You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
The lyrics above are from the brilliant song 'You've Got to be Carefully Taught' from South Pacific and is sung by Lieutenant Cable as he laments his inability to love a native girl. It's a tragic song and really hits home when it's performed in the musical.
I've quoted it here because I watched it a week ago and since then the theme seems to following me.
Yesterday I watched The Debt and Amistad. Both films contains strong elements of prejudice and bigotry. Both also happen to be brilliant.
The Debt is the story of former Mossad agent Rachel Singer who, at one time, tracked down a Nazi war criminal and brought him to justice. She and her team overcame many problems in the course of their mission. The film also has a mystery at it's core.
Helen Mirren plays the older Rachel and Jessica Chastain the younger. The film also stars Sam Worthington (Avatar).
Brilliantly acted, thoughtfully and skilfully directed and utterly mesmerising.
There are some scenes of violence and there are some descriptive dialogue sequences that are a lot more upsetting than any visuals could be.
If you're interested in the subject of Nazi hunters then this is probably a good film for you.
Amistad is Stephen Spielberg's classic film about the case of 44 Africans stolen from their home and put on trial for killing their captors during an attempted escape. Starring Matthew MacConnaughay, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounso, Stellan Skarsgaard and many other recognisable characters actors.
Whenever the subject of slavery is central to a film's plot you just know there are going to be scenes so upsetting they're difficult to watch and Amistad is no different. Much like some horror films, there were moments where I found myself almost hiding behind a cushion - tears streaming down my face (only real men cry by the way!).
Barely got 20 minutes of cross stitch done - couldn't concentrate with such gripping films on. Hopefully will get some stitching done today.
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