A ‘white saviour’ movie can be described as a movie where a white person steps in and saves the day when a character of a different race is in trouble. It gives off this idea that without white people coming in and saving them, how would these minorities get anywhere in life and make a name for themselves. Hollywood tends to release a lot of these movies, but for this blogpost I will be using The Blind Side as an example. Based on the book written by Michael Lewis which is then based on a true story, the book to movie adaptation took a very Hollywood approach.
The film highlights the progression of American football and then follows NFL football player Michael Ohers’ real life story. One part of the movie that can be used as a perfect example of the ‘white saviour’ is when Leigh Anne Tuohy teaches Oher how to play football, in which Michael Oher responds by claiming that is it not true. This movie also reinforces African American stereotypes by portraying their characters as if they can’t make good decisions on their own and that if they make a bad one they are stuck with that bad decision unless a white person comes in to be the saviour. When one of Leigh Anne's friends say, “Well, good for you. You have helped change that boy’s life,” in which her reply is, “No, he has changed mine”. This is true to an extent because we can see that he has changed her life, but if we take a step back and look at the overall film, mostly we how she and her family change his life.
Although it is a very moving and touching story, because it is based on a true story and the Tuohys did in fact take him into their family and into their home. The hollywood approach almost sets aside the fact that the film was meant to be about Michael Oher and his story to success. Because of this, does the film become more about Leigh Anne’s story and how she is the real hero who steps in and saves the boy, being his gateway to success?
I agree with your argument, this film completely focuses on the fact that the Tuohy family 'saved' him from being on the streets and everything that they did to help him along, and there is less of a focus on Michael's feelings and how he is getting himself through his troubles. It shows the struggles that Leigh Anne and Sean have with housing Michael and their friends shunning them because of the situation that they are in. The film is meant to be about Michael Oher and how he overcame everyone's expectations but in the end, it's how Leigh Anne saved an African Amercian kid and made him successful.
ReplyDeleteI own the movie and love it, however cant help but agree with the angle. A movie most of the time will have an main POV as its easier that way, however it is convenient that it is predominantly from the white persons point of view.
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ReplyDeleteI agree you, it's very much a white saviour story in the film, and it is easier to take the dominant POV.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book and this has got me wondering how much of a 'white saviour story' that is. Did Lewis tell it similarly in order to sell more books? Or was a lot of it lost in adaptation? I also wonder how different the book is from the real events. The Tuohys have a great deal of white privilege so I guess there could be an element of white saviour about the story no matter how it's told? Although the focus should definitely be on Oher's trials, success and talents.
I love this movie! I think you raise a very important point. I have heard various criticisms of the film discussing if The Blind Side depicted Michael's life accurately. To answer the question, when considering the white savior, this movie does appear to be about the Tuohy's family producing such a large football super star, as opposed to showing all of Michael's hard work to get into a division one college. Every person he has to aid him in that process is white (his tutor, coach, family members). Additionally I think it is important to acknowledge that the movie does portray multiple stereotypes, such when they are discussing Michael's home life.
ReplyDeleteI love this movie! I think you raise a very important point. I have heard various criticisms of the film discussing if The Blind Side depicted Michael's life accurately. To answer the question, when considering the white savior, this movie does appear to be about the Tuohy's family producing such a large football super star, as opposed to showing all of Michael's hard work to get into a division one college. Every person he has to aid him in that process is white (his tutor, coach, family members). Additionally I think it is important to acknowledge that the movie does portray multiple stereotypes, such when they are discussing Michael's home life.
ReplyDeleteI love this movie! I think you raise a very important point. I have heard various criticisms of the film discussing if The Blind Side depicted Michael's life accurately. To answer the question, when considering the white savior, this movie does appear to be about the Tuohy's family producing such a large football super star, as opposed to showing all of Michael's hard work to get into a division one college. Every person he has to aid him in that process is white (his tutor, coach, family members). Additionally I think it is important to acknowledge that the movie does portray multiple stereotypes, such when they are discussing Michael's home life.
ReplyDeleteThe text blindsided by avatar discusses these ideas in great depth. Yes I think the film concentrates far too much on the white female as the protagonist “helping/saving” Oher’s from a life of struggle. This is classic of Hollywood. This type of narrative is repeated so audiences don’t have to question the story line. They know what is going to happen as they have seen it over and over again. Hollywood white washing can be argued to be evident throughout this film. Its frustrating as the film should be more so about Oher’s success and how his story of triumph so I totally agree with your ideas presented in this blog.
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