https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battling_Siki

This guy’s life story is insane.

1st. He’s born in Senegal, technically part of France at the time, brought to Europe and then abandoned. I feel like that’s already more story arc than most movies these days.

2nd. Becomes a teenage boxer. Mediocre boxer.

3rd. Joins France in WWI. France wins the war. He’s a decorated hero, but still black and something of a 2nd class citizen.

4th. Becomes a championship boxer. Shockingly defeating the white French national hero in a huge fight (that may have been fixed) in front of 55,000 people. Also Ernest Hemingway was there front row and he wrote a story about it.

5th. Moves to New York. Refuses to throw fights. Becomes alcoholic and bitter.

6th. Gets assassinated. Dead at age 28.

Tell me this isn’t some sort of Oscar bait fiction?

  • lemmysmash@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    15 days ago

    Oh, they’re too busy swapping white people for any other race for their next shitty remake of some old movie. They don’t give a damn about actual black people and their stories, that are worth hundreds or those shitty remakes, but won’t cause even a tiny bit of that hype and hatred their race-swaps are causing.

      • papalonian@lemmy.world
        1·
        14 days ago

        It doesn’t seem like their gripe is with the changing of a character’s race, as much as it is about not telling original stories and giving actual minority character’s stories a spotlight.

        I feel I phrased that poorly, but I think it’s somewhere along the lines of, “I don’t want to see [traditionally white character] as a black person, I want to see [original black character]'s story be told”

        They’re saying that Hollywood execs see that people want more black people in movies, but instead of writing good, interesting original black characters, they’re just casting black actors in pre-existing roles and calling it a day

  • ace_garp@lemmy.world
    0·
    14 days ago

    “On 16 December 1921, Siki’s wife had a son.[2] In 1923 Siki left France and never returned.”

    –

    ‘Why hasn’t Hollywood made a movie of this guy yet?’

    Because deadbeat dads are cowards, and often still children themselves.