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Dishing On “United States,” Angela Bassett’s “Precious” Critique
I was trying to come up with an attention-grabbing title… did I succeed? If you’ve been reading this site long enough, you’ll be familiar with our affinity for controversy Amidst all the Precious enthusiasm is an item that isn’t getting much, if any coverage at all (at least not yet) – that Angela Bassett will make her directorial debut next year, with a film called United States, previously titled Erasure - an adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by Percival Everett, his 13th novel. What does this have to do with Precious, you ask? Well, if you’re familiar with the Erasure story, you’ll know that it’s been rumored to be a scathing critique of Push, the novel by Sapphire on which Precious is based.
Erasure focuses on Monk Ellison, a prominent black writer, the polar opposite of Sapphire’s Precious – the hyper-literate son of middle-class suburban parents, who writes obscure post-modern novels reinterpreting Greek classics. With his most recent manuscript receiving its 17th rejection from a publisher, frustrated with the publishing industry’s interest in releasing certain kinds of black-themed books by black authors (I’m sure you can guess which kinds), Monk, under a pseudonym, writes a parody of the “ghetto-fiction” genre, which he calls Ma Pafology (a title he later changes to simply, Fuck). Fuck is an autobiography told from the perspective of an illiterate black man, not-so unlike Sapphire’s first-person POV in Push. Much to his surprise, the book garners lots of critical and commercial acclaim, and soon becomes a possible contender for the National Book Award, leaving Monk in a crisis of conscience – to choose between telling the truth or being famous. Some further examples that suggest Everett’s book was a critique of Push… In a sequence within Erasure, Monk sees a poster announcing a reading by an author named Juanita Mae Jenkins (who may as well be Sapphire), “author of the runaway bestseller We’s Lives in Da Ghetto,” a novel that begins: “My fahvre be gone since time I’s borned and it be just me an’ my momma an’ my baby brover Juneboy.” Monk reads reviews that praise Jenkins’s novel for its haunting realness; he watches Jenkins on a talk show whose black female host has chosen the novel for her book club (this may as well be an Oprah snipe); and more… Bassett’s film is to be released some time next year, although, I haven’t read much about it since I initially heard the news earlier this year – in the Spring I believe it was. I think it’ll be interesting to see if any connections are made between the two films – Precious and United States – when the latter is released next year, in much the same way it was believed there was a connection between Everett’s book and Sapphire’s. With so few films featuring stories about black people released widely each year, I think it’ll be hard to ignore the obvious parody here, and I’d expect it all to inspire some conversation amongst all of us (filmmakers and authors especially) on this blog and elsewhere, no matter what side of the argument you stand. Of course, I’m assuming Basset’s film even makes it to theatres. It could very well be a straight-to-dvd release, depending on how good the adaptation is, and who Bassett has starring in it – recognizable names, or unknowns? But, like I said, a little controversy around here is often welcomed… or you can consider this a foreshadowing of things to come No matter… as I’ve said numerous times of this blog, at the center of the representation argument is this issue of variety. We (black people) have none, when it comes to the images of us we see on our screens, big and small. When there’s so little, every crumb we get is put under a microscope, and often divides us. No one has a monopoly on what blackness is, or how it should be presented. We are a diverse people, like any other group – complex, imperfect, intelligent, ignorant, rich, poor, happy, sad, etc, etc, etc… and the content we create should certainly reflect our entire range of experiences. However, I also recognize the the danger of a single story, as Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie proclaimed.
14 comments to Dishing On “United States,” Angela Bassett’s “Precious” Critique |
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Your title is a little misleading (i thought this was an interview) but im definitely supporting Angela’s directorial debut. Shes passionate about the source material. I heard her husband is supposed to play the main character, Monk Ellison. Its funny that you got the vibe Everett was critiquing Sapphire because I thought it was a hit against Terry Mcmillan.
I had forgotten that this movie was in the works! I hope something of the reactions around the “Precious” film can be incorporated into it.
This part says it all:
“We are a diverse people, like any other group – complex, imperfect, intelligent, ignorant, rich, poor, happy, sad, etc, etc, etc… and the content we create should certainly reflect our entire range of experiences.
I’m glad Angela’s making her thoughts known. Differing opinions are healthy. Good luck to her.
I’m actually currently reading Erasure right now.
White girls get “Juno.”. Black girls get “Precious.” Don’t you love Hollywood? Never mind that Juno, teen girl gets pregnant, women in her life rally around her is closer to young black teen’s experience, than the hyper-kitchen sink composite that Precious is.
Grace,
LOVE your comment. My thoughts exactly. Black people don’t get “smart” films because we are not supposed to be smart. We are forever stuck in the comedy ghettos.
Grace/Isla, I totally agree although I hated JUNO. The overly-sarcastic-teenaged-girl Ellen Page plays is such a stereotype now. I loved her in HARD CANDY though.
Angela Bassett, um, I don’t know. She’s such an OVERREactress. She has a hard time pulling off subtle performances. I doubt she’ll be able to direct something without getting lifetime-y. Then again, I had all this confidence in Lee Daniels/PRECIOUS, so maybe she might surprise us all.
Call me the Devil’s Advocate or whatever, but I just can’t shake the feeling that some people are a little TOO quick to discard that side of Black America which they don’t feel is presentable to “the mainstream” **wink wink**…
I don’t condone gratuitous shucking and jiving in the media by any means (in fact I asked my cable provider if there was any way I could pay NOT to receive *certain* channels); however, our fear of acknowledging (or worse, *gasp* UPHOLDING) stereotypes (and thereby “air our dirty laundry”) is, IMHO, doing us a disservice in the long run. Particularly because if you think about it, “hiding” these ghetto scenarios has not and will not do a THING to change the stereotypes of a bigoted mind.
But to my point here – make fun of the hood-serials all you want, because as a literary connoisseur, I don’t think those kind of books ADD anything of merit to our cultural record. Sure, they may cause a person who would not otherwise sit down and focus on reading a book to do so, but given some of the garbage being pumped from the pages of these books into their minds, it’s a toss-up as to whether that actually IS better than not reading… But I’ll have to ask the Blackeoisie to lay off of ‘Precious’ AND ‘PUSH’. This is not a story designed to reflect the Black experience as a whole. This is a story of hope triumphing over tragedy. And those types of tales come in all shapes and sizes and colors and forms of delivery – including ones YOU don’t like. Don’t automatically discredit ‘Precious’ or ‘PUSH’ because it’s not YOUR story, or because it doesn’t fit YOUR standards of the new Black aesthetic. Because I promise you, it IS SOMEBODY’S story, and you don’t know how they may be changed to watch this film or read this book.
God bless us – every one….
@Grace/Isla, i am in total concert with your funky analysis, go ladies!:)
@Shaolin that very well may be the case, but i think the onus of transcendence as opposed to some ghetto-fabulous reactionary ‘impulse’, that should be, could be the milk of magnesia to thwart white supremacy in black face .
Big ups to you, Shaolin, with that response, it’s definitely someone’s story. And if it’s not your story, specifically then I’m sure most people have experienced or know someone who has experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse, trauma, an embarrassing family secret, etc. and if you didn’t get anything out of the movie that’s perfectly fine, but this movie is for THEM.
THEM, is a “pronoun” and US is a preface.
*shaking head* what a waste of time. why not spend the MILLIONS that Basset and the producers are going to spend making this “reaction” of a film on programs to end violence against women, put an end to rape, the state parks…anything!
Precious was not about being Black, it was about abuse, the open heartedness and kindness we are all capable of, the prospect of escaping one’s fate by choosing solitude over dependancy, and art over madness.
Shaloin very well stated..and thank you! So many Stories to tell. So many films to make! Lets get busy Smile.