve system and the financial market overseers, by blood or communion. 

Blacks banks don't have that financial power and when it comes to starting a business the reality is, you can't guarantee success, you can't. And we did own BEt, a black person sold it so... you are saying try again? The harlem rens was a black owned basketball team that played in black community harlem, that played in black designed renaissance ballroom that had the money to enter the nba, the club owners said no regardless of the money. so... you are saying try again? 

Black people haven't been idle you know, but nonviolence has limits. If white man in the usa says no to blacks , well what?

 

yeah, even though all new owners of any club in the nfl have to be approved by the other owhers. so it isn't just a money thing. the other owners who are all billionaires one way or the other have to be convinced of you and that is why I think no nfl team had more than three owners in its history. 

[ProfD]

47 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

IT is time for financially wealthy blacks to put up so the financial poor blacks can shut up.

Nope. It's time for Black folks collectively to pool their resources and invest in things that make money. 

 

Funny thing is, the poorest Black folks will drop every piece of spare change they have in a offering basket at church. Zero return on investment (ROI).

 

Talk about starting a business and the same Black folks' eyes will gloss over as if they've been asked to take a differential equations exam.

[richardmurray]

@ProfD 

Revenue to start a black business by blacks ( input)= sum(rand()*mentality(input[i]))%monthly_income(input[i]) ; i=1 to totalpopulationofadultblacks)

Revenue to start a black business by blacks' = C

 

this is a good one

Quote

Funny thing is, the poorest Black folks will drop every piece of spare change they have in a offering basket at church. Zero return on investment (ROI).

 

Talk about starting a business and the same Black folks' eyes will gloss over as if they've been asked to take a differential equations exam.

 

[Pioneer1]

Well, as a bit of an aside.....Mermaids are actually real.

When you see REAL one you'll notice that they'll be Black....dark skinned Black with straight hair.
They look similar to the Dravidians and Aboriginal Australians.

I don't know too much about them but I know they come from a time way before White people existed.

Some people say they are male/female mixed and can have offspring without sexual intercourse.

 

[ProfD]

12 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Well, as a bit of an aside.....Mermaids are actually real.

 

I don't know too much about them but I know they come from a time way before White people existed.

OK.  I know you don't use narcotics to get high. 

 

Whatever you *believe* about mermaids and aliens stems from an active imagination. 

 

But, I won't try to convince you that neither of them exists because I don't have any evidence or proof. 

[Pioneer1]

11 hours ago, ProfD said:

OK.  I know you don't use narcotics to get high. 

 

Whatever you *believe* about mermaids and aliens stems from an active imagination. 

 

But, I won't try to convince you that neither of them exists because I don't have any evidence or proof. 

 

I personally don't have proof but I've talked to credible people who said they've seen Mermaids, especially down in the Caribbean and Madagascar Africa.
They all said these mermaids were Black or dark brown in color with straightish hair.

[Chevdove]

On 7/23/2023 at 7:56 PM, richardmurray said:

 

 

1:17 the third black disney princess 

1:22 Hans Christian Anderson version was so different than this. ... 

 

I have not seen this movie. After my kids grew up, I've drifted away from watching a lot of films but if I get free time, I would watch it because it seems to be a great film.

 

I have not watched the Princess and the Frog but that too seems like a good film but I did watch Cinderella, the new version with Brandy and Whiteney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg.

 

I thought what the review host said was very interesting. I can see now that Disney is doing this because they want to shift the narrative and theme to include Black females as being princesses. And, as she said too, I can see that Disney is trying to change other past accepted beliefs and is why the prince in Cinderella was Asian, however, I thought this was a little far fetched. The casting of Whoopi and the queen mother and the actor as the father who was White, makes sense that the prince could be acceptable as being Asian, but still, it was odd imo. Other than that, I loved the movie. I loved the Step-mother and the actresses that played the sisters. 

 

Now though, because of the back lash about the princess in The Little Mermaid, it makes me laugh to imagine a movie being remade with Belle being Black for The Beauty and the Beast! LOL. 

 

Side Note too: The original Cinderella is Black anyway! I've written about this in that, it is the very story remade by Europeans in White face, but they got this story from the Biblical Book, SONG OF SOLOMON of the Black Virgin that Solomon wrote about. And although, mermaids are fantastical, I vaguely remember reading about ancient legends during the pre-Greek Classical Age and etc. of how ancient peoples stories about male half-human-half-fish sea creatures, sea-dragons and etc. Mermons (male mermaids) were common myths in ancient times, so maybe that is why Disney thought it would be a good idea to make a modern version of Little Mermaid be Black. 

 

[richardmurray]

@Chevdove and add there is an acting community that wants the universalism of casting. I saw richard III with danai gurira as richard III and various other actors who would not be cast in the characters of the play. Creatively it was fine, but the issues isn't creativity it is culture. Some people will never want that aracial casting standard. so.. we will see how entertainment industry goes from here in the usa.

[Chevdove]

On 7/29/2023 at 6:55 PM, richardmurray said:

I saw richard III with danai gurira as richard III and various other actors who would not be cast in the characters of the play. C

 

Wow! That's interesting.

She's beautiful and a great actress. 

I think she can pull off just about any role she wants to do.

 

[richardmurray]

@Chevdove yeah, it was shakespeare in the park

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/richard-iii-about/14430/

[Pioneer1]

I haven't seen the Little Mermaid but I've heard about it.

Is it true that the movies is basically about this Black mermaid who chases around a White boy and seeks her love and approval?

[richardmurray]

Well:) @Pioneer1

first, hans christian anderson's little mermaid story can be described basically about this white mermaid who chases around a white boy and seeks his love and approval?

So any story based on the little mermaid will probably have a female mermaid chasing after a male human seeking his love and approval.

Sequentially, the greater question is, do you like the original story? 

If the original story base points are to your disliking than any version will be.