Racial issues in movie relationships
It just occurred to me while re-watching the incredibly kitsch The Bodyguard the other night that for its' time, it handled the black|white sexual relationship/romance between Costner and Houston exceptionally well.
It's not something I really thought about when the movie was released in 1992 ... mostly because I was 12 and totally in love (no, not with Costner) with Whitney's voice (guh!).
But now that I think about it, I can't recall another movie of the time that either featured a romantic relationship that was classically interracial, or if it did feature a similar relationship, it was the focus of the movie. Whereas, The Bodyguard is about a relationship foiled by circumstance not by race.
I do remember that the tabloids predicted it would flop, and that Costner was told he was taking a huge risk on the film - staring with the as-yet-unkown-as-an-acress-Whitney. I guess the box office knew better.
It's still a very dinky film ... but all of us that loved it at the time can't help but remember it fondly. Plus, the experience of watching it again 14 years later has been quite revealing - at least for me.
It's not something I really thought about when the movie was released in 1992 ... mostly because I was 12 and totally in love (no, not with Costner) with Whitney's voice (guh!).
But now that I think about it, I can't recall another movie of the time that either featured a romantic relationship that was classically interracial, or if it did feature a similar relationship, it was the focus of the movie. Whereas, The Bodyguard is about a relationship foiled by circumstance not by race.
I do remember that the tabloids predicted it would flop, and that Costner was told he was taking a huge risk on the film - staring with the as-yet-unkown-as-an-acress-Whitney. I guess the box office knew better.
It's still a very dinky film ... but all of us that loved it at the time can't help but remember it fondly. Plus, the experience of watching it again 14 years later has been quite revealing - at least for me.