Last week marked the debut of two movies featuring overweight black teenagers as the central character. Movie reviewers (a chronic incubator of “progressive” thinking) found one movie “important,” “inspiring,” “compelling,” “transformative” and “a triumph.” It won the Grand Jury & Audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival and received a 15–minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

The other movie was described as “unremarkable,” “undemanding,” “superficial,” “obvious” and “unsatisfying” with an overall failing grade of 57 percent at the Rotten Tomatoes web site.

From the following descriptions, can you guess which movie was the darling of the intellectual set and which movie resonates with Wal–Mart shoppers? (Warning mild to detailed plot spoilers to come.)

In Precious, a functionally illiterate, morbidly obese, black teenage girl is raped repeatedly by her father. One incestuous coupling produces an infant with Down syndrome. Precious lives at home with a cruel and physically abusive mother in a ghetto neighborhood. She is withdrawn, hates her appearance, uses fantasy as a coping mechanism and has no social skills.

A second pregnancy results in her being sent to an alternative school where a lesbian teacher and social worker combine to try and reach the girl hidden inside her shell. The movie ends with Precious, who is still the size of the Hindenburg, landing in a new government program and being informed that during one of his rapes her “father” has infected her with AIDS.

In 1987, the time period of the movie, this is a death sentence.

The Blind Side starts with Michael Oher functionally illiterate, living on the streets in a ghetto neighborhood, with a crack ‘ho for a mother, eating discarded concession stand food, possessing only a single change of clothes, hidden in a shell, with no social skills.

So far what’s not to like about The Blind Side? Sounds like the movie is well on the way to wild applause on the film festival circuit.

But then differences rear their ugly heads.

In The Blind Side an evangelical Christian white woman takes Michael into her home and into her family. He is given a scholarship to a prestigious Christian school and a private tutor — hired by his new family — brings his grades up. Michael starts to play football and earns a scholarship to a major university. He grows to love his adopted family and becomes a new person.

At the university, Michael achieves All–American football status, his grades put him on the Dean’s List, he is drafted in the NFL’s first round by the Baltimore Ravens and, judging from the pictures over the credits, he has slimmed down without resorting to fad diets.

In “elite opinion” circles a black person is allowed to indulge in many varieties of degraded behavior and exhibit any number of dangerous pathologies without causing so much as a raised eyebrow, but nothing keeps elite festival–attendee behinds in the seats like the hero relying on white people, the private sector or a Christian to change his life.

As the reviewer for the Village Voice hissed, “the (Blind Side) peddles the most insidious kind of racism, one in which whiteys are virtuous saviors, coming to the rescue of African-Americans who become superfluous in narratives that are supposed to be about them.”

“Progressives” are much more comfortable with white people dragging black teenagers behind pickup trucks. It confuses them when Christians act like Christians.

Precious a feel–good movie for liberals because what miniscule progress the girl makes is facilitated by a lesbian teacher, a social worker and a halfway house. It’s a trifecta for modern “progressives!”

“Progressives” watch Precious and pretend to empathize while still feeling superior. Because Precious does not ask the uncomfortable question of why aren’t YOU doing more to help, because, as the New York Times says, “An unstated but self-evident moral of Precious, … is that government can provide not only a safety net, but also, in small and consequential ways, a lifeline.”

So the viewer is personally off the hook, just keep voting for Gerry Connolly and stand by for Nirvana.

Christians see The Blind Side and feel inadequate because the movie asks Christians in the audience are you doing enough? And the answer is no, we are not doing enough. We need to do more. We need to do it now.

Christians and conservatives (not always one and the same) complain that Hollywood doesn’t make good movies. But if Christians want Hollywood to make good movies, then Christians have to buy tickets to see the good movie Hollywood makes.

The Blind Side is that good movie. Unless you are a “progressive intellectual” you will enjoy it, but you will also wonder what can you do to make a difference?
You don’t have to start a foundation, pass legislation or ride your unicycle across America to raise money. Just take the advice of Thomas a Kempis: “Do the duty nearest you.”

Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at
michael-shannon@comcast.net.

 

WesternFront America

Have you ever seen the movie ‘I’d Climb the Highest Mountain?’

This wonderful-classic movie was made during the 1950s, when families spent quality time at the movies where Coca Cola was a nickel, hot bettered popcorn a quarter and for a mere quarter you might see a double-feature film, cartoon and newsreel. Parents did not worry about the sexual, bad language or graphic scenes of the early films because most were family friendly.

It was also during June 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea and soldiers said goodbye to their mother, father, sister, brother and sweetheart to fight a war many miles away from home.

America saw sad times during the 50s but there was also much excitement in the North Georgia Mountains. This was the year that the movie ‘I’d Climb the highest Mountain’ was filmed in Georgia’s red clay hills. The 1910 novel that became a movie was written by Georgia’s own Corra Harris and was entitled ‘A Circuit Rider’s Wife.’ It told the story of a young Methodist preacher and his bride as they moved to the Georgia hills to pastor a local church. Much of the movie was shot around Helen and Cleveland in what is called the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Corra Harris died in 1935, Hollywood screenwriter Lamar Trotti, an Atlanta, Georgia native, wrote the screenplay of her book. Trotti earned his fame far from Georgia, but had kept his love of his home and its history. After World War II, Henry King, a successful director, worked with Trotti to produce the movie for Twentieth Century-Fox. King had made the religious films ‘David and Bathsheba’ and ‘Song of Bernadette.’ He was born in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Susan Hayward played the role of Mary Elizabeth, the preacher’s wife and narrates the story. Reverend William Thompson is played by William Lundigan. Both give fine performances about a country preacher, his wife and the Christian life of a small town in the rural South. Their faith is tested by a deadly flu epidemic, a child drowning at the church picnic and the miscarriage of their child. The faithful strength of this couple brings the people closer to one another. Mary even talks a tight fisted old man out of money and buys Christmas presents for the poor children.

The supporting cast includes: Rory Calhoun and Gene Lockhart, father of actress June Lockhart. Alexander Knox, of the movie ‘Wilson’, played a non-believer who was touched in the end by the goodness of the preacher and his wife. Even though Knox lost a child, he now sees his children just as happy as other children and tells Reverend Thompson that he and his family would look into the future with an open mind.

There is an emotional scene where Minister Thompson asks all married couples to hold hands and repeat their marriage vows. This is a scene worth repeating—many times! The movies climax is classic Hollywood. Thompson, as a circuit-riding minister is transferred to another church. He and Mary bid their congregation farewell. Susan Hayward became very fond of the mountain people, many of whom played extras.

An early 1900s automobile was needed for the movie. The producers found Otis Mason in South Carolina with a 1912 vintage Overland in running condition. However, he was the only one who knew how to drive it. Mr. Mason appears in the movie as the driver and just had one line ‘Yes Ma’am.’ What would you give for just one line in a movie? Especially a line that husbands use all the time!

The movie ends with the ‘Lords Prayer’ sung slowly and reverently. The original music by Sol Kaplan and music direction by Lionel Newman is wonderful. This beautiful Technicolor classic is about the dirt roads, farmlands, old buildings and Georgia Mountain folks. Edward Cronjager received praise for the films Technicolor cinematography.

‘I’d Climb the Highest Mountain’ was filmed during the golden era of Hollywood. It premiered on February 17, 1951, at Atlanta Georgia’s Paramount Theater. Susan Hayward was honored by the Georgia State Senate with a resolution declaring her an ‘adopted daughter of Georgia.’ Hayward, born in New York, married a Georgian and they made Carrollton, Georgia their home.

Today, this film is rarely seen on commercial television. The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a Christian Network, did air the movie several times during the month of February 2007 that marked the movies 56^th anniversary.

They don’t make movies like this anymore!!

 

WesternFront America