Blackkklansman: Bold But Comedic

 Courtney Woodring

Professor Wisniewski

Blog Post-Blackkklansman

November 20th, 2020


Blackkklansman directed by Spike Lee is by far my favorite film that we have watched so far in the semester. The movie's depiction of racism is straightforward and obvious. Making such a bold movie really made the issue at hand more passionate and intense. Racism is still at the core of America and I believe that this film addressed it in a fascinating, strong but comedic way.

Having a heavy plot in terms of there is always something happening just goes to show what the fight against racism is like. I found it rather interesting that we never saw any down time in the film. The only time that we ever see a character actually go to bed is when Felix and his wife do. This might be a far stretch, but to me this symbolizes how the fight against racism never stops and that those civil rights activists never rest. In fact, when Felix and his wife are shown falling asleep, their last conversation before drifting away is about being so excited to kill black people. That just goes to show how incredibly awful the fight against racism is actually like. 

On a lighter note, I also found the intended comedic relief moments to actually make me laugh for a change. The moment that Ron Stallworth called the president of the KKK and loudly expressed how much he hated black people, I physically laughed out. While the matter at hand shouldn't be laughed out, the appropriately placed jokes were well done. Another would just have to be Felix’s wife as a character. She just baffled me when it came to her undying love for her husband who from what I saw, treated her very poorly. She made me very angry but made me laugh a few times. From crying tears of joy because her husband was a member of the KKK to crying sexual assault on Stallworth, Connie Kendrickson just was unwatchable. 

Overall, the film was fantastic and I am definitely going to look more into some of Spike Lee’s other films. The jabs at our current presidential situation were well thought out and appreciated. The story of racism in America that is told in this film is one that I will always look back on.


Comments

  1. Kasimer ClarkNovember 22, 2020 at 8:06 PM

    I totally agree with your statement about the "down time" being sparse in the film. The symbolism, while possibly unintentional truly adds to the film's message.

    ReplyDelete

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