Blackkklansman: Ironically a Comedy
Chloe Kowalyk
Professor Wisniewski
Intro to Film
18/11/2020
Blackkklansman, directed by Spike Lee, is a fantastic film. I especially liked how Lee integrated aspects of real protests and fights for civil rights into the film. The clip of the protestors who were run over by a car at the end brought tears to my eyes. I also felt that the clip, in the beginning, was extremely effective. It depicted a crane shot from Gone With the Wind where Scarlett O’Hara is walking through a scene of dead Confederate soldiers. I had to watch this movie for one of my AP English classes in high school, so I jumped up when immediately recognized where it was from. Along with Gone With the Wind, Lee also includes scenes from Birth, which heavily romanticized the Ku Klux Klan. Both films embedded in Blackkklansman are racist and exemplify what Ron and Flip were investigating.
Another aspect of the film I really liked is that it was presented as a comedy. Something as touchy as the Holocaust, the KKK, and threats on people’s lives can be exhausting for viewers to watch. Things can quickly become depressing and unenjoyable. I think Spike Lee’s decision to make the film a comedy enhanced its viewing quality. Elements such as fear and remorse were still present, but you could still laugh at the film too. Comedic relief is extremely important, which is why Shakespeare always included a character for comedic relief in his plays (like Osric in Hamlet). However, it is important to make the distinction that Blackkklansman’s comedy is much different than the comedy in Parasite. Both focused on touchy subjects, but Parasite’s jokes seemed to lie more in situational and dramatic irony while the comedy in Blackkklansman was much more straightforward and literal. The comedic element to this film was perfectly done.
Overall, Blackkklansman was a very enjoyable film. I loved watching it, and I thought the character of Felix’s wife was so entertaining. She was so willing to blow someone up just because her husband (who was mean to her) asked her to, it was so bizarre. I would definitely recommend the film to a friend, as it is a fantastic watch.
Hi Chloe, I really enjoyed your blog. I definitely agree with your statement about the real life footage in the film. It really heightened the emotional aspect of racism and how it is a real issue, not just one portrayed in a film. I also totally agree with you on the comedy aspect of the film. This film does carry some heavy source material and the comedic moments really shed some light on the situation. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post, I also thought that the real life protests and footage added to the film, it made me emotional as well. I also really liked that you talked about how it was comedic, I noticed that it was nice to watch something about such a heavy topic but have some lighter moments throughout the film to take the edge away. Nice Work!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the comedy did help to enhance the film overall. I have seen films that try to handle touchy subjects like that make it hard to sit through because they are too serious throughout. The comedy helped the tough premise get swallowed down a lot easier.
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