This may come as a surprise to some, but I have never seen "The English Patient". So I was so excited to record it on my DVR and then I had a little date night with myself. It was a beautiful movie. Unfortunately, since it was so old, I sort of knew what was going to happen, but still, WOW! Great film, great acting, the cinematography was outstanding. I could go on but I don' t have to. The film won how many Oscars? And the all important, Best Picture.
As I sat there watching Kristin Scott Thomas in all her glory, I couldn't help but have the thought "She ain't got no titties at all!" And here she is, the leading lady, the beauty, the gorgeous object of the desire of not one, but two men who both risk their lives for the privilege of being her man. The artist in me couldn't help but marvel at the way the actors served the stories and their characters. The Black woman in me couldn't help but feel (large) twinges of pain that still, Black people have yet to be able to achieve that level of mastery. There just aren't the roles and stories out there for Black artists to create with that kind of detail and beauty. How many examples do we have of that kind of complete story telling and film making that are considered "Black" movies? Or for that matter, and what I really care about, how many Black women have gotten a shot at the kinds of roles that Kristin Scott Thomas has been able to sink her teeth into?
So, as I sat there watching her, I couldn't help but think about Halle Berry. Halle Berry is arguably, one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. And, THE BITCH WON'T AGE! She looks more lovely now, especially after giving birth to the ADORABLE Nahla, than she ever has. She has retained that dear perfection which she owes to the good lord above. She is perfection. She is on the cover of Essence looking perfect. She is hawking her perfume looking perfect. No lines, no wrinkles, no proof that she is human. No, just picture after picture of angelic looking features, that have not shifted one iota in the many years that she has been a star. And that is just her face! I have not even gotten to her body and the, as Hugh Jackman has dubbed them, "perfect pair", meaning her titties. So, here she is, with a tiny, tiny waist, big titties, even a respectably round bum. Halle, one of the most successful Black actresses, EVER! Halle, whose very success lies in her gorgeosity, is the best thing Black actresses got going.
Of course she is the standard by which all others will be judged. But the secret is, Halle Berrys don't come along very often. I don't know anyone who doesn't age, except Halle Berry. Who can have a baby and still flaunt a near perfect body. And yes, there are tons of Hollywood women who do it, but Halle seems to do it ALL and do it well and with no assistance from a well trained dermatologist.
Kristin Scott Thomas is a beautiful woman, but not perfect. Flat chested, a few fine lines, a scar here or there, a less than perfect nose. Beautiful and can act her ass off, but not perfect. Halle, is perfect in every way, with a rack that stops traffic. What my soul, or maybe my ego, has trouble reconciling is why does the Black woman have to be perfect to have half the career that the White woman has? Halle has won the genetic lottery in spades, while Kristin is just a good looking girl who worked hard on her craft, and yet Halle is the standard by which all other Black actresses are judged. She is the only one who can even remotely call her own shots or get her projects produced. She is who everyone wants because she is the only one who will sell, or so they say. So where does that leave the average, everyday looking Black actress who can act her butt off, but needs, unlike Halle, a little foundation when she goes on camera? Where does that woman fall in the scheme of things? Why is there no beautiful, but not perfect, Black woman who can fall in love and die in a beautiful story of star crossed lovers? Why does the Black woman have to be flawless, with a perfect pair? Why can't she be a flat chested, flawed and yet deeply wonderful actress to watch on screen?
Angela Bassett?
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