# For the love of Black History Month: What's your favorite film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932 "2008-02-09T16:38:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/1 "2008-02-09T16:38:06Z")
I don’t think we’ve ever had a thread like this before. Let’s give it a whirl! What are your favorite movies with either 1) a predominately black cast or 2) black leads. These are the only conditions. Comedies, drama, horror, musicals…they are all allowed. Bonus points for providing reasons. In no particular order: **The Color Purple** (everything is perfect in this movie. I watched it last night for the millionth time) **The Wiz** (shut up) **Crooklyn** (provides a glimpse into urban family life; very realistic characters and experiences) **The Last Dragon** (whenever I feel down on myself, I start thinking “You are the last dragon” and I start glowing) **Trading Places** (hilarious comedy. A true classic) **Eve’s Bayou** (highlights a culture that is rarely shown, beautiful cinematography, beautiful actors) **Waiting to Exhale** (just a very funny movie. Angela Basset was incredible in it) **Raisin in the Sun** (WILL-IE!!!) **Mahogany** (Do you know where _you’re_ going to?) ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/2 "2008-02-09T16:55:21Z")
Dead Presidents Ray ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/3 "2008-02-09T17:05:52Z")
“A Soldier’s Story,” based on Charles Fuller’s play. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/4 "2008-02-09T17:07:30Z")
Not too much of an emphasis on the **history** part of Black History it would seem. Ah well, here are my choices. **Roots** Technically it might not qualify but you put down **The Wiz** so I don’t wanna hear no back talk. **Glory** Not all that accurate but a good movie anyway. Marc ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/5 "2008-02-09T17:10:24Z")
**Ray** - one of the best bio pics ever. **Boomerang** - Eddie Murphy and young Halle Berry vs. Robin Givens **The Great White Hype** - a hilarious (but all too true) boxing movie **41 Rifles** - there’s a lot of heat in Jim Brown & Raquel Welch’s love scene **Hollywood Shuffle** - very funny and with something to say. The spoof of Siskel & Ebert, “Sneakin In the Movies” was worth the price of admission itself. **The Last King of Scotland** & **Hotel Rwanda** - true to life movies that scared the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/6 "2008-02-09T17:10:51Z")
**Skeleton Key** , a good horror film without being gory. Bonus points for good research. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/7 "2008-02-09T17:20:24Z")
**Uptown Saturday Night Let’s Do It Again** - Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby - Light but fun 70s comedies **Trading Places** - Murphy at his best **Blazing Saddles** - “Hey! Where the white women at?” **Star Wars** - Vader’s black, right? 😃 _ **Hooper:** Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy. Bust this: those movies are about how the white man keep the brother man down, even in a galaxy far, far away. Check this shit: You got cracker farm boy Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy, blond hair, blue eyes. And then you got Darth Vader, the blackest brother in the galaxy, Nubian god! **Banky Edwards:** What’s a Nubian? **Hooper:** Shut the fuck up! Now… Vader, he’s a spiritual brother, y’know, down with the force and all that good shit. Then this cracker, Skywalker, gets his hands on a light saber and the boy decides he’s gonna run the fuckin’ universe; gets a whole clan of whites together. And they go and bust up Vader’s hood, the Death Star. Now what the fuck do you call that? **Banky Edwards:** Intergalactic civil war? **Hooper:** Gentrification! They gon’ drive out the black element to make the galaxy ‘safe’ for white folks. And Jedi’s the most insulting installment! Because Vader’s beautiful black visage is sullied when he pulls off his mask to reveal a feeble, crusty, old white man! They tryin’ to tell us that deep inside we all wants to be white! **Banky Edwards:** Well… isn’t that true? (Hooper pulls gun and shoots Banky) **Hooper:** Black rage! Black rage! I’ll kill every motherfucking last one of you!_ ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/8 "2008-02-09T17:25:58Z")
**silenus** , where is that from? That’s freakin’ hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/9 "2008-02-09T17:27:50Z")
[Chasing Amy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118842/) - Kevin Smith’s best movie. Definitely worth the rental, if only for this scene. [Youtube link.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMCki0Z_AlA&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/10 "2008-02-09T17:31:58Z")
**The Women of Brewster Place**. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/11 "2008-02-09T17:32:18Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] **silenus** , where is that from? That’s freakin’ hilarious! [/QUOTE] _Chasing Amy_, a film by Kevin Smith. The first movie that came to mind to me was _Blankman_. I know, I know, not a particularly grand cinematic feat, but one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/12 "2008-02-09T17:33:40Z")
Do the Right Thing. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/13 "2008-02-09T17:33:51Z")
**Black Orpheus** - breathtakingly great movie. **Watermelon Man** - hilarious - Kafka’s _Metamorphosis_ as racial farce. **Round Midnight** and **Ray** - 'cause I’m a music guy. Ooh, and **Carmen Jones** , too. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/14 "2008-02-09T17:34:41Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] **The Women of Brewster Place**. [/QUOTE] Oh, I love that movie! Oprah was good in it. It’s amazing how much older she looked than she does now. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/15 "2008-02-09T17:36:35Z")
Another vote for Blazing Saddles. I don’t know if that’s my favorite movie of all time, but it’s up there. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/16 "2008-02-09T17:43:01Z")
**Monster’s Ball.** Berry’s performance alone was outstanding, but the movies was superb as well. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/17 "2008-02-09T17:53:19Z")
I’m guessing **Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?** counts. I liked **Beloved** more than most. And the most moving film I’ve ever seen: **Hoop Dreams.** More to the point of Black History Month would be **Mississippi Burning** (although the leads are white). ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/18 "2008-02-09T18:01:40Z")
**Glory** is one of my all-time top 10 **Antwone Fisher** ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/19 "2008-02-09T18:03:15Z")
Standing in the Shadows of Motown Do The Right Thing Foxy Brown (she cuts off his dick and gives it to his girlfriend-- how can you not love that?) Crooklyn (Man, that was exactly what it was like growing up in NYC at that time.) I want to but both Claudette and Sounder but I haven’t seen either movie since I was young and I’m not sure how they hold up. Glory I cry just thinking about this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932/20 "2008-02-09T18:08:57Z")
It wasn’t a theatrical release (but instead was an HBO original film) but I quite enjoyed “Something the Lord Made” starring Alan Rickman and Mos Def, about the heart research done by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. And I usually hate biopics, especially the ones that are supposed to be inspirational, but this was really good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-black-history-month-whats-your-favorite-film/436932.md?page=2)