MovieChat Forums > J. Edgar (2011) Discussion > Is his Black heritage mentioned in film?

Is his Black heritage mentioned in film?

posted 12 years ago by HoneyBlonde
13 replies | jump to latest

Him passing for white.

[–] ratracer 12 years ago

No, they didn't touch on that.

[–] tyronelewis15 12 years ago

I didn't know about that1 Tell me more...

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] amaizinblue 12 years ago

No, go look it up. It was a widely held fact in the D.C. African American community, that Hoover's family were African American and he passed. He defiantly was not the only one in those times that did that. Not surprised Clint didn't touch that issue. Hoover had a hard on for the civil rights movement.

[–] nikkiten1979 12 years ago

Strange they didn't touch that part of his life one bit. I liked the movie, but it felt somewhat empty. Clint is a great director, but this wasn't his best movie.

(•_•)

can't outrun your own shadow

[–] noirprncess 12 years ago

The closest they got was one line when he was dictacting the MLK letter to Miss Gundy. She asked Hoover if "he was a Negro now?" He never answers the question directly.

[–] JW-7 12 years ago

Its clear she asked that because she was offended by the tone of his letter, and the context of appearing to come from a black man. She tried to get him to tone it down, and, in fact, to abandon it.

PS I never heard that before.

"The wrong kid died."

[–] StrontiumAE 12 years ago

Its subtly hinted at during that whole King and FBI/PR guy segment of the film.

Review AE http://www.reviewae.blogspot.com & http://ireview-ae.blogspot.com

[–] chicago85 12 years ago

Its been written about in books and there was a recent book by a black woman claiming he was like a third cousin. Most of her evidence was oral family history.

A man named Anthony Summers also wrote a book about it.

I don't know if it was true or not. Maybe he was afraid it was true and didn't know hmself. His father's background is hazy and little talked about.

[–] Trackmaster 12 years ago

If he was an albino black man he would look a lot different than a normal white guy. He would look like Landry from Friday Night Lights.

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