YMMV on Bill Engvall's comedy, but this would be a perfect example of a "...Here's your sign." moment.
Movie News & Miscellany
- Thread starter ThatNickGuy
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Calling a Pakistani Indian is a good way to get on their bad side - they're neighboring countries with literally centuries of war between them. "Central-Asian" or something is less specific and less likely to incur wrath, though even so you'll probably get comment.
Try calling someone from Alabama a Yankee because they're from the US :-P
Try calling someone from Alabama a Yankee because they're from the US :-P
Heh, just edited my latest reply to him using some of this.
My point about Heimdal is that the Kirby/Lee versions were only loosely based on the Norse mythology, anyway. I mean, the original Norse gods didn't have crazy, science fiction technology, either, but no one's raising that point. Plus, it's Idris frigging Elba. As MovieBob said regarding why Heimdal is Elba, any time he's on screen, they should've had a caption that said, "THAT'S WHY."
Yeah...I mean, on one hand, it doesn't really matter, on the other hand, the only Norse God who you'd realistically call black would be Loki - but having just the bad guy be black would've made for a worse image. I understand the choice to be inclusive or whatever - aka "politically correct", but it's a bit silly. Of course, of Hollywood made a movie about, say, the Hindu gods, you could bet your ass three quarters of them would be white, which is equally stupid.
Heimdall was fine because he ACTED like a Norse God and he's not even the odd man out in Asgard. It's odd, sure, but not out of place really... we've already got a Japanese guy (who should really be a MONGOLIAN guy) in the Warriors Three, along with a French fencer and an English giant. This clearly isn't JUST about Nordic stuff.
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I think it all sort of depends on the sort of "realism" you're going for. In, say, opera, it's always been accepted that the fat 60 year old guy is the "beautiful young prince" and whatever. You sort of have to look past that. Now, would I think Patrick Stewart would make a great James Bond? (Yes, secretly, but anyway) Probably not. Up to a point, though, an actor doesn't have to be a perfect match for the character, and new views on a character can and should be tried out and experimented with. Somewhat different if you're going for a biopic or something - a black Hitler or a white Muhammed Ali could make for an interesting exploration, but couldn't be a faithful character piece.
If the movie made them Norse gods, I'd concede the point. But considering the movie basically said Thor and Co. were aliens who inspired the Norse myths, there's no reason why Heimdall couldn't be black. It's not like he was visiting Earth, so how would the Norse know what he looked like?
I actually bad a loose explanation, too. Since Heimdal is all seeing, who's to say he didn't see some black people on Earth and decide to make his appearance similar to that?
Well, or that the ancient Norse were too racist to handle a black Heimdall, so they made him white!
Or they never saw him, only heard the other Asgardians invoke him for transport via the BiFrost, and assumed he was white like Odin, Thor, etc.Well, or that the ancient Norse were too racist to handle a black Heimdall, so they made him white!
Ironically, one translation of the Thrymskvida (the Bellows translation) refers to Heimdall as "the whitest of the gods":
Henry Adams Bellows translation:
though the Benjamin Thorpe translation renders the term - "hvitastr asa" - as "brightest of the gods" instead.
That's the most legitimate point I've heard in this entire discussion... it's not like he'd know there would be an issue unless he'd seen the slave trade or something. It's not like Asgard has slaves running around.[DOUBLEPOST=1439395781,1439395699][/DOUBLEPOST]
Thor did the absolute craziest shit in Norse Mythology. Wearing drag can't even compete with Loki turning into a horse and then fathering a horse though.
Turning into a horse and fathering a horse makes more sense than the Greek variant where they changed into everything from bulls over swans and fathered humans.
Actually, yes. In the Thyrmskvida, Thrymr, the king of the Jotnar, steals Mjolnir away and demands Freya as payment for it. Freya is having none of that, so the Gods have a meeting to discuss what to do about it. Heimdall suggests they dress Thor as Freya and Loki as Freya's bridesmaid and have them go to Jotunheimr for the wedding. Thor acts more or less like Thor at a feast, and Loki weaves a web of incredible bullshit to explain "the bride's odd behavior" that the Jotnar wind up believing. Mjolnir is then placed in Thor's hand as part of the wedding ceremony, at which point he and Loki smite the fuck out of the assembled giants and return to Asgard.
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I am absolutely certain that Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston would be totally up for it if they decided to film an adaptation.
It should be reminded again that the characters in question are only very loosely based on those original myths.
Are you equating black people with frogs?If Thor can be this...
Then Heimdall can be whatever he chooses.
The French would be offended!
I like to imagine any time that Asgardians and the Gods of Olympus hang out, Loki tries to one up everyone with his horse story and Zeus is all "Bitch, please."
I dunno, in certain versions of the myth, Loki mothered Sleipnier. I think that trumps.
Nick seems addicted to arguing with idiots online instead of writing novels. It's like musicians and hard drugs. We need an intervention.
Well, I haven't worked on anything in weeks, but I've also not been getting into many online arguments, either.