rsmithjr
Screenwriter
GWTWTOO said:...
In addition, WB and the Academy also decided to only honor Wizard of Oz at the Academy Awards this year. An interesting article in Entertainment Weekly recently believes this is because it would be in poor taste to honor GWTW with its unfortunate racial depictions on the same program that would possibly be awarding the excellent "Twelve Years a Slave" a Best Picture Oscar. This is probably true...but I at least wish they could have chosen to honor ALL the classic films released 75 years ago.
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The black characters in the film are some of the best human beings in the movie.
-- Mamy is the smartest and hardest working person in the film. Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar for her portrayal.
-- Sam is the most loyal and decent person in the film.
-- Porkchop makes a number of thoughtful observations that Scarlett finds useful.
-- This leaves us with Prissy, not the sharpest knife in the drawyer. But we should remember that actress Butterfly MacQueen was a brilliant and accomplished woman.
On the whole, the black characters are arguably as decent as the white ones.