A staple of the "inspiration-sports" genre, Remember the Titans is a movie many are introduced to at early ages in the South. Many may see the film as a timeless representation of teammates overcoming racial adversity, but few take time to analyze the portrayal of the South itself. The film, set in small-town Virginia, depicts very clearly two of the themes discussed extensively this semester in class: "southern decay" and the "role of the outsider." Due to limited space, this entry will focus explicitly on Coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, and his relationship with these two elements. When examining the decay associated with many southern films, Coach Boone serves as the cure. Symbolic for the local society is the football team itself. The team begins the film divided by race, a unit comprised of students feeling victimized by a forced union of two local schools. While the team has many skilled individuals, the players refuse to function as a unit; they so far as to intentionally fail tasks on plays to harm players of the opposite race. Coach Boone, driven almost single-mindedly by his desire to win, forces players of opposite races to interact. As the film progresses, viewers witness how these forced encounters laid the foundation for beautiful relationships and friendships that later blossomed. Thus, Coach Boone shows the team the strength of a unified squad, sending a message to the town as well. Coach Boone also plays the role of outsider. This can be seen in how community members, players, and even his coaching staff treat him. The most visual representation of his lack of belonging comes when a brick bearing a racial slur is thrown through his window late at night. The fact that Coach Boone, an outsider, solves the problems of the team further enforces the message of many southern films: the South needs "outside" direction and influence to survive. - James Cochran
I think that Coach Boone is the bridge that closed the gap between southern segregation in this film. He puts the black and white players together becuase he is that outsider that directs the south away from segregation. He also needs a team. Coach Boon had two motivations to put the players together. One is to have a team that was worth anything, no matter their color. Two was to begin the jump over the hurdle of segregation. I feel that the second reason was the main purpose of this movie.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the guys aren't faced with just racial issues. Like we talked about a little in class, they also have to deal with regional differences for a little bit when Sunshine joins the team. However, the racial differences are more of a problem in the movie. I also think it's interesting that Coach Boone seems a little more sophisticated, I guess you'd say, than Coach Yoast. Coach Yoast seems kind of "redneck" and stubborn. In this way the coaches metaphorically represent the North and South. Coach Boone, representing the North, changes the stubborn ways of the team rooted in the past and helps lead them to victory, both on the field and in the town(in regards to overcoming racism). Without the intervention of Coach Boone/the North, Coach Yoast and the team/the South might still have been set in its ways of the past. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but this is definitely a good movie and it's easy to see why it's still pretty popular.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part about James' blog was on the character of Coach Boone who is the unifying outsider - a film quality that was scarce in its predecessors. It is the black coach, not the white, that creates the unbreakable bond that begins with the Titans and eventually ends up affecting the whole town. We can see this visibly in the characters of Julius and Gerry. Gerry's mother is very cold to Julius upon their first meeting but the growing bond of the Titans warms her up to the friendship between the two. There is no question this would not have happened without the unifier, Coach Boone. This is a great movie and a great portrayer of the South looking back on it.
ReplyDeleteI love James' description of Coach Boone as "the cure." In the film, Boone serves as the reminder that societies often need a "breath of fresh air" to break detrimental habits. Without Boone, the small Virginian town would not have committed to end racial segregation.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with James about Coach Boone bridging the racial gap within the team and the community. Also, I believe that the sport of football itself aids in bridging the racial gap. The players' love of the sport force them to be together in the beginning, but with Boone's help, the sport keeps both races together and builds strong relationships within the team. Football plays a huge role in the South and reflects on the focus of the social aspect for southerners, which can be seen in many movies set in the South.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this movie several times over the years and have always really enjoyed it. Looking at it now it almost seems overly idealistic. This movie is made in the 21st century almost forty years after the Civil Rights movements, and it is easier to sugar-coat events (even fictional events) from this distance. It's interesting what James pointed out that Coach Boone is an outsider who unifies the team and eventually the town. This is surprising because most of the time the outsider does not play this role in Southern society. The other mostly works to unify the community against him or occasionally works to divide the community. Looking at the movie this way shines a different light on the movie. In other movies where an outsider enters Southern society and changes the direction of the Southerners in their sphere of influence, this "outsider" is generally white and Northern. It is however, rare that the "outsider" is African American and Southern. I don't believe that this is entirely realistic even though it is heart-warming.
ReplyDeleteThe Sunshine bit is what really sticks out to me the most, probably because the "other" factor of it didn't stick out to me as much as the obvious racial tension when I saw it at a younger age. I think it serves as a minor stab to the reluctance to change that the South sometimes deals with. After largely overcoming their racial issues and differences, the moment another "other" factor is introduces, long-haired and surf cultured Sunshine, lines are immediately drawn. The cultural stab thankfully ends on a positive note, since the "other" factor eventually leaves sunshine and he melds in perfectly with the rest of the team.
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