””You asked why Dr. made this trip?
Talent alone isn't enough. Courage is what moves people.”
The year is 1962. Tony Lip, of Italian descent, was working as a bouncer in a top New York nightclub.He is stubborn and crass , but everyone loves him because of his strong arm. However,he becomes unemployed when the club is renovated. Then he is scouted by Dr.Don Shirley, a black man, as a driver to go on a piano performance tour. He was such a great pianist that he had even played at the White House. Dr.Shirley’s destination in the American South. It was 1962, and racism was still very much alive there. The two begin their journey with the Green Book in hand, but they face many obstacles along the way.
The film is a so-called road movie, like Little Miss Sunshine or Stand By Me. Above all, Green Book is not just about family love like LIttle Miss Sunshine, nor is it about a boy growing up like Stand By Me.
Why would a black pianist go all the way to the South, where black racism is so strong? It is obvious that this film deals with a rather”popular”social issue of discrimination against blacks. This is evident throughout the film. The most obvious example is the title of the film. Green Book is a book that lists hotels where black can stay in the American South. Two men continue their tour in the South, relying on the book, but along the way they are subjected to severe discrimination against blacks, including unreasonable detentions by police and beatings in bars.
Along the way, Dr. Shirley unleashes these words.
"Rich people listen to my performances because they want to be thought of as cultured. Other times I'm just a nigger. That's white society. I bear that scorn alone. Because I am black. What am I, not black, not white, not a man?"
This may represent the anguish that Dr. Shirley, or perhaps all the blacks of the time, had to deal with.It was not only the power of the black lives matter movement, which was so vociferous at the time of the film's release, that propelled the film to the Academy Awards.
It is true that there are many depictions of black racism in the film. But more than that, I believe the value of this film lies in its portrayal of the friendship between two men. Tony Lip, before hIt is white, is a not-so-well-off man working as a security guard at a bar in New York City. Dr.Shirley, before he is black, is wealthy and a very talented pianist. At the beginning of their journey, the two men, who do not look alike, are constantly clashing due to their differing opinions. However, as they spend more time together, Dr.Shirley begins to open up to Tony, who puts his body on the line for him and not for money, and Tony comes to stand by the Dr.Shirley as he struggles with his own feelings.On the way back to New York, Dr. replaced the exhausted Tony in the driver's seat!
Literally, through the journey, the two must have opened their hearts, trusted each other, and developed a true friendship.There is no doubt that this film is about the social issue of discrimination against blacks. But more than that, I can't help but feel that the discrimination against blacks is only one obstacle, and that the friendship between the two men is the essence of this story.
