When I first heard that there was a contemporary adaptation in the movie form of Richard Wright's Native Son, I knew that many of the plot points would hold true in our 2019 society. From the 1930s to 2019, many of the same issues surrounding blacks in Chicago suburbs are seen in both decades. The story stays strikingly resilient and the movie basically has only cosmetic changes but stills maintains much of its impactful message.
One of the things that I found different from the book and the novel is that in the film, Bigger has to deal with the societal pressures of being black in America but he also has to deal with the pressures of being an edgy misfit. He is sort of a punk. He wears his customized leather jackets, black high-water pants, black nail polish, and bright green hair. I would have liked to see more of how his punkish vibe affects his life in suburban Chicago.
Another difference between the novel and the movie is the use of the Communist party. In the original novel, Jan is part of the Communist party. But the Communist party that we know today does not have the same values as those of the party from the early-mid 20th century. So there was a need for relevant parties that a young person might want to join to cause a sense of dismay in their parent's hearts. The parties that were used in this movie are parties like, Occupy and the anti-fascist movements.
It's always been rough for a black man living in America. There are always pressures that are put on the black man. The black man always has to walk around with the burden of anxiety because of the way that America views him. The same mattes and affairs that affect the black men of the 1930s still affect the black men of 2019.
One of the things that I found different from the book and the novel is that in the film, Bigger has to deal with the societal pressures of being black in America but he also has to deal with the pressures of being an edgy misfit. He is sort of a punk. He wears his customized leather jackets, black high-water pants, black nail polish, and bright green hair. I would have liked to see more of how his punkish vibe affects his life in suburban Chicago.
Another difference between the novel and the movie is the use of the Communist party. In the original novel, Jan is part of the Communist party. But the Communist party that we know today does not have the same values as those of the party from the early-mid 20th century. So there was a need for relevant parties that a young person might want to join to cause a sense of dismay in their parent's hearts. The parties that were used in this movie are parties like, Occupy and the anti-fascist movements.
It's always been rough for a black man living in America. There are always pressures that are put on the black man. The black man always has to walk around with the burden of anxiety because of the way that America views him. The same mattes and affairs that affect the black men of the 1930s still affect the black men of 2019.
This was a good blog post!I agree that the same struggles and oppression apply I 2019. I feel like the movie was less political in the aspect of the interference of the Communist party. there was that scene with Mary and Dalton when she's like 'silly capitalist!' Also, with the punk thing I feel like if they ran with the punk thing too much it would have felt super forced but it definitely made the film seem like it was from 2019.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie myself I was intrigued by the changes the director chose to make. In particular the character of Bigger who is much more sympathetic than his version in Richard Wright's famous novel. The contemporary lens certainly changes a lot of things, but you are right in that it crucially does not effect the oppression Bigger receives at the hands of society.
ReplyDeleteThe setting in the novel is not the "suburbs" at all, but the South Side of Chicago (you can find Bigger's family's address on Google Maps, and see where it is in today's South Side geography). It seems that the Daltons live in a wealthier enclave like Hyde Park. In the movie, Big too lives on the South Side (as we see in various aerial shots of the city), and Mary's neighborhood looks like nearby Hyde Park to me.
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