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Movies – Analysis and Comment

Prior to 1998, Harold of ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ was depicted as racially ambiguous. Harper & Brothers, 1955

His crayon is purple – but is Harold a Black boy?

The choices of author and illustrator Crockett Johnson during the printing process – as well as his civil rights advocacy – make it entirely within the realm of possibility.
Best picture nominee ‘Past Lives’ was directed by South Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song and has scenes in Korean and English. A24/Everett Collection

How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape

Non-English language cinema – previously seen by niche audiences – is increasingly finding acceptance and recognition, reflecting the many demographic changes taking place within the academy.
The 1802 Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot was part of Napoléon’s effort to retake Haiti − then known as Saint-Domingue − and reestablish slavery in the colony. Wikimedia Commons

The Napoléon that Ridley Scott and Hollywood won’t let you see

Leaving out the history of Napoléon’s brutal subjugation of Haiti is akin to making a movie about Hitler without mentioning the Holocaust.
A storyline in the forthcoming ‘Wonka’ movie is that the central character can change a dutiful young girl’s life. Warner Bros.

‘Wonka’ movie holds remnants of novel’s racist past

The original storyline for Road Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” contained some stunning parallels to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The words Robert Oppenheimer quoted from the Gita, seen written in dust on part of a deactivated nuclear missile at the Pima Air & Space Museum. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Oppenheimer often used Sanskrit verses, and the Bhagavad Gita was special for him − but not in the way Christopher Nolan’s film depicts it

Oppenheimer’s knowledge of Sanskrit literature was more than cursory. He used quotes and parables from Sanskrit texts as a guide to right actions in his life.