But following that logic, you get to, "Well, even though Taymor thinks Djimon is the best person to play Caliban we can't have him play the role because he's black."

But by her own admission, his skin color was part of what made him the best person to play Caliban. Which I find extremely problematic, especially considering that this is Julie "traditional-interpretations-of-Shakespeare-my-ass" Taymor. It's not like we're talking about a Kenneth Branaugh production here.

[eta: And What Juliana Said.]

What about the solution of having more POC in the cast? That's my logic, right there.

Definitely a better solution.

I could see replacing Molina with Chiwetel Ejiofor, as an example.

They're both fine actors who can handle the comedy and the language, but that would dilute the effect of othering you get by casting Djimon as beastial Caliban.

the effect of othering you get by casting Djimon as beastial Caliban.

Dilute the problematic effect, you mean...that sentence bothers me right there.

I'd have loved to see her go ALL out nontraditional casting and do something like Djimon Hounsou as Ariel and Tilda Swinton as Caliban. (Seriously - name me an actor who does Other better than Tilda Swinton.)

I'd have loved to see her go ALL out nontraditional casting and do something like Djimon Hounsou as Ariel and Tilda Swinton as Caliban.

Do you remember how Gene Siskel used to always critique movies based on the movie he wanted to see instead of the way the director chose to do it? And Ebert would always blow up and say, "That's all well and good Gene, but that's not the movie the director chose to make!"

I do understand you're critiquing the casting choice itself, though, which is fair game.

(Seriously - name me an actor who does Other better than Tilda Swinton.)

But Ariel is already an otherworldly character as well. Just, you know "airy."

Dilute the problematic effect, you mean...that sentence bothers me right there.

Yes, but it's problematic in a several ways. The problematic effect has to do with a cultural history, as well as what Caliban means specifically in the play.

Anyway, I'm not sure how you balance out the variety of issues in play.

I would never advocate being prescriptivist to the director. Nor would I say Djimon shouldn't be cast because he's black. I have less problem with a director saying he should be cast because he's black, mostly because black actors don't get a lot of opportunities to do Shakespeare on film and certainly not with a cast like that.

Still: Taymor is making an artistic choice in her casting, one that exploits the physical contrast Djimon offers with the white actors, based on elements of the text but willfully ignoring the historical issues of portraying a black man (a) as half-human; and (b) attempting to rape a white girl; (c) and being enslaved.

See now, halfway through that paragraph I was talking myself into a position against her casting, but by the end I was thinking, "Well, those are implications in Prospero's relationship to Caliban that could be foregrounded and investigated rather than diluted. Casting a black man actually reflects back on Prospero in a more complicated way."

Here's Javi Grillo-Marxuach's tweet on the the new movie:

julie taymor's films are the movie equivalent of a gorgeous, erudite but very difficult companion who may leave the party with someone else.

The problematic effect has to do with a cultural history, as well as what Caliban means specifically in the play.

The problematic effect has to do with what I read as you calling Djimon bestial, to be precise.

The problematic effect has to do with what I read as you calling Djimon bestial, to be precise.

I didn't presume my comment was happening in a vacuum, but enjoined already in a long running discussion where the terms and issues of race-blind casting would be understood as given.

If not, I'll clarify: there's nothing bestial about Djimon. But the issue is with casting a black man as a half-human, demonic, rapey character.

mostly because black actors don't get a lot of opportunities to do Shakespeare on film

The solution to this is not to limit black actors to explicitly described-as-black-in-the-text characters, especially when those characters are based on 400 year-old harmful stereotypes.

I read it as the character Caliban being bestial. Did I miss something?