Moxie's Movie Reel

[Kieran]

Casting is one of those things where I give directors the BOD per their vision. A casting is something I decide on upon seeing the final product. Way too much politically obsessed viewers screaming “it’s Woke! It’s woke!!” When a non White is cast in a role. It’s almost comical to me.

If the casting is also politically obsessive, then I think that actually can be woke and detracts from the quality of the directors “vision.”

For “Amadeus” does anyone reallly think the play is more than a highly imaginary & fictional picture of Mozart & Salieri ( 2 real life figures). I mean to me the greater themes of “Amadeus” is Salieri’s spite toward God for gifting a young, brash & uncultured punk with the greatest musical gifts as a sort of cosmic joke.

Absolutely, and it’s staggeringly great in that regard.

In THAT context, why not have an Asian in the role?

Or, why have an Asian in the role? You’ve already caused a distraction from the play by pretending Mozart was a “brash uncultured punk”, why go further to force us to imagine him as an Asian? I get it that Amadeus is a fictional account that has no actual basis in reality, but why break the fourth wall even more by denying he was Austrian? Who is Amadeus then, in this play? Not Mozart, because Mozart was white. So why not cast a white actor and keep the focus on the character, not on the casting?

Or else why not go the full hog and rewrite the play to reflect only the grand themes, but base it around a fictional Asian composer, if you want so badly to cast an Asian, and call it after the Asian composer?

I think it’s disrespectful to both the audience and actually to Mozart to be so dismissive of his identity.

Younger generations who are used to ethnicity in all walks of life won’t give a crap and it fits IMO the true themes & visions of the play. ( how many people suspended belief in having white actors play ethnic roles in the past?) But of course we all decide for ourselves.

They will give a crap if you cast a white man playing a famous black person these days, they might even have a mostly peaceful riot.

On the other hand, what is accurate casting per intent? , in Shaespeare’s time women were prohibited from being on stage so all the great women roles he wrote (Juliet, Viola, Lady Macbeth, were played by men, would we say his intent & vision did not come through because a different gender literally played those roles in his lifetime?

No, I think his vision has won in the end. In those days people just had to imagine the man was a woman. In ancient times the actors wore masks that represented the character/god/demon they played. There has been historically a tremendous waste of women’s talents in the arts, which we hope to balance now. But in our times, we’re more used to realistic portrayals. Going back in time to anachronistic casting due to largely political ideas (bad ones) isn’t progress.

Or the fact that a Black actor first portrayed Othello 250 years after the play was initially staged. Did Shakespeare even envision a non white actor as the Moorsman? One could argue he never intended a black actor to ever play the role. Despite the theme of Othello as an outsider in a world where he never will be totally accepted. So is it so so horrible that Black actors play the role despite the possible preconceptions of the original writer?

Again talking about accuracy in casting is a very tricky subject.

IMO

We’ll never know what Shakespeare imagined for the future casts of his plays, unfortunately, and he lived in a time where it was dangerous to go against the grain. It’s a very interesting discussion though!

 

[the AntiPusher]

Now, I would say to this that all these characters in Oppenheimer actually existed, did they? So it completely limits any opportunity for enforced “diversity”, though that probably wouldn’t stop some people. I see there was a version of Amadeus where Mozart was played by an Asian actor. The problem with this is that it’s anachronistic, it breaks the the fourth wall and distracts from the story, as much as if he composed his great music in the show on a Casio.

As well as being highly unnecessary, it’s completely dishonest.

But my problem with the casting in The Odyssey - and I know you didn’t mention me, but this is an interesting and polite discussion - was the casting in general. All the actors were good but the film wasn’t Jason Bourne and The Argonauts. The almost completely American cast - and certainly completely non-Greek cast - was an absolute impediment to me getting immersed in the idea that we’re in the Bronze Age. I wish he’d gone full Mel Gibson and cast locals, speaking in their own tongue, or even in Ancient Greek, and we follow it in subtitles. It would have been more interesting, and if peak Mel Gibson directed it, it would definitely have been more visceral.

I think Nolan made a few major characteristics missteps with this film…

Hmmmm