Okay, so this morning I woke up and turned on the TV. I was hoping to get in some Saturday morning cartoon action, but, alas,  there really was nothing credible on. So I somehow ended up on the StarzMystery channel and you would not believe what was playing…None other than, In The Heat of the Night. You know, the 1967 film where Sidney Poitier gets to slap the racist owner of the town’s cotton field (the series was pretty good but it wasn’t the classic the film was).

Well, ya’ll might not know it, but that’s my joint right there. Poitier played Tibbs with such dignity in contrast to the various illiterate rednecks he comes into contact with. I think Rod Steiger was just as good as Potier in that movie, though. He actually had the meatier part if you think about it. His character (who also had a coolness about him) is the one whose heart really changes over the course of the film. Have you ever noticed in the very last scene of that film the Chief is carrying Virgil Tibbs’ bag for him? Brilliant.

 So then the movie that comes on right after that is Crimson Tide. (Although I have no idea why this film would even be considered as material for StarzMystery. I mean it’s high drama at it’s best but not really a mystery in the classic sense. But, I digress.) If you haven’t seen this peach of a movie, it has Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington as Captain and First Mate of a nuclear submarine respectively. Hackman is in favor of starting a nuclear war and Denzel wants to wait a while and think about it and there you have it… underwater hijinks ensue. See it, you’ll love it.

 After digesting the second flick I started thinking about how these movies really portray the two aspects of racism our country has been struggling with since its pre-beginning. ITHOTN represents the overt racism. It’s oppressive, it’s in your face, it’s confrontational, and in large part it’s unrepentant. ITHOTN dealt with the ugly ignorant side of racism older folks on both sides of the melanin spectrum remember just too well. This type of Racism still exists today, but because of the Poitiers, and the Cosbys, and the Powells of the world, it’s been swept into a corner  and in most places it’s been replaced by a much more insidious type of racism. This is the militaristic “don’t ask don’t tell” version of racism.

 That’s where Crimson Tidecomes in. Make no mistake about it, this movie is about race. Don’t let anyone tell you different. I’ve heard the whiney arguements:

The race of the characters is never mentioned in the movie.

Then there’s the old:

The movie is virtually colorblind. Denzel’s character could have just as easily been played by Tom Cruise.

To which I say bullpucky. The racial tension is overwhelming in this flick. Just peep the scene where the senior officers ralley around the Captain and forcibly take the Sub back from Denzel and the men loyal to him. His first real glance amid this ruckus is at Westergard (you know him better as Joey from Roc), the only other black officer, who simply lowers his eyes in shame. Keep in mind these two had not been shown to even acknowledge each other previously in the film. So if this movie doesnAnd don’t tell me the discussion about the color of Lipizzaner Stallions was only about horses. The only people who don’t see the racial themes in this movie are crazy people and white people (interestingly enough crazy white people do see the connection…hmmm). It’s there, and to deny it reminds one that there are people in our great nation who claim racism no longer exists at all.

These people need to see both of these movies back to back like I did this morning and compare the physical and emotional  slaps both respectable black men must endure. Maybe they’ll start to understand that racism is still alive and well in the good old U S of A if you just look a little beneath the surface.

 Deac

Q) But Deac you said this blog would be have something to do with the field of comic books.

A) Well, would you believe that Denzel’s character in Crimson Tide is a comic book fan? He actually settles a dispute about who was the better artist on Silver Surfer, Jack Kirby, or Moebius. Denzel went with Kirby…I concur.

p.s. Tom Cruise couldn’t hold Denzel’s acting jock.