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Adam_S · 12-28-2007, 12:01 AM

the Cheat was made earlier than Broken Blossoms and starred Sessue Hayakawa. on the other hand he played a villainous, rapist leading role, whereas in Broken Blossoms you have a tragic hero. Can you see the double standard? villain leading role can be played by a non white, heroic/sympathetic leading role can only be played by a white, in makeup if necessary.

And it was explicity racist on the writer/director/producer/studio/exhibitor to create pressure to give leading roles to white actors in makeup, it was an extension of segregation. You can bet that had Broken Blossoms starred a non-white actor in the non-white role it would never have played in Kentucky back in the day. That's as much the exhibitors fault as it is the producers, but considering this was the era that vertical integration of the studios was happening there's not much leeway in that flimsy excuse.

There's another interesting aspect to Broken Blossoms, and that is that the story was only acceptable because he dies and there's no possibility of the relationship working out. I would have a hard time believing Griffith would have made a film that ended with a successful mixed race marraige, relationship or offspring. I think the ending is tragic, though I sometimes wonder if Griffith thought the ending was a happy one being that the white girl has been protected from being 'soiled'.

12-28-2007, 12:01 AM	#3521 of 3711
Adam_S *Adam_S* Member Location: Marina del Rey, CA Join Date: Feb 2001 Local Time: 04:25 AM Local Date: 09-08-2008 Posts: 5,012	Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club the Cheat was made earlier than Broken Blossoms and starred Sessue Hayakawa. on the other hand he played a villainous, rapist leading role, whereas in Broken Blossoms you have a tragic hero. Can you see the double standard? villain leading role can be played by a non white, heroic/sympathetic leading role can only be played by a white, in makeup if necessary. And it was explicity racist on the writer/director/producer/studio/exhibitor to create pressure to give leading roles to white actors in makeup, it was an extension of segregation. You can bet that had Broken Blossoms starred a non-white actor in the non-white role it would never have played in Kentucky back in the day. That's as much the exhibitors fault as it is the producers, but considering this was the era that vertical integration of the studios was happening there's not much leeway in that flimsy excuse. There's another interesting aspect to Broken Blossoms, and that is that the story was only acceptable because he dies and there's no possibility of the relationship working out. I would have a hard time believing Griffith would have made a film that ended with a successful mixed race marraige, relationship or offspring. I think the ending is tragic, though I sometimes wonder if Griffith thought the ending was a happy one being that the white girl has been protected from being 'soiled'. top 20 films 2008 film list My DVDs; S&S List 62...212 AFI lists: - DONE! Last edited by Adam_S : 12-28-2007 at 12:06 AM.