Monday, May 7, 2007
Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman and Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman
In what way do you see the color politics between light skinned and dark skinned African Americans tie back to early discussions of "plantation mentatlity" in both of these works? Do Orlandersmith and Perry disrupt or complicate any Black stereotypes? How would you situate Orlandersmith's play and Perrys' film (based on his play) within Henry Louis Gates' "legitimate" and "illegitimate" theater binary?
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3 comments:
I think there are strong ties between these works and the plantation mentality, especially in Yellowman. In Yellowman, we see that in the south these mentalities have persisted and become so entrenched in a pattern of intraracial hatred based on the divisions set by white slave owners. In diary i see the role of the light-skinned black woman troubled because she is not tragic, in fact the dark-skinned woman is placed into the tragic position because her husband has left her for the lighter woman. I think, because Diary has melodramatic tones but deals with such serious issues it would go into the category of illegitimate theatre. however, orlandersmith's yellowman, has a foundation of "seriousness" that diary does not have and it would be easir to understand by white audiences whereas diary may be too colloquial and topical for it to be fully understood outside of the black community.
I haven't read Yellowman, but Diary seemed to have fun making its villain a light-skinned woman, and then having her get her just desserts. It was almost like payback for all the benefits light-skinned Blacks have traditionally gotten.
As for whether Diary should be considered legitimate, who's to say. It seems like it's kind of a pointless label anyway. Nevertheless there is something about the movie that makes it seem really pulpy and amateurish. I HATE to be the white dude that just didn't get it, but for me the mix of low comedy (which I really liked) with pure melodrama and a really overt Christian message was pretty jarring. It lacked continuity, and I think that's what prevents it from being considered a legitimate film. Critics don't know how to categorize it, and I think for most white movie critics the mix of elements is just too foreign. That, and there is no subtlety at all.
Matt- I agree with your criticisms of the movie but i think you need to realize that the film is a play which was released as a film and i am sure you can attest to the fact that it is rare a good play translate to a good film.
Orlandersmith's piece was really interesting to me regarding race becaue of the what Curtis talks about when a woman is left for a lighter skined woman.
one of the things i feel this class didnt touch on but is present in both these pieces is the disconnect between blacks of different economic classes. In Orlandersmith this is seen in the issue of going away to college. In Diary, it is about disregarding one's family for the "high" life. both feature a sense of animosity that is palpotable. i wish we had a chance to discuss this more in class.
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