MovieChat Forums > The Pelican Brief (1993) Discussion > Denzel's position on white women is stup...

Denzel's position on white women is stupid

posted 19 years ago by ccr1633
33 replies | jump to latest

There are a ton of movies that show black men and black women being intimate on the screen, including sex scenes. It's absolutely pointless for Denzel to compromise the source material of a movie (whether his shunning of white women prompted the script change I do not know) because he thinks that he's doing a disservice to his brothers and sisters by being intimate with white women. Talk about a backwards mentality.

Does his still harbor these ridiculous sentiments?

By the way, I've seen cliched statements here saying that white people still have a "problem" with black men dating or marrying white women. What is the evidence for this? The only people I hear or see screeching on about this issue are black women.

[–] cbaldwinjr 19 years ago

well, MY "cliche" statement comes from the fact that my ex-gf's dad, who is Italian, claimed that my dating his daughter "wasn't right" and that i "didn't belong" with his daughter. only problem for me with the equation is that her sister's husband is Hispanic and dear ol' Dad had no problem.

the way i look at it...there are things that can't be erased over a period of decades when the problems existed/lasted for centuries. the stigma of the savage black man lusting for white women is one of them...that ideal, that taboo is why that one interracial element above all others causes problems. not so much black women/white men or whites/hispanics, white/asians, etc. Black men seem to cause something different psychologically in white men...ironically, my ex's mother treated me about as well as can be expected. then again, she kinda has a thing for ving rhames ;)

as for denzel's stance...i think it had a place 10-15 years ago, but now...there's too much representation of black men/white women on-screen to perpetuate the taboo. it's amazing how DISAPPOINTED the on-screen female leads are (mimi rogers in the mighty quinn, kelly lynch in virtuosity and julia in the pelican brief).

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 15 years ago

Didn't Denzel's character technically sleep with white women in He Got Game, Malcolm X, Ricochet and American Gangster? Cbaldwinjr, don't forget Embeth Davidtz in Fallen, though she was great with him in that movie.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.

[–] cbaldwinjr 14 years ago

He Got Game yes. Malcolm X...that was historical, yes. Ricochet...he's sedated and blackmailed...part of the script. American Gangster, she's Puerto Rican...definitely not white. I honestly haven't watched Fallen...so I can't comment on that.

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 13 years ago

^^You're right, the actress was puerto-rican, my fault.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.

[–] venusebony 15 years ago

I agree with the OP that Denzel Washington's attitude needs to change BUT remember that movie the Pelican Brief was made in the early 1990s. It is a different time now than the 1990s. Society definitely has a problem with black men and white women in interacial romantic movies. How many interacial movies with black men and white women have been made in the last ten years?

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 13 years ago

^^What about Hancock? Will Smith & Charlize Theron.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.

[–] ol_dj 12 years ago

Yeah but the moral of Hancock was that nature was against black guys and white women being together.

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 12 years ago

Apprantly some people didn't like the fact that they had a kiss scene in the film, so it was cut from the film and then put back in the DVD.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

[–] valsignelse 18 years ago

Go on the Heidi Klum board. It's disgusting.

[–] dramaqueen-19 18 years ago

I personally dissagree with his position on the topic. I believe that, maybe 20+ years ago he'd have had point. But in this time...at this point ... there's no excuse. He says its because of the repercussions of the 'black women' .. but, if that's so true ; why doesn't break the mold? What, is his wife that way? I doubt it. He's an actor, and a powerful one. I don't understand why he doesn't do what he wants, and not base his decision on what he thinks the "public" would say.

Personally, if I were Julia Roberts (or any of the women he's refused and requested a re-write) I'd be insulted. I'd have to ask "Do you really feel this way? Or is someone talking for you?!"

Also, I find it odd that he requested a re-write! I mean, the book, goodness! The book pretty much states it in a way to lead you to the idea that they ended up together. I mean, I agree whole-heartidly Denzel on the fact that this is a serious movie. Do I think sex should have been in it? No! But if he'd kissed her in the second to last scene, where she's leaving and she runs back to hug him, would it have been more affective? YES!

I dunno what the world's coming to if people still have these views on integrating marraiges ... I'm white. And I thinik he's sexy as hell ... nothing wrong with that is there?

I'd have to marry a guy from tvHoratio Caine or Jack Bauer because real love sucks!

[–] Van-Fro 13 years ago

Wasn't this movie made 20 years ago?

[–] ol_dj 12 years ago

you people are just falling for the okie doke. denzel did that to protect julia roberts bc YOU KNOW if they made out in the movie she never would have been marketable as the 'america's sweetheart' that she was being groomed for and soon became. our myopic hindsight let's us say well why didn't they do this or that, but come on. it would have cut the legs off of her promising career and she would have been viewed by the public as just another girl bc of it, and relegated worse than her brother.

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

sounds constitutional to me.

His name...was Julio Iglesias!

[–] qqq-57 17 years ago

Well, this discussion is actually the most exciting (is that spelled right) one i've stumbled upon in many a moon. And the more i've been discussing this subject with people, the more i've come to realize that white people (i live in Denmark Scandinavia) are actually not the racists any more, black people / people from the middle east and the Arabian Emirats are actually the racists now a days.

But on topic, seeing a white man and a black woman is THE one relationship that makes the most blood boil. Maybe because of the rarity of it, i don't know, but that really gets peoples goats... Personally i don't give a rats ass, but racist coments and what not, drove my ex girlfriend so crazy she up and split...

Again the thing that black / colored women are proud, maybe too proud or scared to get into a relation with a man of different color (i refuse to say race here, that's just too stuupid)...

any ways, that's my take, but as far as Denzel wanting to have the script rewritten, i would take that as a personal offence

[–] tfilm78 17 years ago

Um, where do we find that Denzel asked for a rewrite?

The book does seem to suggest that they end up together, but in the book, Grantham is also clearly white.

Grisham, as a fairly new novelist, probably thought he needed a good romance to sell the book. But I found it hard to believe that she'd immediately want a rebound relationship after her last boyfriend got blown up. And a love story would have been distracting from the main story, IMHO. It's a political thriller, first and foremost.

[–] Banky-4 17 years ago

I have to agree, a romance between Gray and Darby wouldn't have fit the story, and indeed hurt it, so either way, I think it's omission worked in the film's favor.

[–] Hei_Shibing 17 years ago

"And the more i've been discussing this subject with people, the more i've come to realize that white people (i live in Denmark Scandinavia) are actually not the racists any more, black people / people from the middle east and the Arabian Emirats are actually the racists now a days. "

Bit of a stupid thing to say, qqq-57. Don't know what Denzel's position IS on white women, but even if it is as they SAY, his opinion does not then filter down to every Black person on the planet, just as Hitler's anti-semitic views weren't shared by every German. Black people aren't the racists nowadays - racist people are.

The next sentence is false. The previous sentence is true

[–] AtheistRevolution 12 years ago

LOL! No longer racist. Don't confuse hiding what you believe behind political correctness as not being racist.There are a lot of places you can visit in 2012 that will show you something. Neo=nazi's running around Europe beating up blacks,Jews,etc. In my state you had a guy refusing to marry interracial couples. You have churches that refused to marry interracial couples. A town in Florida that actually had a sign up saying,"you better be out by sundown if you're N." The list is just endless. Check out SPLC for all the hate crimes also.You're delusional and misinformed.

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.

[–] ridgerunner72160 17 years ago

Good for Denzel Washington. It's nice to see that there's somebody left in Hollywood besides Mel Gibson who has some sense. 99% of those nitwits in Hollywood are either insane or borderline retarded nowadays.

[–] Prom_Queen_Carrie 16 years ago

you're obviously a racist troll venting your frustration via the internet judging by your posts. Ignore list you go.

"zing zing zing went my heartstrings, from the moment I saw him I fell"

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] throcko1 16 years ago

I thought the lack of a cheesy romance strengthened the movie. I was afraid that Grantham and Shaw were going to kiss at the end, but they shared a hug instead, which seemed much more realistic. Instead of completely falling for the reporter who helped get her story out, they simply became good friends. I don't think race had anything to do with it, but I think that it did keep a fairly original movie from falling into cliche.

[–] jones8557-1 13 years ago

I'm glad they didn't have a sex scene. The movie didn't need it although it is in the book. It would have made Darby look a little "trashy" being with two men within 2 weeks. I liked the sweet kiss Julia gave Denzel at the end.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] brupey-1 13 years ago

no need to do it all again
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And social attitudes have not changed at all since 1967!

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