Adaptation, Representation and Those Who Don’t Like Either
I was perusing my Twitter timeline last night and a tweet appeared from someone who doesn’t seem to care for the casting of Lenny Henry as a hobbit in the upcoming Amazon Prime TV show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. If you’re not familiar with Lenny Henry he’s a British comedian and actor of Jamaican heritage, who was one of first people of colour to establish himself as part of the cultural mainstream in the UK. He’s funny, smart and well respected. However, this particular individual on social media (we will not dignify them with a name check) was not happy about canonical authenticity being subject to the whims of representation. They tried to portray their objections as legitimate criticism based on a good faith argument, but some of the terminology they used clearly showed their true intent was passive aggressive dog whistle racism.
Setting aside twitter trolls, I’d like to briefly discuss the matter of representation, especially with regard to film and television. Simply put, representation is important. First off there are the moral and ethical reasons. Contemporary films and TV should accurately portray the world in which we live. Hence the diverse nature of society should be reflected both on the small and big screen. Furthermore, such depictions should be credible and fair. Secondly, representation is commercially viable. Paying audiences like to see people like themselves in the films and TV shows that they watch. Hence the success of the Blaxploitation genre during the seventies. Bruce Lee’s rise to fame also did much to make Asian actors and culture more accessible during the same decade. And if representation doesn’t matter, why does Hollywood continuously remake international films for its home market? Shall I also mention the commercial and critical success of Black Panther?
Films are commercial ventures. Directors and writers may well wish to talk about “art” but most major studios are in the movie business to make money. Films and TV shows are products. Representation increases financial viability. It’s as simple as that. So with this in mind, let us consider what happens when the rights to a major intellectual property, such as a beloved series of books, are sold to be adapted into a series of films or a lengthy TV show. The said IP will be repurposed to ensure that it meets certain criteria. These may include a specific rating, the inclusion of specific actors who have box office appeal, irrespective as to whether they are a good match for the part. And obviously representation is a factor. How exactly can a major production justify such potential changes from the source text? The key is the word “adaptation”. The bottom line is once the rights to an IP have been sold, all bets are off unless the original writer has some sort of creative control.
Hollywood has been altering plays, novels and other popular franchises since the film business started. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect any adaptation of an IP that you enjoy to remain 100% authentic to the source text by default. You can make all sorts of arguments about why this shouldn’t be the case. For example, an author’s work should be respected and their artistic vision maintained and such like. However, such arguments seldom survive long outside of the rarified atmosphere of the classroom and tend to disappear upon contact with capitalism. The movie business is about making a return upon an investment and is not interested in philosophical arguments and ethical abstractions. If there reaches a point when the idea of a black actor portraying James Bond is deemed to be commercially viable, it will happen. Regardless of what the purists and the racists think or want.
Returning to the matter of last night’s Twitter troll, what was noticeable was not so much their racist position which is tediously commonplace in fandom these days, but the way they lacked the courage of their convictions. They tried to represent their position as something it wasn’t. It wasn’t a good faith appeal regarding the sanctity of an author’s work, but just a cheap exercise in unsubtle bigotry. If you’re going to be racist, be upfront about it. As for all the other objections you hear when so-called fans aren’t happy about something, they’re equally as bogus. Despite claims to the contrary, no one can get into your head and retrospectively ruin your childhood. If you don’t like something, ignore it. Be an adult and rise above it. As for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, I hope it proves a success both critically and commercially. Especially if that pisses off all the bigots.