Undergraduate Dissertation

(1)

Undergraduate Dissertation

Trabajo de Fin de Grado

Challenging the Myth of Race in the US: Genre and Race in Green Book (2018)

Author

Irene Torres Coscojuela

Supervisor

Hilaria Loyo Gómez

FACULTY OF ARTS

2021

(2)

Introduction

The 2018 film Green Book (Peter Farrelly) is based on the true story of Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali), an affluent African American and gifted classical pianist, and Tony ‘Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a working-class Italian American who serves as his chauffeur. They travel together through the US South in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement in a journey that will provide a new awareness on their racial identity and relationship. The film was initially well received by audiences and critics alike, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Ali in 2019 (Meseguer 2019). The film’s initial praise, however, garnered significant controversy from some prominent critics and filmmakers—as Spike Lee—for its perceived streamlining of complex racial issues.

Green Book can be categorized as a Road Movie. As Neil Archer recollects across his

book The Road Movie: In Search of Meaning (2016), this film genre focuses upon a road trip with the characters often travelling vast distances to achieve an objective. During the course of their journey, the main protagonists experience a transformation and change their outlooks or perspectives on life due to the obstacles they face (Archer 104); they act as each other’s catalyst for their personal growth. The initial clash, a central generic convention, between the protagonists in Green Book is shown in their prejudices concerning class and race statuses, which they lived experiences of racial segregation in the US South in that decade would eventually transform, making the whole journey a mutual learning experience.

According to Archer, the road movie conventionally uses visual codes such as wide shots of vast open plains with mid shots of rural diners and close ups of philosophical debates in car (77), which serve to artistically express social critiques. In Green Book, exchanges

(4)

2 on race and geography are intertwined. As the protagonists move on from north to south, the treatment (and expectations) of black people will differ as they change the geographical scenery of the metropolitan north for the rural south. This visual representation of landscape is utilised to express the ideas of personal freedom, societal rebellion, and self-edification.

An important narrative convention is, as Archer remarks, how the Journey is more important than the destination itself and it is this self-consciousness gaining process that acts as a liberating experience for both characters (13). The genre regularly incorporates the subgenre of the Buddy Movie, which is to be expected since the Road Movie genre almost always has two main male characters of differing persuasions “coming from different backgrounds and possessing different perspectives…The ultimate goal is to bring the two characters back together to show how they’ve changed together…”

(Sanderson 2020). These two genres are therefore complementary to each other as the Buddy Movie tropes allow for increased character building and narrative cohesion within the Road Movie genre. Since it consistently contains straight white males in central roles, it has commonly alleged that the genre is recurrently host to the White Saviour trope (Maurantonio 1131), one of the recurrent criticisms levied at the genre.

The term White Saviour is used to describe a stereotypical white figure that helps non- white characters out of their problems, and thus develops the moral compass resulting from his ‘heroic’ endeavour. The White Saviour trope can be first ascribed to Rudyhard Kipling’s 1899 poem The White Man’s Burden, which elaborates upon the supposed responsibility of the white race to lead peoples of colour to “civilisation” (Maurantonio 1133). Another notable work in the Western canon that involves the trope is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). As Dyches and Thomas explain,

(5)

3 this novel still relies on the crux of the white protagonist who continually aids the black and subordinate/supporting character (39), while it highlights the ignorance of racism (45). This is the prototype of the White Saviour trope that is still commonly depicted to this day and in Green Book, where the role of the White Saviour is personified by the character of Tony.

The figure of the White Saviour is one of the narrative elements that has traditionally been used to endorse a mythical view of race, which has endured in the US since its colonial period. Jacqueline Jones (2013) illustrates the first European settlers’ initial reaction to seeing Indian Americans by concluding they were “an inferior race destined for enslavement” (9) due to their physical appearance. It is from this first encounter that the notion of “race” was formed, being the mythical construction of race as concept; a justification bolstered by its apparent scientific foundationsfor discrimination, bigotry, and disenfranchisement for centuries.

The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s which conforms to the temporal setting of Green Book challenged this mythical and prejudiced view of race by exposing the realities of

racism, particularly in the southern territories of the US. This movement was a monumental landmark in American history; a collective effort between black and white people supported by JFK, that sought to create a fairer and more equitable country through the “Freedom Ride” protests persuading JFK to assert that the concept of race is an un-American one (Boyer 602-607).

In this dissertation, I aim to analyse how the film Green Book demystifies race and challenges racial prejudices through the characters’ encounter and the evolution of their relationship throughout the Journey which is a central generic element of the Road Movie genre. To this aim, I will follow the narrative trajectory of the Journey and its different

(6)

4 stages in order to discuss the details of this learning experience on racial prejudices and relation in the US. In the first stage, I will discuss the manner in which the film introduces us to Tony and how this establishes a baseline from which his character can develop as a White Saviour. The second stage will deal with how the broader issues of class and race interact with each other focusing on geographic and spatial terms. The third stage will address the initial conflict that arises between Don and Tony, where the two characters’

awareness of racial and cultural differences are acknowledged and taken into consideration. This will be explored through the cinematic conventions of the Road/Buddy Movie, such as Car Conversations etc. The fourth and final stage will deal with how each character´s realisation of the other’s societal issues results in their respective epiphanies and, subsequently, their metamorphosis into more considerate and tolerant human beings.

(7)

5

Introducing Tony as a Dubious White Saviour

The opening fifteen minutes of Green Book serve to establish the character of Tony. The customary depiction of this persona is clearly shown to the audience through several characteristics or actions that form the well-known archetype of the Italian-American member of the Mafia in New York—the sanctuary of every mobster in Hollywood films.

In the first scene, we are introduced to Tony while he is working as a bouncer in a nightclub. His initial behaviour is to concoct a plan to impress the local Mafia boss by stealing his hat then returning it to him, making it look like retrieved it out of his own initiative. This highlights how Tony has no problem with earning money via morally dubious methods. He lives up to his moniker of “The Lip” for he knows how to lie and cajole others. Although Tony put himself in good graces with the local mobsters, his scheme resulted in him and several other workers being made redundant from his job at the club.

The next morning, the scene provides further details on Tony Vallelonga’s character that merge class and racial issues. We see right at the start a couple of Tony’s friends and relatives with the implicit reason that their presence is justified to keep an eye on the two black workers, whom they refer to as “sacks of coal”. Tony and his friends believe in the racist stereotypes of black people, as they suspect the workers of either potentially stealing from the house, not doing the job properly or being sexually inappropriate with Tony’s wife. In addition, when Tony sees the two black men drinking from glasses, he then proceeds to bin said glasses as he sees them as having been

“contaminated”. It is evident that Tony’s moral aspect acting as a pater familia crosses the line. That protective sphere he creates to respect the family honour depicts his inner views on African Americans being less than human.

(8)

6 The first meeting between Tony and Don is also particularly revealing, as it inverts the traditional depictions of class and race in Western films. In this scene, the white man (Tony) is depicted as less intelligent, more ignorant and poorer than his black counterpart (Don). Indeed, this is shown visually via the mise-en-scène. Not only is Don’s apartment extremely luxurious in comparison to Tony’s, but Don addressed Tony sitting on a throne wearing a golden robe and looking down unto him, who sits on a simple wooden chair beneath Don’s dais. This scene establishes a direct contrast with the previous scene in the kitchen, where the stereotypical depiction of the black man working for the white man is illustrated. Don lives in the lavish 7th Avenue in New York whereas Tony lives in a small, meagre apartment in the infamous New York neighbourhood of The Bronx—a worldwide symbol of lower-class struggle—as Richard Morgan (2020) observes “When describing the Bronx and its residents, politicians tend to talk in euphemisms. They use terms like...

“grit,” “heart” and “passion.” These words could similarly be used to describe Tony, and it is evident that his experience of living and growing up in The Bronx has shaped him, and his views, profoundly.

As a result of this, Don stands out even more noticeably in his role as the dominant male, whereas we pay extra attention to Tony in his role as the subservient male, given that this is the first time we have seen him visibly daunted while in Don’s apartment.

Issues of race and class are raised once again in the scene where Tony is given the eponymous Green Book which refers to The Black Motorist Green Book, written by Victor Hugo Green, an African American writer who published this book annually, adding a list of places that allowed people of colour to stay. This guide was first published between 1936 and 1966 in response to legislation that supported and upheld discrimination and segregation against black people under the auspices of white supremacist power (Kennedy 3). We see the level of Tony’s ignorance about black people

(9)

7 and the existence of this book due to his racial prejudices. Since he is not intermingled within the black society, he is not aware of the potential dangers for African Americans when travelling through the Deep South. His main concern is to provide for his family, as said before, embodying that pater familia role that represents the Italian-American male culture; so he is far from realizing the harsh reality his boss is facing.

First Phase of the Journey: Confronting Racial Stereotypes

As Tony and Don depart for the first time together, accompanied by Oleg (Dimiter D.

Marinov) and George (Mike Hatton)—the two band members who make up the rest of Don’s trio—we are shown how their differing personalities immediately clash, a common trope in Road/Buddy Movies. This initial tension will gradually and inevitably come to a resolution later in the film (Archer 27); it is what draws us in and captivates us emotionally. Additionally, we are also shown the first of many Car Conversations, another key generic convention in road movies, which are present throughout the film and are used as the transformative space for the two main characters acting as “a means of exploring intimacy between people outside the domestic sphere” (Archer 77). This particular exchange is used as a showcase for both Don’s neurotic particularities—for example, not smoking in the car—and Tony’s occasionally spiteful nature (he eats Don’s sandwich that Tony’s wife made for him after being forced to throw away his cigarette).

The use of the alternative close-ups here puts particular emphasis upon his vindictive attitude towards Don following Tony’s dialectical capitulation being “shot almost entirely through two digital cameras fixed to the dashboard, directed at the two front seats”

(Archer 77). The two men’s personas are represented through their physical placement within the space confronting the racial stereotypes of the time; Tony—the man of action—is in the driver's seat, physically transporting them through the Journey whereas

(10)

8 Don—the artistic and abstract thinker—is in the backseat, where he is frequently in a contemplative state.

The following reaffirms the vast differences them; Tony is amazed to learn that Don can speak another language as Don speaks Russian to Oleg, which Tony mistakes for German, to which he adds: “be careful, Krauts are all sneaks.” This little exchange between the three characters emphasises how contrasting these people’s initial outlooks are. Tony’s obvious ignorance of language, xenophobia towards Germans and his amazement at Don’s ability to speak another language are all expressed in this exchange.

Conversely, the revelation of Don’s bilingualism confirms his character as an eccentric, atypical and gifted black man.

Additionally, while at a roadside diner, the issues of class, race and how they relate to education are raised. After their meal, Don asks Tony to describe it and he responds with “salty”. Don then proceeds to sarcastically praise Tony’s command of the English language and Tony is oblivious to this slight due to his lack of education and culture. The contrast between Don and Tony’s level of education is deliberately accentuated here and suggests that Tony’s lack of education is a key factor in his prejudiced attitude towards black people since the ignorance of Italian Americans has for generations left the education for professionals (Aiello 227). This is also exhibited at the start of the film where we see Tony occupyinga menial job, and this further expounds the fact that he has very little schooling.

A key scene in the initiating stage in Tony’s personal development occurs when he first witnesses Don playing the piano at their first stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is Tony’s first ‘true’ self-realisation and acknowledgement of the brilliance of Don’s artistic and musical genius, unclouded by any negative racial factors. It is also the first time that Don deliberately intervenes to morally lecture Tony, as he catches him playing

(11)

9 a betting game with the rest of the black chauffeurs—Tony is the only white ‘help’

present—and scolds him for taking advantage of the fact that the black chauffeurs are prohibited from entering the venue. We can infer from Tony’s reaction that he takes this personally and realises for the first time the true impact of racism for it has reached an area of his life that he knows well (gambling).

Gambling also connects Tony to another stereotypical depictions of African Americans that dates back to the period of slavery: The Zip Coon, the lazy free Negro that lives off his girlfriend and whose only occupation is gambling. The imagery of the Zip Coon appears in this scene as the black men are shown gambling, not doing their job properly and are wearing chauffeur attire that closely resembles the antiquated clothes that the Zip Coon traditionally wore that Lemons describes as “swallow-tail coat with wide lapels, gaudy shirts, striped pants, spats, and top hat” (102). However, it is Tony in particular that is depicted as being closer in demeanour and attitude towards the Zip Coon character when compared with Don as Tony sees no problem with gambling, lacks formal education and engages in generally illicit behaviour as we witness in the next scene.

They stop at a gas station, at which there is also a novelty shop selling jade stones.

These catch Tony’s eye and quietly steals one that had fallen onto the ground. When returning to the car Don scolds Tony and asks him to return the stone or else he will not let him drive.

We are given a fascinating insight into the inner workings of Tony’s psyche. It would appear that Tony has no moral qualms about stealing, and it is because Don holds him to account for his actions that the stone is seemingly returned. In a deconstructive sense, this concurs with the theoretical notion of the myth of race as it inverts the stereotype of black men being criminally inclined and instead has the white man being the immoral, criminal perpetrator. At the same time, it points to the importance of class

(12)

10 difference to distinguish moral behaviour. Albeit the white character is normally depicted as the morally superior, as in the White Saviour role, in this scene is subverted by the black character bearing higher moral standards.

Beyond Stereotypes: Learning About the Realities of Racial Differences

As we approach the middle of the film, Tony begins to discover the harsh realities of race as they travel further south. We see via the mise-en-scène the theatre in which Don is set to perform is far below par: there is rubbish everywhere and the piano is not a Steinway, the only model of piano that Don uses. Tony raises his concerns with the stagehand in a polite manner at first, but then becomes more aggravated due to his impolite attitude. This confrontation reaches its climax when the stagehand uses the term “coon”. Tony smacks the stagehand.

The importance of the correlation between the change of physical locations and the change of character perspectives is conveyed (Archer 83). This incident is a demonstration of Tony’s development into a more racially conscious person, and how racial prejudice personally affects Don; for this is the first time that he makes a definitive stand against racism.

After entering the state of Kentucky, in the next stage of the Journey, Tony decides to buy some Kentucky Fried Chicken (stereotypically thought to be particularly popular amongst black people) in its eponymous state. He seems astonished to find that Don has never tried it before. Despite Tony’s ignorance about the black community and his confidence in racial stereotypes, his desire to bond with Don and get him to try KFC comes from a place of genuine sincerity. Don reluctantly takes a bite and, surprisingly, enjoys it. The fact that a white man has to teach a black man about black culture in the south is revealing; Don has never had the opportunity or interest to learn about ‘his’

(13)

11 culture, likely due to him belonging to an aristocratic ‘high culture’ (Davis 80) that has kept him insulated from the general populace and their interests. All in all, this scene shows that the white society is not aware of the plurality of social spheres inside the black society. White population has been basing their viewpoint on old and basic archetypes that held no place for black upper-class citizens. Thus, Tony learns that his mind set about black culture is naive and short, and, at the same time, Don gets a first glimpse about the culture that the society expects from him.

Linking to what Jourdan Aldredge (2017) states about the importance of the relationship between the Buddy characters, we can identify this scene as an example of Tony and Don’s differences complimenting each other, which opens the way for a humorous interaction between them and the strengthening of their bond.

Later, they pull into a motel in downtown Louisville, which says “Coloured’s Only”. In the patio, Don drinks his whiskey while watching a group of black people playing horseshoe. They ask him if wants to join in; he declines, and they subsequently mock him for wearing expensive clothes. This scene reiterates Don’s inability to relate with people of the working and lower classes, and in particular, blue-collar African Americans. The reason Don can’t relate with them is because he doesn’t self-identify as a black man since he belongs to an African American upper class that does not find benefits on relying or connecting with black people of lower classes (Collier-Thomas and Turner 9). In a way, he seems to be a renegade of his roots by declining this offer, but in the end this scene just shows his problem with adjusting to the black stereotype vision the world has.

In Tony’s room, we are shown that Tony did not return the jade stone, and it is on his night table. A sudden knocking at the door is heard. Tony answers and is informed by George that Don is in trouble. Tony enters a dive bar where an intoxicated Don is being

(14)

12 hassled by a group of drunkards, to whom Tony asks for Don’s release. Don is relying on booze to escape from the reality he is living in, he cannot connect with black people, nor can fit in a “white” world, so his race issue is connected with his self-identity. In this scene we see for the first time Don’s vulnerability, even though he is a respectable pianist for white audiences, when he jumps in a bar he is simply another “negro”.

Tony then berates Don for his foolish actions; it seems that he is not aware of the repercussions of them. Don replies “If I walked into a bar in your neighbourhood, would it be any different?” Don’s rhetorical question addresses the harsh reality of his situation. Even though the south is supposed to be the segregated and a more dangerous part of the country, he knows that even in the “democratic” free north, where Tony and he live, racism is still among them as another part of daily life.

While Tony is portrayed as the hero for saving Don from a racist attack, it could be seen as an example of the White Saviour stereotype in action, which ultimately detracts from the anti-racist message the film is trying to convey (Hughey 489). Tony incarnates a specific White Saviour character that detaches from the ones shown as superior moral ones. Tony is seen as Don’s protector in this scene as if Don could not defend himself against adversities because of his racial complexity, and this means Tony’s naive helpful actions are undermining Don’s self-agency.

Once back on the road, the pair eventually make it to North Carolina. In 1960, this state held an important sit-in started by four black students in a cafeteria in Greensboro demanding to be served to boycott segregation in hospitality. This event changed the course of history by being one of the catalysts of the Civil Rights Movement.

Tony has to pull up due to an engine problem. Don steps out of the car and looks across at the adjacent field where he sees a group of black farm hands working as cotton

(15)

13 pickers. They look perplexed to see another black man dressed affluently and being chauffeured by a white man. The deliberate use of slave iconography is juxtaposed with the imagery of Don’s apparent wealth and status, in conjunction with the connotation that not much has changed for black people in the American south from the time of slavery down to segregation. Don seems visibly ashamed and gets back into the car. The conditions of lower-class black workers after Emancipation have been frequently compared with those of slavery, as Jones measures: “whether an enslaved labourer in colonial America, a freed person in the Reconstruction South, or a worker on a modern assembly line, people labelled "black" have been affected in various ways by the term”

(299). At this point in the Journey shown the horrific realities of race and also how the differences between the upper and lower classes result in vastly differing qualities of life and work. This time it is Don that observes it; and this is important as it is meant to demonstrate that even a realistic cynic (on the topic of race) like Don can witness things that surmount his low expectations of poor and black life in the south.

Don’s next performance will take place in an old Antebellum plantation. During the intermission of his show, he goes to use the bathroom. However, he is stopped by the host of the event, the reason being that it is for the white patrons only. Don is then degradingly offered the outhouse instead, to which Don refuses and says that if he cannot use the proper bathroom, he will drive back to his hotel.

The film then cuts to another Car Conversation with Tony driving Don questioning why Don doesn’t just pull over at the side of the road to relieve himself. A significant component of this scene is constructed visually; previously we saw Don and Tony argue but they always did it with good faith, However, this time is different. Don is staring out the window, refusing to really engage with Tony. From this we can ascertain

(16)

14 that this particular incident has struck a raw nerve for Don, and his feeling of abjection is only further exacerbated by Tony’s lack of understanding.

The racial segregation inflicted upon Don is another obstruction encountered on the Journey and the true strength and dignity of his character is revealed to us. Conversely, Tony’s inability to grasp the moral principle displayed by Don isalso demonstrated. We can presume that due to Tony’s class status, the instinct to seize capital whenever he can have been deeply ingrained within him, so much that he misses the moral principle that Don is illustrating dignity. Tony’s ineptitude is further reaffirmed by Oleg who explains that “Shirley could’ve stayed up north for three times money, but he asked for this”, but Tony still doesn’t understand. In the end, what Don wants is to prove to the white segregated south audiences the benefits of diversity and to show that the status quo in which they live is just a dystopic way of life; blacks can enter and live equally among them. Above money, Don wants to prove himself that he is capable of being recognized for his talent, but also for the colour of his skin.

Into South Carolina now, Tony is writing a letter to his wife; so Don offers to help Tony write it since he is not the best with words. This serves to demonstrate the strengthening of their bond through the Buddy Movie basis. In addition, this scene collects a rupture in the original archetypal idea of the White Saviour as superior being helped by the black character. This interaction gives another glimpse of the existence of different social classes in terms of education within races.

Moments of Epiphany on Race and Class

A crucial moment between Don and Tony occurs when the pair are travelling at night through the state of Mississippi, they get lost and unwittingly drive through a ‘sundown town’; so named because it was illegal for blacks and other minorities to be outside after

(17)

15 dark (Kennedy 17). Mississippi was a crucial state for the Civil Rights movement.

Freedom Riders’ arrival to Jackson in 1961 ended in an arrest since segregation in interstate buses was a reality. Later that year, the Interstate Commerce Commission asked for the desegregation of public transportation.

In the scene, a local police officer notices Don being chauffeured by a white man so he signals for them to pull over. The cop demands to know why a black man is being chauffeured at night. Tony begrudgingly shows his ID and the cop notices his distinctive Italian surname, as he proclaims Tony must be “half nigger himself”. This enrages Tony and punches the cop. Consequently, they are imprisoned in the local jail.

The contrasting demeanours between Tony and Don are apparent; Tony sits slouched and is resigned to his failure of getting Don to his next performance on time whereas Don stands tall, dignified, and politely requests for his right to a phone call.

While Tony is adamant that he did the right thing by punching the cop, therefore demonstrating his newfound hostility towards racism, Don disagrees and asks Tony if he is pleased with himself; as his actions have achieved nothing, adding that “Dignity always prevails”. Don shows how—due to his skin colour—he must rise above the temptation to physically retaliate to any racist abuse.

The police chief answers the phone, to his astonishment, it is Bobby Kennedy, brother of President JFK and also an advocate of the Civil Rights movement. Among his landmarks during his political life as the Attorney General, he gave in 1961 Freedom Riders the victory by prohibiting segregation in interstate bus terminals. The film then cuts to another Car Conversation as the pair drive off again. Don feels ashamed that he had to put the Attorney General in a difficult position.

(18)

16 It is at this point that the culmination of Tony and Don’s differences comes to a head as Tony proclaims that he is “blacker” than Don because he has to hustle for his family, while Don lives a life of secluded luxury. Don exits onto the roadside in torrential rain and erupts; he laments “If I’m not black enough, and not white enough, and I’m not man enough, what am I?”. This is arguably the most important scene in the film with regards to the effect it has on Don and Tony’s subsequent relationship; on the one hand Don has finally opened up about his inner struggle with his self-identity and finding a place within the black community, while on the other Tony finally understands—through Don’s revelation—the reality of the dehumanising effect that racism has upon those that it is inflicted upon.

Ultimately, they arrive at Birmingham, Alabama. This enclave is the last but not least important stop in their Journey. It shares a metaphorical resemblance with Martin Luther King, Jr. Birmingham campaign since after it the city’s segregation laws changed;

as this last stop in their Journey changes everything for Don. It became the most important chapter of the history of the Civil Rights Movement and precursor to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Tony decides to stay in a “Coloured’s Only” motel with Don. Here Tony is writing another letter to his wife except this time he is trying to use his own words; Don is pleased with this advance. In response to this, Tony urges Don to write to his estranged brother giving him friendly advice. This interchange signifies that despite their heated confrontation earlier after leaving the jail, Don and Tony’s relationship has been strengthened by their raw and honest dialogue; they now have a friendship which can be considered close.

The night of Don’s last performance is taking place in a hotel. In the dining room, Oleg informs Tony that Nat King Cole once played here which made him the first black

(19)

17 man to perform in a white establishment, even though he was subsequently pulled off stage and beaten. Oleg compares this with Don’s own mission, saying that “there is no genius without courage.” With this statement he implies that the “courage” Don has displayed by playing in front of white crowds is the one that has led him to break stereotypes against black people, teaching them through music that even black people are able to succeed, prosper, and simply, exist.

As Don tries to enter the dining room, Graham Kindell (Brian Stepanek), the general manager of the hotel, insists that the long-standing traditions must be followed;

Don cannot enter. Despite Tony’s pleas they will not compromise and Kindell suggests another place for them to eat, Don offers an ultimatum: “I’m eating in this room or I’m not playing”. When Kindell offers $100 for Tony to get Don to play he punches him, but Don stops him saying he will play if Tony wants him to. They leave the place.

This is the first time that he chooses principles over money as he tells Don to leave the place. The choice Tony makes is a direct result of all that he has learned during the Journey, and it suggests that his transformation from an uneducated, bigoted scoundrel into a more cultured, racially conscious, and reliable friend is complete.

Tony asks Don if he’s hungry, and they proceed to the Orange Blues Bar, which Kindell has mentioned to them earlier. Tony then mentions to the bartender that Don is the best piano player in the world, and this discussion eventually results in Don approaching the piano on stage, joining the rest of the jazz band. He launches into a Little Richard pop number, and the whole bar starts dancing to Don’s music. This sceneis Don’s manifestation in regard to his acceptance and affiliation with mainstream black culture.

By playing a popular black artist’s song on an old, weathered piano in a rundown jazz bar, he visibly signals his approval of black popular culture and as a result of this,

(20)

18 finds acceptance among black people for the first time, as they all dance during his performance.

As Tony drives through the night during a heavy snowstorm since he promised his wife he would be home for Christmas, the night drags on and Don takes over driving duties, letting Tony sleep in the backseat. Once he wakes up, they are back in the Bronx;

Tony asks Don to come and meet his family, but he declines.

Meanwhile, Don returns back to his apartment on 7th Avenue, he puts Tony’s stolen jade stone on his mantle. He is now all by himself on Christmas Eve. Back at Tony’s flat during Christmas dinner, he explains his Journey with Don at which point a relative asks if the “tootsune” gave him any bother, and Tony retorts back with “Don’t call him that”. His wife Dolores is surprised at Tony’s reaction to the racial slur. Suddenly there's a knock at the door; Tony gets up to open it but it’s just another one of his neighbourhood friends with their wife but as they enter, we see Don. Tony hugs him then welcomes him in.

These last scenes serve as a final reinforcement of the substantial changes that have occurred within Don and Tony. The amusing revelation that Don stole Tony’s jade stone signifies he has learned from Tony the benefits of breaking the occasional rule, and to enjoy life in a less regimented sense. Additionally, Tony’s immediate retort in response to his relative’s racist slur when describing Don represents his complete metamorphosis into a racially conscious and enlightened individual; through their shared lived experiences they have gained on the Journey they have arrived at their respective revelations about race and class, which is that race is a social construct and that class division helps to perpetuate this myth through its segrative nature and the self-serving, tribalist mentality it promotes.

(21)

19

Conclusion

Ultimately, Green Book is a hopeful film. While stereotypical and clichéd in many ways, it differs from most other Road movies in the following fashion that have a fatal ending (Laderman 44). The inclusion of an optimistic ending is a factual necessity, since it was based on true events, also an artistic and moral one. If Green Book were to end on a pessimistic or cynical conclusion, it would have undermined the entire message of the film.

The message being that race is a myth; an archaic and divisive classification that discriminates against people of colour via the stereotypes associated with race, and how class division furthers this myth. This message is conveyed through the narrative conventions of the Road and Buddy Movie genres, with Don and Tony’s metaphorical and physical odyssey—by way of the Journey—being the catalyst for their respective transformations. While the central message is conveyed effectively, this does not mean that the film is without its significant flaws; the most notable one of course being that Tony is portrayed as the White Saviour and, by extension, that the film panders to white sensibilities about the subject of race.

However, although Tony exhibits many of the stereotypical traits of the White Saviour, he is atypical in that he is never portrayed as intellectually and morally superior to Don. These are central qualities of the White Saviour trope, so it could be argued that while the character of Tony has problematic issues in the way he is depicted he is in fact still a much more complex character than that of a traditional White Saviour.

(22)

20

Works Cited

Aiello, Stephen R. “Italian-Americans and Education.” Italian Americana, 5.2, 1979, p.

227. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/29775977. Accessed 11 June 2021.

Aldredge, Jourdan. “How the Buddy Comedy Continues to Enamor Audiences” Premium Beat, Shutterstock, 22 November, 2017.

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/elements-buddy-comedy-continue-thrive- enamor- audiences/ Accessed 1 June, 2021.

Archer, Neil. The Road Movie: In Search of Meaning. Columbia University Press, 2016, pp.13-104 www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/arch17647. Accessed 17 May. 2021.

Boyer, Paul S, et al. “The Turbulent Sixties” The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People. 4th ed, United States: Houghton Mifflin, 2002, pp. 602-607.

Collier-Thomas, Bettye, and James Turner. “Race, Class and Color: The African American Discourse on Identity.” Journal of American Ethnic History, 14.1, 1994, p. 9. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27501932. Accessed 12 June 2021.

Davis, John A. “The Influence of Africans on American Culture.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 354, 1964, p. 80 JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1035320. Accessed 12 June 2021.

Dyches, Jeanne, and Thomas, Deanni. "Unsettling the" White Saviour" Narrative:

Reading Huck Finn through a Critical Race Theory/Critical Whiteness Studies Lens." English Education 53.1, 2020, pp. 39-45.

Hughey, Matthew W. “The White Saviour Film and Reviewers' Reception.” Symbolic Interaction, 33.3, 2010, p. 489. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/si.2010.33.3.475. Accessed 12 June 2021.

Jones, Jacqueline. A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama’s America. New York: Basic Books, 2013, pp. 9-299

(23)

21 Kennedy, Richard A. Automobility, Hospitality, African American Tourism, and

Mapping Victor H. Green’s Negro Motorist Green Book. 2013. East Carolina University. Thesis, pp. 3-17.

Laderman, David. “What a trip: The Road Film and American Culture.” Journal of Film and Video, 48.1/2, 1996, p. 44. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/20688093. Accessed 13 June 2021.

Lemons, J. Stanley. “Black Stereotypes as Reflected in Popular Culture, 1880-1920.”

American Quarterly, 29.1, 1977, pp. 102. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/271226 3. Accessed 12 June 2021.

Maurantonio, Nicole. “‘Reason to Hope?’: The White Savior Myth and Progress in

‘Post-Racial’ America.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 94.4, 2017, pp. 1131–1133.

Meseguer Barcelona, Astrid. “Oscars 2019: 'Green Book' aparta a 'Roma' de la gloria y se alza como mejor película.” La Vanguardia, 25 February, 2019.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/cine/20190224/46573370188/oscar-2019- ganador-mejor-pelicula.html Accessed 11 April, 2021.

Sanderson, Katherine. “Animated Films + The Genre of the Buddy Movie.” Animation Ave, 2020, https://www.animationave.com/film/animated-films-buddy-movie- genre Accessed 21 April, 2021.

Undergraduate Dissertation