After watching Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled, I find myself very reluctant to name a trickster. With feelings of ambiguity towards the film’s message against racism, I’m still confused which is worse, racism or terrorism?
The main character, Pierre Delacroix, comes off as a trickster in the beginning because he refuses to be labeled as a stereotype, or to even be classified. His power is language and knowledge, but the misuse of knowledge eventually gets him killed. Trying to get fired, he invents a modern day minstrel show with the assumption that it won’t ever make it to television. When the show becomes a hit, Delacroix becomes blurred by society and losses touch with the message.
In the beginning of the film, Delacroix makes it crystal clear that he has a serious problem with the use of the “N” word; especially when whites use it. His father, a popular black comedian, seems to have no problem using the word. So it seems like the verdict is that it is acceptable to use it if you are black? Once Delacroix gives in to using the word in his show, he seems to lose perspective of what he believes in. He losses his true identity, and forgets that he created this in order to get fired.
The TRUE Trickster then is……Spike Lee.
Lee has created a film in which the audience doesn’t know what is allowed to be funny. There is a blend of stereotypes that seem to undermine the rules of the culture, which is what John Leland attributes to trickster figures. Lee also uses his wit to poke fun at the stereotypes of each culture, making disturbingly funny and disgusting gestures simultaneously.
Spike Lee, The Trickster, did his research in order to use it to his advantage. I think overall, the message is positive in a weird Spike Lee kind of way. There is no room for racism in our society, because it has taken us so long to overcome it. After watching this film, I was extremely depressed and couldn’t even put it into words now. All I can say is ‘Wow.’
This, I think, is a very astute observation:
ReplyDelete"In the beginning of the film, Delacroix makes it crystal clear that he has a serious problem with the use of the “N” word; especially when whites use it. His father, a popular black comedian, seems to have no problem using the word. So it seems like the verdict is that it is acceptable to use it if you are black? Once Delacroix gives in to using the word in his show, he seems to lose perspective of what he believes in. He losses his true identity, and forgets that he created this in order to get fired."
The word is used so much in the film it's almost as if it's a character. And just like characters, it changes throughout the film. Dunwitty references Quinton Tarentino when using the word, and I think this is something Spike Lee is playing with. The word itself might be considered a Trickster in many different ways.