For this assignment,
I've chosen to examine the movie Evan Almighty, which is the sequel to Bruce Almighty, directed by Tom Shadyac, once again. In the film, there is a key character who returns from the original movie, God, played by Morgan Freeman. He is a perfect example of a "magic negro," who is supposed to be depicting how enlightened the movie is for including a diverse cast, even giving the minority a main character to the story. While God plays a large role, there isn't much of a story about God or much focus on the life of God, despite being such a powerful being.
The main plot of this film is based around the story of Noah's Ark, but with current times, so building an ark seems even more confusing than back in the day, when there was no experience of rain. As Evan is called to build an ark, God is continuously watching over Evan and encouraging him to keep on building the ark, no matter how others think of him. Of course, the story of the film continuously focuses on Evan's life, never really talking or even giving much of a spotlight of God's life.
In this film, God's role was actually not incredibly necessary. His main role was beginning the process of having Evan build the ark in preparation for a flood as well as encouraging Evan along the way. I feel like having any other character start this process could have worked as well. God's role was not really essential as a "magic negro" in this film.
Compared to White Saviors, I feel that Morgan Freeman's role as a "magic negro" is portrayed in a way to be unearthly. By unearthly, I mean that his role as God is very mystical and unreal, while all White Saviors are very human indeed. So what I don't understand is why are all "magic negroes" so far from human while all white saviors are exhibited in a way that makes them seem like an everyday person in our contemporary society?
ReplyDeleteThe role of the magic negro in this film is to essential serve in a mutualistic relationship with Evan. Freeman asks Evant o build the ark and other chores, and Freeman then serves as Evans sidekick giving him the necessary guidance and advice to be prosperous. It is interesting to note how there is not as much back story of emphasis of someone playing the most important character of all, God--instead the focus is equally on he and Evan.
ReplyDelete