Should we set an unofficial list of questions to determine whether a black character's death is gratuitous?

I'll start with a few:

1. What's the genre?

2. How prominent is the character (principal, supporting, cameo, etc.)?

3. How many other black characters are in the movie (if it is a "black movie," skip this question)?

4. Is the character solitary, or a member of a group (high school class, Jedi order, army company, girlfriends on vacation, etc.?)

5. Does the character utter some sanguine line summing up the purpose of the character's life within the first 20 minutes?

6. Is the scene setting the character up for death logical in the context of the entire movie?

7. If yes, then could another character have easily been placed in the same scene?

8. Does the death advance the plotline in any significant way?

9. How far into the movie does the death occur?

I'll use SexyAunty's Mace Windu example. 1. Star Wars flick; 2. somewhere between principal and supporting; 3. One of a few characters of color in the SW universe; 4. Jedi Master and one of the most powerful at that; 5. No, but he does put Anakin in his place at key points in the trilogy; 6. The death triggers Anakin's conversion to the Sith Order; 7. Not really, because we knew that Obi-Wan and Yoda had to make it through the rest of the story and there weren't any other Jedi featured with such a big part in the prequels; 8. Yes; Anakin "can't" turn back; 9. Essentially the end of the second act.

Conclusion: not a gratuitous death. We all knew virtually all the Jedi perished.

Many more examples on here won't make the cut.

TonyVanDam said:

Not always.

1. Louis Gossett Jr. survived (despite the dead of his black nephew) in Jaws 3-D.

2. Danny Glover survived in Predator 2.

3. That black man (who thought about suicide but change his mind) survived along with that pregnant white woman who's boyfriend was one of the zombies that came after them in the original Dawn Of The Dead.

4. That black teenage boy survived with that white teenage girl in Night Of The Demons.

5. That black man survived with Kurt Russell in The Thing (although it's still unknown if they survived the winter strom in Antarctica!).

6. Ice Cube survived with Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda.

7. Busta Rhymes survived in Halloween Resurrection.

Rap stars seem to do better in the later crappy Halloween movies (part 1 and 2 are the only good ones)

[Edited 8/9/10 20:25pm]

namepeace said:

Should we set an unofficial list of questions to determine whether a black character's death is gratuitous?

I'll start with a few:

1. What's the genre?

2. How prominent is the character (principal, supporting, cameo, etc.)?

3. How many other black characters are in the movie (if it is a "black movie," skip this question)?

4. Is the character solitary, or a member of a group (high school class, Jedi order, army company, girlfriends on vacation, etc.?)

5. Does the character utter some sanguine line summing up the purpose of the character's life within the first 20 minutes?

6. Is the scene setting the character up for death logical in the context of the entire movie?

7. If yes, then could another character have easily been placed in the same scene?

8. Does the death advance the plotline in any significant way?

9. How far into the movie does the death occur?

I'll use SexyAunty's Mace Windu example. 1. Star Wars flick; 2. somewhere between principal and supporting; 3. One of a few characters of color in the SW universe; 4. Jedi Master and one of the most powerful at that; 5. No, but he does put Anakin in his place at key points in the trilogy; 6. The death triggers Anakin's conversion to the Sith Order; 7. Not really, because we knew that Obi-Wan and Yoda had to make it through the rest of the story and there weren't any other Jedi featured with such a big part in the prequels; 8. Yes; Anakin "can't" turn back; 9. Essentially the end of the second act.

Conclusion: not a gratuitous death. We all knew virtually all the Jedi perished.

Many more examples on here won't make the cut.

That was brilliant! Is ur real name Bruce wayne?

sexyAuntyFuka said:

namepeace said:

Should we set an unofficial list of questions to determine whether a black character's death is gratuitous?

I'll start with a few:

1. What's the genre?

2. How prominent is the character (principal, supporting, cameo, etc.)?

3. How many other black characters are in the movie (if it is a "black movie," skip this question)?

4. Is the character solitary, or a member of a group (high school class, Jedi order, army company, girlfriends on vacation, etc.?)

5. Does the character utter some sanguine line summing up the purpose of the character's life within the first 20 minutes?

6. Is the scene setting the character up for death logical in the context of the entire movie?

7. If yes, then could another character have easily been placed in the same scene?

8. Does the death advance the plotline in any significant way?

9. How far into the movie does the death occur?

I'll use SexyAunty's Mace Windu example. 1. Star Wars flick; 2. somewhere between principal and supporting; 3. One of a few characters of color in the SW universe; 4. Jedi Master and one of the most powerful at that; 5. No, but he does put Anakin in his place at key points in the trilogy; 6. The death triggers Anakin's conversion to the Sith Order; 7. Not really, because we knew that Obi-Wan and Yoda had to make it through the rest of the story and there weren't any other Jedi featured with such a big part in the prequels; 8. Yes; Anakin "can't" turn back; 9. Essentially the end of the second act.

Conclusion: not a gratuitous death. We all knew virtually all the Jedi perished.

Many more examples on here won't make the cut.

That was brilliant! Is ur real name Bruce wayne?

kpowers said:

sexyAuntyFuka said:

That was brilliant! Is ur real name Bruce wayne?

Sorry Bruce

I'm surprised no one mentioned Glory. A whole bunch of brothers died in that one.

BklynBabe said:

you rawk, sexy AuntyFuka!

Thanks for the history. I was just pointing out the myths of the Holocaust ie. no Blacks in Germany, the reason why Jews stayed. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking of breaking it down point by point historically. Internet....what is read is not always what is intended....c'est la vie.

Basically all I meant is no Blacks died in Schindler's List....but they should have. More Hollywood inaccuracy.

The film Schindlers List is based on the book Schindlers Ark. I haven t read the book but did any black people die in the book? The film is about the story of Oscar Schindler and how he saved the lives of his Jewish workers. If Schindler had black workers or black workers that were killed then the film would be innacurate. It s the story of Oskar Schindler just as much as it is about the holocaust.

It was racist back then....and racist now....

Except today it has attained a humorous cult status.....which is still sad!!

ConsciousContact said:

BklynBabe said:

you rawk, sexy AuntyFuka!

Thanks for the history. I was just pointing out the myths of the Holocaust ie. no Blacks in Germany, the reason why Jews stayed. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking of breaking it down point by point historically. Internet....what is read is not always what is intended....c'est la vie.

Basically all I meant is no Blacks died in Schindler's List....but they should have. More Hollywood inaccuracy.

The film Schindlers List is based on the book Schindlers Ark. I haven t read the book but did any black people die in the book? The film is about the story of Oscar Schindler and how he saved the lives of his Jewish workers. If Schindler had black workers or black workers that were killed then the film would be innacurate. It s the story of Oskar Schindler just as much as it is about the holocaust.

WHY do u ASSUME there are no black ppl in the book? Does the author name everyone's ethnicity? NO! Does he give a detailed discription of everyone's ancestors? NO! Were there black jews in nazi germany...Yes!

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/...d=10005479

What we have here is u trying 2 be cute when in fact what u've shown is that old Confederate 'them & us' mentality whereby unless someone SPECIFICALLY says someone is black or whatever u assume EVErYONE is white. As if white is the silent norm and every other race must then be identidied as an add on.

BklynBabe is actually historically correct and if the book is ALSO historically correct then many of the characters..albeit not main story characters, but at least many in the background would have been non white..

U haven,t even read the fuckin' book.. rassclart

CuddlyBear said:

I'm surprised no one mentioned Glory. A whole bunch of brothers died in that one.

It WAS mentioned...

sexyAuntyFuka said:

namepeace said:

Should we set an unofficial list of questions to determine whether a black character's death is gratuitous?

I'll start with a few:

1. What's the genre?

2. How prominent is the character (principal, supporting, cameo, etc.)?

3. How many other black characters are in the movie (if it is a "black movie," skip this question)?

4. Is the character solitary, or a member of a group (high school class, Jedi order, army company, girlfriends on vacation, etc.?)

5. Does the character utter some sanguine line summing up the purpose of the character's life within the first 20 minutes?

6. Is the scene setting the character up for death logical in the context of the entire movie?

7. If yes, then could another character have easily been placed in the same scene?

8. Does the death advance the plotline in any significant way?

9. How far into the movie does the death occur?

I'll use SexyAunty's Mace Windu example. 1. Star Wars flick; 2. somewhere between principal and supporting; 3. One of a few characters of color in the SW universe; 4. Jedi Master and one of the most powerful at that; 5. No, but he does put Anakin in his place at key points in the trilogy; 6. The death triggers Anakin's conversion to the Sith Order; 7. Not really, because we knew that Obi-Wan and Yoda had to make it through the rest of the story and there weren't any other Jedi featured with such a big part in the prequels; 8. Yes; Anakin "can't" turn back; 9. Essentially the end of the second act.

Conclusion: not a gratuitous death. We all knew virtually all the Jedi perished.

Many more examples on here won't make the cut.

That was brilliant! Is ur real name Bruce wayne?

More like the "chunky brother in the smock" from Undercover Brother!

TonyVanDam said:

Not always.

1. Louis Gossett Jr. survived (despite the dead of his black nephew) in Jaws 3-D.

2. Danny Glover survived in Predator 2.

3. That black man (who thought about suicide but change his mind) survived along with that pregnant white woman who's boyfriend was one of the zombies that came after them in the original Dawn Of The Dead.

4. That black teenage boy survived with that white teenage girl in Night Of The Demons.

5. That black man survived with Kurt Russell in The Thing (although it's still unknown if they survived the winter strom in Antarctica!).

6. Ice Cube survived with Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda.

7. Busta Rhymes survived in Halloween Resurrection.

Danny Glover was the main character in Predator 2. It's not all that surprising he survives.

Anaconda is just weird, letting two minorities survive like that...unheard of.

FauxReal said:

TonyVanDam said:

Not always.

1. Louis Gossett Jr. survived (despite the dead of his black nephew) in Jaws 3-D.

2. Danny Glover survived in Predator 2.

3. That black man (who thought about suicide but change his mind) survived along with that pregnant white woman who's boyfriend was one of the zombies that came after them in the original Dawn Of The Dead.

4. That black teenage boy survived with that white teenage girl in Night Of The Demons.

5. That black man survived with Kurt Russell in The Thing (although it's still unknown if they survived the winter strom in Antarctica!).

6. Ice Cube survived with Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda.

7. Busta Rhymes survived in Halloween Resurrection.

Danny Glover was the main character in Predator 2. It's not all that surprising he survives.

Anaconda is just weird, letting two minorities survive like that...unheard of.

I beg to differ. I think for the Anaconda, white meat was a lot easier to catch than dark meat.

No homo.