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The tale of Robin Hood
The tale of Robin Hood
Effect of media and films on society
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Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a plethora of satire and parody from making fun of Kevin Costner's crappy Robin Hood portrayal to over the top tongue stretching as being a means of torture. This movie points out obvious and not so obvious things about the culture back then. Another big thing in this movie is the use of exaggeration for comedy. Also of course there is a whole lot of parodies in this movie as well. So, Men in tights largely parodies Prince of Thieves through exaggeration or even just flat out mocks that Robin Hood, also uses Marian as the obvious I need a man to come save me cliche also points out other tropes with women, and even making comments about culture in the 90’s. Again one of the biggest things in this movie is the parodies to Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. One of the first ones is when Little …show more content…
An example of this is Achoo in which he represents the typical black character as seen in most 90’s movies that feature an African American man. This movie also satirizes many of the cliches in its era. Like how Rottingham runs off with Marian and Robin Hood has to come save her as seen in many movies and shows at the time. There is also a lot of out of place things as well. For example, the exit sign and remote controlled gate towards the end. Another thing to mention is the fourth wall breaking in this movie is also very funny because at one point Robin loses the archery contest but then pulls out the script to reveal he has another shot to win. Of course, a lot movies in this era also have that same cliche. The hero loses only to turn around win making a comeback. One subtle thing to me though is at the end when Achoo is appointed to role of the sheriff now and everyone goes “ a black sheriff” could hint at the overlying problem between police and African Americans. It was infamous in the 90’s era how they just did not get
The first example of comparison between the movie and the current times would be the Ku Klux Klan. The group called the KKK was a main threat to the African American population in the early 1960s (Hart). Currently, the Ku Klux Klan still makes threats to African Americans and other ethnicities, based purely on race. This group is found in the Southern States to this day, which makes us question on how far evolved some people’s minds have come since the 1960’s. In the movie, Mississippi Burning, we can see how the KKK is violent towards African Americans for simply being of color. One example from the movie is when a white man sat next to a colored, which resulted in the African American getting hurt.
As Bill Hug remarks in his writing on the film, “Conventions governing the ethnicity or race of western heroes and villains are bluntly contradicted. Racist Whites become the bad guys; Blacks, an ethnic group not seen before in westerns before the 1960s, are now their victims.” By breaking this traditional view, Brooks is effectively setting an example for the brighter future that he sees. Rather than going along with typical and expected roles, he switches them, creating what we can interpret as the diverse, optimistic, future of film. Hug also makes the conclusion that no other genre would have served this role better, seeing as the western represents Anglo-American supremacy. Taking a classically white dominated genre and twisting it to include an otherwise overlooked subset of the population (in terms of film at least), Brooks adequately sets his film apart. This setting apart gets viewers’ attention and forces them to think on the changing social dynamic around
A couple of films that I watched personally that I feel really speaks to the culture and tensions of the time the film was to take place is Remember the Titans a movie about racial tension as town begins to desegregating schools and the other film is Men of Honor which was a film inspired by the true story of Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear the first african american navy diver. Both of these films deal heavily with racism in the United States. The first film Remember the Titans was set in the 1970’s during a point in time where in the United States was going through a cultural change of the civil rights movements of equality for African Americans. The film is centered around a town that is desegregating its school and allowing black students
The White Savior Complex is a damaging subconscious underlay of the Hollywood system, and more broadly all of western society. It is used to further separate the notions of “us” and “other” by creating a firm separation fueled by self-righteousness, and a sense of entitlement. Hollywood attempts to address race relations, but fails because of this trope. Kingsle, from the article “Does My Hero Look White In This?” described that both racism and colonialism are acknowledged, but not without reassuring that not only were white people against the system of racist power dynamics, but also were actively fighting against it in leadership roles (2013). In the remainder of my essay I will be commenting on many modern films and their use on this trope, and why subscribing to this filmmaking strategy is problematic.
Woll, Allen L and Randall M Miller. Ethnic and Racial Images in American Film and Television: Historical Essays and Bibliography. n.d. Print.
More specifically, non-Caucasian primary characters. One great example would be Franklin, from "Grand Theft Auto V". Franklin is a well-known Black character, and is one of the three protagonists in this game. Using a Black male as one of the protagonists of a game is a big step for including racial diversity within the gaming community. On that note, the role that Franklin plays as the protagonist does not display a positive message. Essentially, these three characters are criminals; the goal of the game is to commit various crimes such as drug deals, robberies, and murder in order to maximize their income. This example is tied specifically to this character, but this is not an uncommon occurrence when it comes to Black characters in video games. In fact, if any non-Caucasian characters make it to a primary role such as a protagonist, they often have negative stereotypes tied to them. Because of this, video games prove to be racist through the exclusion of diverse character ethnicity, but also through enforcing the negative stereotypes that are inflicted upon any non-Caucasian
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
For hundreds of years, historians have written about when Robin Hood had lived. However, many of these dates conflict with each other. One of the earliest surviving ballads from a manuscript collection, written around 1450 and which describes a man named “Robyn Hode,” is conventionally known as Robin Hood and the Monk. This work also included a prayer against thieves and robbers, and t...
The perfect comedy movie allows the mood of the audience to rise and fall periodically throughout the film. Men in Black uses multiple techniques to keep the audiences intrigued in a funny, yet still science fictional way. The movie is a science fictional film about a government agency, revolving around containing the secret that aliens are walking among humans everyday on Earth. The movie plot spins off into a comedic way, becoming more of a comedy than any other genre. Men in Black, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, can be considered one of the best science fiction comedies of all time. The film elegantly combined the science fiction elements, with hilarious additions making a great science fiction comedy. For years to come, Men in Black will
Most viewers cannot spot metaphors after watching a movie once, but when analyzed the true details are revealed. Berlatsky’s example of “Starship Troopers” simplified what a metaphor meant in locating race in a movie. In “Starship Troopers,” the audience is cheering for the humans to defeat the alien insects the whole time, but after analyzing that the bugs represent Native American Indians, the viewer’s entire perception is changed. The movie was practically a history lesson of when America colonized all the Native American territory with brute force. Race was depicted by changing a different race into a whole different species, and it really made a difference knowing what the hidden message of race stood for. Another intelligent example brought up by the author to make his reasoning more effective is when he used “District 11” from “The Hunger Games.” Berlatsky strengthens his argument by analyzing his example in, “District 11, the home of Rue and Thresh, is presented as a segregated black city or region, subject to familiar prejudices and inequities—it's the poorest region, and its inhabitants experience especially vicious policing and persecution.” (Berlatsky) The direct approach is straight to the point and simple. “The Hunger Games,” actually used African American actors, and that was probably the best way to introduce race in the story, because all the other districts in the movie contain white
My four films are 1. Black-ish, about an upper-middle class black family who live the all American Dream, start from nothing and becoming successful, and about the pros and cons they face because of their race. 2. Fresh off the Boat is about a family that are new to Florida and how the steps they take to be an all American family. 3. Charmed, which is about three sister; Phoebe, Piper, and Prue Halliwell who discover they are witches and use their powers to save the world on a daily basis. 4. Grease is a musical set in the fifties about teen’s who fall in love during the summer but unknowingly go to the same school, while being from to completely different groups. These teens change themselves so they can be together. Each of these films represent
Response: First of all, Robin's personal crusade against the Sheriff has evolved into something way past what he initially intended. It's gotten a bit out of hand. So the first issue that needs to be addressed is the focus. Robin should not lose sight of his initial crusade. After all, that's why he started as an out-law in the first place. He needed men to fulfill his quest, but now with the excessive number of men and the excessive demands placed upon the Merrymen, he needs to address the purpose of his revolt. He believed that there would be strength in numbers, yet is that what he learned? In fact, the more men that came to him, the more complicated his revolt got. And not only that, but now, his group has become more vulnerable. So, there's another issue. Has his group gotten too big that it has created a more difficult situation than what Robin started with? The next issue he needs to deal with is the growth of his band of men. In the beginning, he accepted any man without question. But is that a viable strategy now? Does he need more people, or could he become more selective in potential recruits? As he said, he's losing touch with his people. He doesn't know half of them. And that's a problem, isn't it? It's a problem because the Sheriff could send in spies. That makes Robin more vulnerable again. Another problem: food is now scarce and resources are low. Further, he needs to decide about the tax issue. He needs to decide about the timing of a campaign against the Sheriff. He needs to decide about accepting the offer from the barons. Yes, Robin does have a lot of issues to resolve.
During the 18th century and the Restoration, a new form of literature became very popular, satire. Satire, according to www.dictionary.com, is the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice or folly. Commonly, satire is used to give one’s opinions or commentary about public issues. As a writer it is important to be well educated on current events, politics and the interests of the general public. Writers, such a Jonathan Swift, have commonly used satire to discuss important issues about the follies of governments, persons and social issues. It has been said that “although it (satire) is usually subtle in nature, it is used to bring light to contemporary societal problems and provoke change within a culture” (Friedman). One of the world’s best known pieces of satire is Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. This piece of work aimed to expose the flaws regarding poverty in Ireland and the overwhelming and suffocating influence of the British government and Irish land owners. Swift uses satire to explain his “modest proposal”; in other words, he aims to prevent the people of Ireland from viewing children as a burden. In his use of satire, Swift places the blame of the abundant poor Irish population upon the English and the landowners. He also exposes the misuse of Ireland and forced trade, as well as satirizes those who made suggestions to resolve the problem without regard for the human cost involved.
Robin Hood and his Band of Merry Men had a successful first year. With new recruits pouring in from the furthest outreaches of England, Robin had met his objective of strengthening in number. Although he was satisfied with the size of the organization, he has realized necessary preparations had not been made to accommodate the now over abundance of members of his organization. Many challenges now face Robin such as a lack of provisions and lack of funds to support the band, but he cannot lose focus of their original foundation of "Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor". In addition they have to stay focused on their long term goal to remove Prince John from power by freeing King Richard from his imprisonment in Austria. Robin Hood has to form structure within his organization so that it can continue to grow and prosper.
"Robin Hood Through the Ages - Photo Essays." Time. Time Inc., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .