You should watch this movie.

I wrote this for my American Racism class last semester.
The assignment: Employing the resources we have used so far, write a critical review of Bamboozled.

“Irony, derision or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice or stupidity.” The definition of the word satire, strategically recited over the thought-provoking lyrics of Stevie Wonder’s “Misrepresented People,” makes for an adumbrative introduction to Spike Lee’s controversial film Bamboozled. Just minutes into the film, while Wonder sings of the importance of disproving black stereotypes in the U.S., two principle characters are introduced to reinforce them. A recurring theme throughout Lee’s film is America’s denigration of African Americans in society and the factors that contribute to such racist tendencies. The most influential of these factors, Bamboozled would seem to suggest, is the African American people themselves. I believe that Lee’s purpose in creating this work was to deliver a message similar to the one emphasized in the film’s opening song: It is the responsibility of black Americans to “never be a misrepresented people.” The director attempts to do so through demonstrating the extreme opposite of this premise, an experiment that undoubtedly invokes outrage in the majority of viewers. While the exaggerated stereotyping and the characters’ racist language and behavior could easily be misinterpreted as intolerant rather than satirical, the historical accuracy and social tendencies depicted in Lee’s film demand that the educated audience member consider racism in America today, and the possibility that the fictional events that occur in Bamboozled could likely become a reality if society doesn’t change its ways.

In Bamboozled, Lee showcases black stereotypes employed both in the present day and in centuries past, and does so deliberately to demonstrate to the audience the striking similarities between the two. Most of the main characters in the film are African American men, depicted as lazy and carefree. Manray and Womack “work” on the streets for coins, and aspire only to make big money with little effort. To augment this view of the typical black man in society, the two performers’ names are changed for the “New Millennium Minstrel Show.” The dancer becomes Mantan: a reference to Mantan Moreland, a black actor from the 1930s and 40s who played up on African American stereotypes to entertain audiences as a dim-witted, easily frightened “manservant.” Womack is renamed “Sleep and Eat,” obviously suggesting that the typical black man wants nothing more than to spend his life sleeping and eating. Both characters cover themselves in blackface, a ritual originally created so that white actors could portray black characters. The fact that the director chose black actors to star in blackface further shows Lee’s belief that some African Americans help to reinforce black stereotypes, rather than destroy them. Manray, especially, is ready and willing to belittle black Americans and encourage racist thoughts and behavior, as long as he’s promised a paycheck.

In addition to the black performers, Lee introduces another group to show a more modern form of black stereotypes. The Mua Muas, a group of aspiring African American hip-hop artists, attempt to refute negative views on black society. Their behavior, however, represents a perfect example of such negative opinions. The group spends their time sitting around drinking and smoking, and doing not much else. The “music” they create is derogatory, and reflects mostly on themselves in a negative light. The action they do eventually take (killing Mantan) demonstrates the violent tendencies that are often believed to be characteristics of black men, further encouraging African American stereotypes.

The only woman in the film with a significant role is Sloan, an attractive and ambitious black woman who disagrees with the production of “The New Millennium Minstrel Show” due to its denigrating material. Sloan represents the typical black woman in the historical representation of a black family—she’s strong and opinionated, and seen as a sexual object (especially in the original script of Bamboozled). The women portrayed in the minstrel show have small roles and do not speak. I believe the reasoning behind this is that the show’s intention was to accentuate the negative stereotypes of black Americans, and the most belittling and potentially entertaining stereotypes are of male slaves.

Dunwitty, who helps get the minstrel show on the air, is familiar with the success that stereotypically “black” entertainment has in the media. The CNS Entertainment V.P. tells Delacroix that African Americans “set the trends,” and that the best way to sell a television program is to incorporate them into it. I believe that Spike Lee intended for the stereotypical black characters in “The New Millennium Minstrel Show” to represent the African American entertainers of today who are determined to earn a few extra dollars, even if it means exploiting their own people and spreading negative views directed at their race. Bamboozled viewers are astonished to see the audience of the minstrel show delighted at such racist implications presented on stage—a reaction that may have been expected from an audience from 60 plus years ago. Lee is demonstrating in this way how history may “repeat itself”—in other words, society may revert to its previous ways of thinking if African American entertainers continue to make racist language and behavior acceptable and enjoyable.

Spike Lee’s satirical film Bamboozled cleverly demonstrates the entertainment industry’s ability to alter social opinion, whether for better or worse, by showing a fictional exaggeration of the very real misrepresentation of African Americans in the media. For the audience member who recognizes the parallels between “The New Millennium Minstrel Show,” the entertainment of past centuries, and the entertainment of today, Bamboozled is a thought-provoking film that encourages viewers to look at modern society and consider how to prevent the hypothetical events Lee presents from occurring in our future. I believe that Lee did an excellent job of bringing elements of racial beliefs throughout history and those of today together to scare Bamboozled’s mature audience members into looking at the path American society is going down, and comparing it to those we’ve already travelled. I think Lee hoped to inspire change in the way African Americans portray themselves, as well as in how all Americans view the issue of race. While convincing the entertainment industry to stop using the “N” word and start respecting everyone equally would be next to impossible, I do believe that Lee’s film succeeded in its goal on an individual basis, and that few people who view Bamboozled are unaffected by its message.

--Kathleen Wilson, 10-1-2007


More writings: check out the posts titled "Some stuff I found" and "Thank you, Mr. Brewner."