White Male Domination - Blood Diamond

In Blood Diamond (2006) Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) was always the level-headed one in control. White male domination rears its head again in Hollywood cinema. We see this often. Too often.

    

It only makes sense, since these depictions are channeled through the eyes of the white males who dominate the industry. I expect these images will persist as long as this domination does.

    

(Of course, it is up to us to counter these images; but that’s another story; another post.)

   

For example, in the following scenes (discussed in order of occurrence) Archer demonstrates his confident swagger; from the very beginning of the movie. Archer's hubris is often manifest, image-wise, at the expense of black males in the film:

    

• Archer barks instructions to his comrade, the helicopter pilot, Nabil (Jimi Mistry).

 

• Archer sashays, all cool-like – with confidence and a cigarette, as he approaches the compound of Commander Zero (Percy Matsemala). In this sequence, Archer is in a situation of both power and defiance when he seeks to visit with Commander Zero, for the purpose of making a deal -– diamonds for weapons. In this sequence, Archer walks away from a guard –- his back facing the gun-toting, hostile guard who, moments ago, had Archer at gunpoint. When Archer forced his way into the compound to meet Commander Zero, he demanded Commander Zero pay him first for the weapons and when Zero didn’t come up with enough, Archer demanded he proffer up more diamonds. Archer makes threats. And he gets more diamonds. He wins. Winning. He is always in command of himself. Commander Zero, though heavily guarded by armed henchmen, complied and bent to this white man’s will and logical reasoning.

 

• Archer was intercepted at border security, attempting to smuggle diamonds into Liberia. He had the balls to try to bribe the border security. Confidence.

 

• There are the small things. I don’t think these things can be overlooked. There was a scene where Archer and Vandy were under brutal gunfire by the rebel soldiers and were running for their lives. here was an instance in the sequence when Archer says to Vandy, “lie low.” I’m quite certain Vandy’s innate instinct for survival would have led him to know to stay low. This “instruction” directive was unnecessary. But Archer was controlling that sequence. I’m just sayin’.

 

• Then there is the scene when Archer comes up with a brilliant idea. Before the idea was explained, during the scene, Vandy asked Archer, “What do I do?” (again, the small things; Vandy looks to the white man for guidance). The plan was for Archer to pose as a prisoner and Vandy would pretend to be a captor. Archer was planning to murder the RUF guards who blocked their way to the bridge. Well, sure enough, Archer killed the two guards and the third RUF scurried away in terror and was also killed by Archer. Amazed at the brilliance and execution of Archer’s plan Vandy stands there, awestruck.

 

• When Benjamin (Basil Wallace) was shot by the child soldier, Archer drove the car and saved the day and got the black man to safety and medical attention.

 

• The scene when Archer instructs Vandy to pretend to be a cameraman (another brilliant idea from Archer). Amid resistance from Vandy, Archer explains that if he wants to see his child again, he must do this.    

And that ties in with the fact that it is white people (Archer and Mandy), who have the power to reunite Solomon with his family.

    

• Another brilliant idea -- Archer asks Journalist Mandy (Jennifer Connelly) to occupy the guard while he goes into a tent to steal supplies. Specifically, Archer told her to interview the guard, and pretend she wanted his story and photograph for a magazine article. It was a ploy designed to occupy the guard’s attention.

 

• There was a scene when Archer threatened to kill Vandy if he left to get his son.  Archer finally gave in to Vandy’s demand to search for his child, but still mandated that if there was going to be any son-searching, it would be done at nightfall (which actually made sense. Ah... the voice of reason.)

 

• As it turned out, it was Archer who saved Vandy’s son.

 

… blah blah blah. There’s more.

    

These scenes are just a few examples of Archer’s white male domination. Over and over again we see Archer is always in command, never fearful, always in power, always needed, always has the upper hand, always smart, always clever, always crafty. Everything he does is done with confidence and purpose. He even dies on his own terms.

    

Archer was a soldier, previously. This might account for some of his actions. However, whether or not we are to believe Archer’s actions are governed by this fact is not in question here. The purpose of this post is to merely present another example of white male domination in Hollywood cinema. This domination often presents quietly, but it’s there.

 

 

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Comments

[Kimi]

I think Hollywood believes that if there isn't a white dominant in their films, then white folks won't go see it at all. You are absolutely right tho that it's quiet, but it's there.

Even in something like the Lethal Weapon series, Riggs was presented throughout as a nut job & referred to as such. But he was also considered the star of those flicks.

Like the saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. Sadly.

[theblackactor.com]

Actually, I caught a snippet of Lethal Weapon IV the other night. I wasn't really paying attention because I was doing something else. All I remember is Danny Glover's mouth open (screaming in terror) during the sequences I caught. While he was screaming, Mel Gibson was handling things.

Kimi, you're right. Hollywood does believe this. I just don't believe the U.S. moviegoing audience is that shallow.