Critics See Racial Stereotypes in Star Wars
May 29, 1999 - 0:0
LOS ANGELES The latest Star Wars blockbuster is filled with alien creatures from distant worlds, but some movie-goers are complaining that they recognize earth-bound racial stereotypes in many of the characters. Commentators from the Los Angeles Times to the Wall Street Journal say filmmaker George Lucas appears to have imbued many of the extraterrestrial denizens of Star Wars: Episode I the Phantom Menace with racially or ethnically tinged caricatures.
A Lucas spokeswoman denies the charges. Much of the criticism centred on the computer-animated character Jar Jar Binks, an amphibious creature with floppy ears who speaks in Caribbean-style pigeon English and acts as a loyal but bumbling sidekick to the Jedi knights. Jar Jar also has drawn fire from critics who find him annoying in general and believe the character did little but provide questionable comic relief for very young viewers.
Los Angeles Times critic Eric Harrison said the primitive tribe that Jar Jar belongs to the Gungan is ruled by a fat, buffoonish character, seemingly a caricature of a stereotypical African chieftain. A spokeswoman for Star Wars producer Lucasfilm Ltd. dismissed the notion of racial stereotyping as absurd. There is nothing in `Star wars' that is racially motivated. `Star Wars' is a fantasy movie set in a galaxy far, far away, spokeswoman Lynne Hale said.
It is populated with humans, aliens, creatures, droids, robots and other fantastic creatures that have no resemblance to the world we know today, she said. The way a particular character looks or sounds is part of the imaginative fantasy that is `Star Wars.' The black actor who provided the voice for Jar Jar, Ahmed Best, has said he was given wide latitude to develop the character as he saw fit, and deliberately modelled his speech pattern on Caribbean dialects.
If critics and fans are making comparisons between Star Wars characters and racial caricatures, there was little evidence that civil rights leaders were upset. But media arts Professor Daniel Bernardi from the University of Arizona in Tucson said Lucas and other filmmakers often use fantasy as plausible deniability for racial stereotypes. The fact is, filmmakers cannot help but infuse racial codes into these characters so they become meaningful, Bernardi said.
The problem is that George Lucas makes the racial coding stereotypical ... so it becomes offensive. Indeed, Bernardi sees the movie overall as an allegory for liberal white supremacy. besides viewing Jar Jar's physical attributes as facial stereotypes Big lips, dreadlocks, bulging eyes and a wide nose, Bernardi is troubled by the role he plays in the movie. (Reuter)
A Lucas spokeswoman denies the charges. Much of the criticism centred on the computer-animated character Jar Jar Binks, an amphibious creature with floppy ears who speaks in Caribbean-style pigeon English and acts as a loyal but bumbling sidekick to the Jedi knights. Jar Jar also has drawn fire from critics who find him annoying in general and believe the character did little but provide questionable comic relief for very young viewers.
Los Angeles Times critic Eric Harrison said the primitive tribe that Jar Jar belongs to the Gungan is ruled by a fat, buffoonish character, seemingly a caricature of a stereotypical African chieftain. A spokeswoman for Star Wars producer Lucasfilm Ltd. dismissed the notion of racial stereotyping as absurd. There is nothing in `Star wars' that is racially motivated. `Star Wars' is a fantasy movie set in a galaxy far, far away, spokeswoman Lynne Hale said.
It is populated with humans, aliens, creatures, droids, robots and other fantastic creatures that have no resemblance to the world we know today, she said. The way a particular character looks or sounds is part of the imaginative fantasy that is `Star Wars.' The black actor who provided the voice for Jar Jar, Ahmed Best, has said he was given wide latitude to develop the character as he saw fit, and deliberately modelled his speech pattern on Caribbean dialects.
If critics and fans are making comparisons between Star Wars characters and racial caricatures, there was little evidence that civil rights leaders were upset. But media arts Professor Daniel Bernardi from the University of Arizona in Tucson said Lucas and other filmmakers often use fantasy as plausible deniability for racial stereotypes. The fact is, filmmakers cannot help but infuse racial codes into these characters so they become meaningful, Bernardi said.
The problem is that George Lucas makes the racial coding stereotypical ... so it becomes offensive. Indeed, Bernardi sees the movie overall as an allegory for liberal white supremacy. besides viewing Jar Jar's physical attributes as facial stereotypes Big lips, dreadlocks, bulging eyes and a wide nose, Bernardi is troubled by the role he plays in the movie. (Reuter)