“Empathy for the colonized doesn’t necessarily make the colonizer sympathize; it may make the colonizer demand that the colonized become the colonizer.” As always very sharp commentary. You find revelations in I expected places. Historically I believe Baduccas daughters were gang raped publicly by Roman Soldiers. It was a calculated planned humiliation. It’s interesting that this was changed.
I read about this a long time ago in Antonia Fraser’s book Warrior Women. So I’m not sure but I think the daughters weren’t still children. They were named in their father’s will as heirs. Changing their ages fits very well into your discussion of the movie. Boudicca stays young and beautiful and motherly instead of middle aged.
It reminds me of Middle Eastern epics like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or THE MESSAGE, where a major Middle Eastern character is played by a White actor in Brownface (Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn in LAWRENCE, Quinn in THE MESSAGE). The former at least has an excuse insofar as it was done over sixty years ago, and at least another major Middle Eastern character was played by a Middle Eastern actor, the Egyptian matinee idol and bridge maven Omar Sharif.
But I'm not sure why THE MESSAGE, produced and directed by Syrian-American Moustapha Akkad, felt the need to cast the Mexican Quinn as Mohammed's Uncle Hamza (in accordance with Islamic teaching, Mohammed is never directly shown). I know part of it's global box office, but it seems to have riled up a number of Muslim groups, while non-Muslim audiences stayed away in droves.
I guess Anglophone film industries aren't mature enough yet to show films about rebellions with non-White heroes....
“Empathy for the colonized doesn’t necessarily make the colonizer sympathize; it may make the colonizer demand that the colonized become the colonizer.” As always very sharp commentary. You find revelations in I expected places. Historically I believe Baduccas daughters were gang raped publicly by Roman Soldiers. It was a calculated planned humiliation. It’s interesting that this was changed.
It is interesting that they changed it. Hollywood is leery of depicting/discussing violence against children, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I agree abut depicting violence against Children,
I read about this a long time ago in Antonia Fraser’s book Warrior Women. So I’m not sure but I think the daughters weren’t still children. They were named in their father’s will as heirs. Changing their ages fits very well into your discussion of the movie. Boudicca stays young and beautiful and motherly instead of middle aged.
oh that's interesting.and yes, they make mothering kind of her whole character.
The book was The Warrior Queens not Warrior Women I hate messing things like that up
Well, what do you know? Another piece on colonialism just as I (finally!) got my thumbsucker about "Orientalism" out on my page, rather than using yours again! Which I'm going to spam you with: https://drdarkeny.substack.com/p/can-orientalism-lead-to-understanding
It reminds me of Middle Eastern epics like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or THE MESSAGE, where a major Middle Eastern character is played by a White actor in Brownface (Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn in LAWRENCE, Quinn in THE MESSAGE). The former at least has an excuse insofar as it was done over sixty years ago, and at least another major Middle Eastern character was played by a Middle Eastern actor, the Egyptian matinee idol and bridge maven Omar Sharif.
But I'm not sure why THE MESSAGE, produced and directed by Syrian-American Moustapha Akkad, felt the need to cast the Mexican Quinn as Mohammed's Uncle Hamza (in accordance with Islamic teaching, Mohammed is never directly shown). I know part of it's global box office, but it seems to have riled up a number of Muslim groups, while non-Muslim audiences stayed away in droves.
I guess Anglophone film industries aren't mature enough yet to show films about rebellions with non-White heroes....