1. ASSIGNED READINGS1) Critical Essay on the Film The Class2) The Intouchables racist - French people don't think so and here's why - Slate3) Untouchable- How did a French comedy about disability beco

10/14/2018 The Intouchables racist? French people don't think so, and here's why . https://slate.com/culture/2012/05/the-intouchables-racist-french-people-don-t-think-so-and-here-s-why .html 1/4 M enu THE DYLAN OF ANYTHING I s T h e I nt o uc h a b le s R a ci s t ? By D A PH N EE D EN IS M AY 25, 2012 • 11 00 A M TW EET SH A RE CO M M EN T François Cluzet, left, and O m ar Sy in The Intouchables Photo by Thierry Valletoux – © 2011 - Gaum ont - Quad It’s a story about a w hite m an and a black m an. T he w hite m an is rich and paralyzed fr om the neck dow n; the black m an is an ex-con from the projects. T he form er needs a caretaker; the latter needs som eone to turn his job application dow n, so he’ll be eligible for unem ploym ent bene Tits. T hey m eet. T hey clash. A nd, against all odds, D riss, the black m an, starts w orking for BROW BEAT 10/14/2018 The Intouchables racist? French people don't think so, and here's why . https://slate.com/culture/2012/05/the-intouchables-racist-french-people-don-t-think-so-and-here-s-why .html 2/4 P hilippe, the w hite m an. T hat’s the plot of T he Intouchables, France’s second biggest box-of Ti ce hit ever, brought to A m erican screens this w eekend by the W einstein C om pany. A nd that storyline has prom pted m any A m erican critics to label the Tilm “racist.” In V ariety, Jay W eissberg describes it as “the kind of U ncle Tom racism one hopes has perm anently exited A m erican screens.” S tephen H olden in the N ew York T im es says the Ti lm exploits “every hoary stereotype of the black m an as cultural liberator.” In their w ords, O m ar S y, w ho plays D riss, is a French V iola D avis, only m ore com prom ised: Like the O scar- nom inated actress fr om T he H elp, they express regret that S y is getting his due as an actor for such a dem eaning role— in this case, the part of a “M agical N egro.” Like m any French people, I disagree w ith this analysis— but also Tind it hard to argue against here in m y adopted hom e. B lack m en or w om en w ho have taken servile roles in A m erican m ovies have m et disapproval going back at least as far as H attie M cD aniel, w ho received an A cadem y A w ard for her portrayal of the m aid in G one W ith the W ind. A t the tim e, M cD aniel said that acting as a m am m y w as m ore pro Ti table than being one. O m ar S y becam e the Ti rst black actor to receive a C esar, the French equivalent of an A cadem y A w ard, thanks to his perform ance in T he Intouchables. T hat m y native country w aited so long to recognize black talent is far m ore outrageous than the m ovie he w as rew arded for. In fact, from a French perspective, the m ovie isn’t outrageous at all. It’s a story about a w hite m an and a black m an. T he w hite m an is rich and paralyzed fr om the neck dow n; the black m an is an ex-con from the projects. T he form er needs a caretaker; the latter needs som eone to turn his job application dow n, so he’ll be eligible for unem ploym ent bene Tits. T hey m eet. T hey clash. A nd, against all odds, D riss, the black m an, starts w orking for P hilippe, the w hite m an. T hat’s the plot of T he Intouchables, France’s second biggest box-of Ti ce hit ever, brought to A m erican screens this w eekend by the W einstein C om pany. A nd that storyline has prom pted m any A m erican critics to label the Tilm “racist.” In V ariety, Jay W eissberg describes it as “the kind of U ncle Tom racism one hopes has perm anently exited A m erican screens.” S tephen H olden in the N ew York T im es says the Ti lm exploits “every hoary stereotype 10/14/2018 The Intouchables racist? French people don't think so, and here's why . https://slate.com/culture/2012/05/the-intouchables-racist-french-people-don-t-think-so-and-here-s-why .html 3/4 of the black m an as cultural liberator.” In their w ords, O m ar S y, w ho plays D riss, is the French V iola D avis: Like the O scar-nom inated actress from T he H elp, they say S y shouldn’t have accepted a dem eaning part, in this case a standard-issue “M agical N egro” role. Like m any French people, I disagree w ith this analysis— but also Tind it hard to argue against here in m y adopted hom e. T he Intouchables found its inspiration in a true story, that of P hilippe P ozzo di B orgo and A bdel S ellou, originally fr om A lgeria. A ccording to the V ariety piece, the fact that an A rab’s life becam e a black m an’s part on screen is a “telling” elem ent of the Ti lm ’s “o O ensive” stance on race. Yet if those roles seem ed interchangeable to directors O livier N akache and E ric Toledano, it’s perhaps because the m ovie goes beyond race to tackle a w ider social issue in France. D riss and P hilippe com e fr om w orlds used to ignoring each other until they collide— and collide they do, som etim es w ith deadly results. In 20 0 5, riots in the French “banlieues” after the death of tw o teenagers w ho w ere chased by police prom pted the French governm ent to declare a state of em ergency. P rivileged France trem bled at the idea that the French poor w ould burn dow n the city, overtaking the E i O el Tow er or the C ham ps E lysees. M ore than 2,50 0 people w ere arrested. T he Intouchables says both w orlds can live— and conquer— together. For the French, if this m ovie is to be criticized, it’s for being delusional and politically correct, not racist. It describes a w orld “w ithout social con Tl icts, w ithout m odernity, w ithout crisis,” as the French daily Libération put it. T he “M agical N egro” is a token black character w ho helps a w hite protagonist fu l Ti ll his quest. B ut the protagonist of T he Intouchables is D riss, w ithout question. H e’s the one the cam era follow s from his governm ent- fu nded hom e— a Tl at he shares w ith several brothers and sisters— to P hilippe’s m ansion and back. H e’s the one w hose life is m ost developed in the plot: H e left S enegal for France as a child; he’s w orried about his little brother’s involvem ent in gangs; he never dared tell his fam ily about his prison sentence. In com parison, P hilippe’s story is m erely sketched: H e w as once in love, he has an adopted daughter, he becam e paralyzed after a paragliding accident. T hough m ost of the m ovie takes place in P hilippe’s house, it’s D riss w e get to know best. 10/14/2018 The Intouchables racist? French people don't think so, and here's why . https://slate.com/culture/2012/05/the-intouchables-racist-french-people-don-t-think-so-and-here-s-why .html 4/4 A nd the m ovie isn’t really about servitude. W hile A m erican critics see a m odern-day version of a black dom estic and his w hite m aster, the French see a guy fr om the projects and a m an w ho needs help to go to the bathroom . B oth m en have received their fair share of hum iliation. D riss has little to no support in life— even his fam ily gives up on him after he gets out of prison. A nd no one dares get close to P hilippe because they’re scared he’ll break. T hey’re both pariahs, “untouchables.” Yet D riss touches P hilippe (even “em pties his ass,” as he puts it), and P hilippe accepts D riss’s touch. S ym bolically speaking, the im age is striking. A French aristocrat in a w heelchair gets help fr om one of the “socially assisted people,” as a form er m inister under S arkozy once described those w ho receive governm ent bene Ti ts. W hite France is paralyzed; im m igrant France has becom e its arm s and legs. Tw eet Share Com m ent FOLLOW US Facebook Tw itter Instagram Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Com pany. All contents © 2018 The Slate Group LLC. All rights reserved. Reprints Advertise: Site / Podcasts Com m enting Contact / Feedback Pitch guidelines Corrections About us W ork with us Send us tips User agreem ent Privacy policy AdChoices