Race was destined to be a central element of this year’s Oscars, where Kevin Hart was disinvited from hosting, “Black Panther” inspired the idea of an Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film category, and #OscarsSoWhite turned four years old.
So of course, “Green Book,” a film about a black pianist touring in the Deep South, won Best Picture. But why not “Black Panther,” a superhero film set in Africa? Or “BlacKkKlansman,” a film about a black cop who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan?
The fact that civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., presented the nomination for “Green Book” signaled what was to come.
“I can bear witness that the portrait painted of that time and place in our history is very real,” Lewis said. “It’s seared in my memory, black men and women, our brothers and sisters, treated as second class citizens, threatened for raising their families or earning a living, beaten and sometimes killed for the crime of trying to live a life with dignity. Our nation bears the scars of that time, as do I.”
The film’s name comes from The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to businesses friendly to black customers. It was used in the 1960s, when pianist and composer Don Shirley embarked on a concert tour with former bouncer Tony Vallelonga, a white man, as his chauffeur. This is a true story, but much of the movie’s interpretation is not true.
In “Green Book,” Shirley relies on Vallelonga’s protection, but through his talent and intellect, he also teaches Vallelonga to shed his own racism. It’s a feel-good dramedy that will pull you in with the teal-blue Cadillac on its poster before you realize the whole plot hinges on stereotypes of the sophisticated, gay black man and the rough-around-the-edges Bronx Italian.
Many were displeased with the Best Picture choice. They saw “Green Book” as assuaging white guilt and pushing a white savior narrative. The film also won Best Original Screenplay, which is strange for a movie whose real-life subjects were warped to fit the screen. Shirley’s family, for example, said the film was both inaccurate and editorially skewed toward Vallelonga’s perspective.
Unlike “BlacKkKlansman,” which is also loosely based on a true story, “Green Book” actually outraged the participants in the story it botched. “Black Panther” drew less controversy than either film since it was based in the fictional African country of Wakanda. But where “BlacKkKlansman” featured footage of the Charlottesville white supremacist rally and “Black Panther” seemed a discussion of Black Lives Matter and race relations in the 21st century, “Green Book” comfortably packaged our past.
“BlacKkKlansman” director Spike Lee said the film was “not my cup of tea.” But “Green Book” was a perfect brew for the Academy, a panel of artists attempting to court controversy without consequence.
