Halle Berry's winning the Oscar for her performance in "Monster's Ball" was an exciting moment, I am sure, in her life as well as for all the African American women who have gone before her to help create this moment in time. I mean, that is the "prize" correct? To play such an awesome performance in a motion picture and walk away with an Oscar.
But one has to really think, what was her role? Her character was a black widower of a death row inmate who fell in love with a racist prison guard. Nothing against Halle Berry, I LOVE HER, but wow, an Oscar for a role depicting the black woman, in my opinion, in another negative way. But hey, who I am to judge what the mass population, or at least those who had the opportunity to vote towards her winning, thought was a stellar performance. Reading Joanne Kilgour Dowdy" Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films has caused me to better analyze the "why" behind the win. Did the voter's really love Halle's performance so well, or did they agree with the image that was being portrayed on the "Big Screen".
Either way, I will now look at movies more critically that feature African American women as the main character. What story are the directors trying to tell? Does it "lift up or tear down our image?
Again, I have no issues with the performers, they are making their way in a very hard profession. I just feel as the viewer, we need to really be careful or be more sensitive to what is being shown as an example of what an African American Woman looks life in real life...
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