It’s interesting how time and circumstance can change the relevance or interest in a character. This is now the case with Louis Pinnock of the movie ‘White Man’s Burden’.
Portrayed by iconic actor John Travolta, Pinnock’s a White factory worker who gets fired for a misunderstanding concerning Thaddeus Thomas (played by entertainment icon Harry Belafonte), the Black CEO of his employer who openly referred to Whites as an inferior race.
Struggling socially and financially, Pinnock next encounters a series of unfortunate events – he and his family are evicted from their home, his vehicle breaks down, and after being racially profiled by the police he becomes the victim of their brutality. Left angry and desperate, Pinnock decides to kidnap Thomas to get the money he feels he’s owed.
Released in 1995, ‘Burden’ didn’t resonate with critics or casual movie goers. Written and directed by Desmond Nakano, his fictional role reversal of White privilege and the unfair treatment of Blacks was, some felt, too unbelievable. Travolta, however, appeared genuinely invested in the role and story, showing the anguish and frustrations that accompanied Pinnock’s life because of his skin color.
Here in current times more Blacks are aggressively demanding change while expressing that not enough Whites understand what they experience regularly in America.
The Pinnock character was created as an attempt to help facilitate that understanding. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
We conduct a “Character Study” every Friday at 8AM!
