RED TAILS CHASING SKIRT TAILS AND ARCHETYPES

Iconic film director, George Lucas, has taken on the risky
business of producing a Hollywood film telling the WW II breakthrough story of
the Tuskegee Airmen, titled “RED TAILS,” featuring a mostly Black cast of
actors. The number two ranking as the
highest grossing film in its initial weekend on the big screen is less a
testament to the broad based interest in the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment by
America’s film goers than to the effectiveness of the Internet and Social Media
communication networking in the Black milieu.
In spite of the millions of Black ( and white ) Americans and
aviation enthusiasts who showed up in support of RED TAILS’ cinematic victory
in presenting this major piece of the American Civil Rights mosaic, the
Facebook and Yahoo Groups have blasted us with too many societal experts
imparting myriad criticisms of RED TAILS. The dissing of the film has varied from charges
of “one dimensional characters,” gratuitous archetypes, ie, devout flag waving Christian,
booze burdened and romance crazed renegade pilots, leadership bogged down in banal,
platitudinous speeches and finally an implausible a POW sub-story that
concludes with magical reappearance of shot down airmen at the end of the
movie. Any criticisms of RED TAILS’ lack
of credibility or deviations from historical accuracy miss the point. We should
be thankful the breadth of real romance stories occurring back then in Italy were
tactfully omitted. Those critics who really care about historical validity
should see Lucas’ prequel companion to RED TAILS, “DOUBLE VICTORY.” The latter documentary had powerful technical
input from Original Tuskegee Airmen to assure historical accuracy in capturing
the civil rights breakthrough. The OTA’s also consulted on RED TAILS, but it
was the intent in the latter case to produce a film more focused on entertainment
than factual representations, as many other epic military films like “MIDAWAY,”
“PEARL HARBOR” and “THE GUNS OF NAVARRONE.”
I give the military history buffs their due in justified
criticisms if there were erroneous factual references made as to the number of missions
or sorties flown, number of U.S. bombers lost or Luftwaffe aircraft shot down that
were not supported by history. We have
bountiful examples of African American contribution to the advancement of society
without undermining our credibility by resorting to the neediness of hyperbole.
In the final analysis, it appears that most of the Black
folks who would criticize RED TAILS are too young to remember or have not experienced
the burgeoning Civil Rights struggle of the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on
Washington that cracked open the door leading to the historical progress
African Americans have achieved in this country. Yes, the march for equality must go on.
As successful as they
have been, perhaps NO African American film director, not even Tyler Perry or
Spike Lee, could have drawn this large an audience for a Black fighter pilot
combat movie as George Lucas. The Black
community support has been outstanding, whether we get more films of this type
or not. What is important is that we collectively appreciate what the making of
this film represents vis-à-vis greater Black participation in achieving the
American Dream and having our stories told. It’s a long, long way from Amos
& Andy, Rochester and Step and Fetchit. We should welcome any sources that are
inspired to tell our stories, eschewing inclinations to engage in bad-mouth-
nit-picking of great cinematic efforts like RED TAILS. It’s entertainment; let’s enjoy it and be
proud!
The author of this piece is a next generation Black combat
pilot whose aviation career stands on the shoulders of the RED TAILS. A former airline captain and now author, Captain
Brian H. Settles, has written a Real Deal story of what it was like flying
combat missions as a Black fighter pilot in a war Dr. King denounced as “immoral”
and politically unjust. No Reason for
Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy, Infidelity and War. See www.CaptBrianSettles.com and www.NoReasonforDying.com to see details and order copies.

George Lucas' " RED TAILS" A MUST SEE MOVIE

THE RED TAILS RIDE
AGAIN

Bravo and Right On for George
Lucas-the Hollywood movie director of “Star
Wars” fame who has taken a stand for
producing a film that artfully combines modern cinematic technology in the telling
of an important story that depicts how far the United States has advanced in
racial relations since World War II. This
is a movie that big money Hollywood
turned its back on, presumably due to the absence of marque white stars and
sporting a predominantly black cast of actors.
The fact that George Lucas possessed the passion and guts to go-it-alone
in re-telling the story of the experiment to train Black pilots in Tuskegee,
Alabama during the early 1940’s once again demonstrates that greed for profits
in “tinsel town” trumps industry support for great films that portray a profound
story from our American past that younger and senior Americans need to hear. In a Private screening last night, the
Atlanta Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, with 17 Original Tuskegee Airmen
present, came out for a pre-release viewing party.
The film title is “Red Tails,” the breakthrough film story of the Tuskegee Airmen who
courageously trained and served as fighter pilots, bombardiers and technical
support personnel in Italy during WW II against the German war machine. It was
a magnificent work of film making technology; the visual scenes with Dolby
Stereo put viewers right in the middle of the aerial dog fights, occurring at
blinding speeds with the deafening surges of high powered turbo-prop engines. Warning:
Movie-gowers must have fascination with airplanes and fighter pilot action;
there is a ton of it. But at the same
time, there are sub-themes of race relations, the bond of camaraderie among the
airmen who were fighting for the Liberty of African Americans at home as well
as the United States abroad. Contrasted with the discrimination these Black
heroes faced at home and from their white military counterparts, the sacrifice,
dedication to mission and desire to prove themselves worthy was powerfully
depicted in the dying and human sacrifice in this magnificent war saga. And,
yes, even romance between the airmen and the Italian beauties was tastefully
interjected as a part of the Tuskegee Airmen reality while stationed in
Ramotalli, Italy.
In the final analysis, the courageous
achievement of the Tuskegee Airmen is beautifully captured in “Red Tails,” a must see movie for all
Americans who believe in the greatness of a country that is known for its
ability to triumph over adversity and challenge to remain a beacon for
individual freedom and democratic ideals in the world. With the latent resurgence
of political polarization, in part brought on by the election of the first
African American President, Barak Obama, it is indeed inspiring to have a great, honest
film that injects fresh hope in the hearts of Americans who will make the time
to see this movie, “Red Tails.” African
Americans have absolutely NO excuse not supporting this film. Thank you, George
Lucas!
By – former airline Captain Brian H. Settles, author of a
next generation Black fighter pilot story about his combat tour flying almost
two hundred missions in Vietnam at the time of Dr. King’s assassination titled:
No
Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy,
Infidelity and War
www.CaptBrianSettles.com