Watching the original #TheTakingOfPelham123 and it starts off with horrendous racism via a "comedy" bit with a group of visiting Japanese dignitaries.
This was so common back then, it makes me appreciate Sulu from the original #StarTrek even more. He was never an ethnic comedy prop and his character debuted eight years before this film came out.
What an ending!
Sixteen Candles is so racist I can't watch it any more - and it's from 1984!!! Just, no excuse. And I still see it crop up on "best" lists, with no comment about the racism.
No-one cared about Breakfast At Tiffany's for years. I remember saying to people that I refused to watch it cos of the racism and just got blank stares in return. "BUT AUDREY HEPBURN!"
And when I was at Uni, I also remember getting labelled touchy as I didn't want to engage in the directorial merits of Leni Riefenstahl or D.W. Griffith.
Oh lord, yes, and they cast Mickey Rooney! They didn't even give an Asian actor a job!!
As you said, eternally grateful to Roddenberry that Sulu and Uhura were respected crew members.
@tikistitch @Jyoti
Makes it so much more sad that the rebooted Star Trek franchise seemingly undid all that.
Sulu’s first scene in Star Trek (2009) was essentially a racist joke about Asians driving, and Uhura’s was essentially reducing her to an object for Kirk to ogle at.
Jyoti Mishra
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