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Post by Jan on Feb 21, 2022 15:51:40 GMT
I was reading an interesting piece elsewhere about the film Belfast. It is set in Belfast during the Troubles and is based partly on Branagh's own childhood. At that time, 1969, you could live in Belfast and see literally no black or Asian people at all, that's a simple matter of historical fact. However in the film there's an Asian shop owner, a black policeman (extremely improbable) and so on. Asked about this Branagh said it would have been literally impossible to get financing without casting in this way, it is an explicit condition of film financing contracts now.
Any views on this ? At what point does it become unjustified to rewrite history in this way ? I mean the fact Belfast was notably non-diverse at the time was significant to sectarian politics surely ?
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Post by poster J on Feb 21, 2022 16:26:28 GMT
Lack of diversity has nothing to do with the sectarian problems in NI, never has done. It is a religious and ideological divide.
And just because there were few ethnic minorities in NI at the time doesn't mean there were none.
Complete non-point in my opinion.
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Post by Jan on Feb 21, 2022 17:08:06 GMT
Lack of diversity has nothing to do with the sectarian problems in NI, never has done. It is a religious and ideological divide. And just because there were few ethnic minorities in NI at the time doesn't mean there were none. Complete non-point in my opinion. I disagree on your first point - lack of diversity meant there were only two religious tribes and literally everyone belonged to one or the other. A more diverse religious community would have potentially lessened the standoff in certain ways - diversity isn't just about race. Contributers to the discussion who actually lived there at the time said they literally didn't see a black person until the mid-70s, not at school or in their area or anywhere. That is quite an interesting observation. The Royal Ulster Constabulary played a problematic role in the conflict and were far from even-handed, suggesting they'd employ black police officers at the time suggests an inclusivity which simply didn't exist. It is a skewed version of a past which simply didn't exist, it suggests the past was like now. Just because the past was unpalatable in some ways doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed to be shown on film surely ?. |
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Post by stevemar on Feb 21, 2022 18:21:17 GMT
Specific to Belfast the film, whilst it is semi-autobiographical with historic background, it certainly isn’t an historic document of the Troubles and is simply a “version” of the real Belfast at that time.
Personally, I hadn’t registered the ethnicity of the policemen, but yes, had noticed the Asian shopkeeper but didn’t think anything of it. I don’t think it made any difference to the story being told though and wasn’t particularly relevant.
So, the article/Branagh comments that funding was dependent on certain conditions, of which some diversity in the casting was one. I don’t think this is a big deal. If it helped the film get made, that’s better than not at all.
I don’t believe a change in the actual ethnic diversity of Northern Ireland would have made much difference to the conflict. The history of the conflict runs much deeper with political and religious divides going back centuries, ignited by provocation from one side or the other and entrenched positions.
Although a different point, in the current Belfast particularly the younger generation who have experienced relative peace want to move on, and indeed many have done so.
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Post by Jan on Feb 21, 2022 18:56:01 GMT
It doesn’t bother me either. But some people who lived through it in Belfast *are* bothered by it and seem to feel their own history is being airbrushed.
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Post by lichtie on Feb 21, 2022 19:37:17 GMT
Wasn't he a soldier rather than RUC? Which makes it far more possible.
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Post by poster J on Feb 21, 2022 19:39:36 GMT
It doesn’t bother me either. But some people who lived through it in Belfast *are* bothered by it and seem to feel their own history is being airbrushed. Everyone I know who lived in Belfast at the time (and I'm not being facetious, this is all personal to my family history so I'm speaking from talking to those who were there) hasn't even mentioned it. The film was very real to them in very many ways. |
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Post by Jon on Feb 21, 2022 22:41:26 GMT
TBH the diversity of Belfast didn't bother me, the scene where Buddy is told by his Ma and Pa on Christmas Day that they might be moving to England did come across as a bit unrealistic. |
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Post by adolphus on Feb 21, 2022 23:53:19 GMT
Its a valid point. I understand the casting issue, but having grown up there in the 70s and 80s, it's not a realistic depiction. The racism which was afflicting so may other British cities at this time was alien simply because there had been so little immigration to N.I.
More baffling to me though was why Branagh chose black and white to shoot the film instead of colour. And, more baffling still, how could his cash-strapped parents ever have afforded their own telephone?
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Post by mkb on Feb 24, 2022 0:35:55 GMT
There's an awful lot of revisionism going on in historical dramas to downplay the attitudes on race and sexuality that were quite prevalent and mainstream last century. I favour historical accuracy, rather than pretending everything was largely fine apart from the odd objectionable character.
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Post by sweets7 on Feb 24, 2022 22:08:52 GMT
Wasn't he a soldier rather than RUC? Which makes it far more possible. It would. Thre were many black soldiers in NI at different points. As early as 69 though I don't know. |
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Post by sweets7 on Feb 24, 2022 22:12:11 GMT
Its a valid point. I understand the casting issue, but having grown up there in the 70s and 80s, it's not a realistic depiction. The racism which was afflicting so may other British cities at this time was alien simply because there had been so little immigration to N.I. More baffling to me though was why Branagh chose black and white to shoot the film instead of colour. And, more baffling still, how could his cash-strapped parents ever have afforded their own telephone? There was always in Irish cities small groups of ethnic minorities. Muslims in Limerick...and many years before that Jews. There would be the odd Asian running shops in cities. And in fact Branagh had said there was an Indian shop near him. It also has to be acknowledged though that the reason NI and ROI didn't become multicultural earlier was because of the troubles itself. I grew up in Ireland in the 80's and I was quite used of Asian ethnicities (Chinese and Indian/Muslim) but ai had never seen a black person u til I saw soldiers in the North. That began to massively change in my teens and post Good Friday we happily never looked back. |
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