Red Tails - George lucas does the Tuskegee Airmen

Back during WWII tens of thousands of Americans fought bravely to preserve American ideals and defeat Nazi rule. Since that time, literally hundreds of films, video games, and books – plus a few television shows – have been created to celebrate and honor those men and women. Except if they were people of color.

Just like in high school, where there was never a word spoken about people of color fighting in any conflict, battle, or war America was involved in, the contributions of African Americans, Latinos and Asians was an unknown in the media depicting WWII (or any conflict up to Viet Nam really). Essentially the history books most were given their basic education upon passed over the concept that anyone else was in America. Until around 1995.

It was about that time that we finally got something both real and worthwhile. That is not to say that there were no films on African American contributions or that Hispanics were never seen on screen. But there is a major difference of having an African American in Force 10 from Navarone, Dirty Dozen, or giving Desi Arnaz a bit part in a war film (Bataan), and telling a true story of Americans of color fighting like every other American.

Thus we saw in the HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen, the real and courageous actions of the first Black fighter pilots – who never lost an escort bomber to enemy fire during the entire war, and the only unit to claim such to my knowledge. It only took some 40 years to get this story out.

Now, slightly more than a decade later, it is going to be revisioned in the motion picture Red Tails [a reference to the insignia of the fighter group].

Well that is unfair I suppose. George Lucas is not known for his remakes, nor for a lack of originality. I believe that he definitely is educated enough to have learned about the Tuskegee Airmen on his own, or in college. I believe that he is fair-minded enough to want to see this honorable part of American history discussed and celebrated. And I believe that he is talented enough to ensure that such a film, depicting the battles these men fought in the air and on the ground with the American military of the time, will be worthy of these men.

It’s just that HBO has already done this film. With Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, Andre Braugher, and Mekhi Phifer. It was nominated for 12 Awards and won 6. Including Emmies for casting, camera production, sound; an Image Award for acting – Laurence Fishburne; and a Peabody Award. Because the film was done that well. [Though the DVD was not. It lacks any really meaningful additions most DVD’s have – like commentary from any of the actual Tuskegee airmen.]

Still I am glad that Lucasfilm and George Lucas are making a push to have a major motion picture made about these men. The cast has some exceptional members, including Gooding, who is the only member from the HBO film to be in this re-telling of the actions of the 99th Fighter Squadron and 332nd Fighter Group http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/Tuskegee_Airmen_History.html.

Other cast members include: Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith (aka Method Man), Kevin Phillips, Rick Otto, Lee Tergesen, Andre Royo, Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley.

And in this new cast I am confounded by several choices. Cliff Smith and Ne-Yo. A rapper and R&B singer/rapper. Ne-Yo (Shaffer Smith) has been in blockbusters like Save the Last Dance 2 and Stomp the Yard. Method Man (Cliff Smith) has a slightly better resume with his appearances in the cable television shows Oz, The Wire and CSI. He also was in the mega-wonder How High and Soul Plane.

Suffice to say that I find them to be incredibly weak. In fact they make me recall an old saying that I made on this blog years ago.

“The quality of a film degrades in exponential proportion to the number of rappers that are in it.”

I can’t recall a film where this though has not been proven. Thus in a major film, about incredibly important and honorable men, the inclusion of 2 rappers bodes poorly. I can only hope that their characters are minor and die off in the film quickly.

Can Red Tails do justice to the Tuskegee Airmen? It should. Will it be as good as the HBO film? That’s hard to say with a cast that is mostly unknown and less experienced than the HBO original. Plus the inclusion of rappers (that should help to pull in the hip hop audience, most of which likely know little about this part of history) makes for many doubts.

Are there so few stories of African Americans and other people of color that fought in WWII that this is the only story to be told over and over? NO.

While I am glad this is a story being done bigger than ever before, and it is finally starting a trend of honoring men that the American Government failed to honor for some 40 years, it is not the only thing that can be said. Much like the film Glory touched on a fact of African Americans involvement in the Civil War, there are many stories based in fact that can be told. Like the recent Spike Lee WWII film.

African Americans and other people of color have been a part of every aspect of America since before this nation existed. As such, we deserve to be celebrated in films as much as any group of Americans. And that celebration does not need to be, nor should it be, the same story told repeatedly.