Hollywood must widen its angle

Danny Glover says a handful of men control what we see in movie theaters, but it doesn't have to be that way.

He's been urging people to get the word out about worthwhile films, tell their neighbors, get their churches to churn up an audience for good entertainment.Two of his recent independent films book-ended the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival in Seattle. "Honeydripper," by independent filmmaker John Sayles, opened the festival on April 12, and "Namibia: The Struggle for Independence," directed by Charles Burnett, closed it on April 20.

Glover, in a discussion with audience members at the end of the festival, said "Honeydripper" is the kind of wholesome fare people who are tired of Hollywood ought to welcome. But it's also the kind of film most people are unlikely to hear about, a character-driven movie that doesn't sell sex, violence or cursing.

Hollywood promotes potential blockbusters, so it's up to people who want something different to get like-minded people into theaters when something harder to market comes along, he said. If audiences respond, studios might take more chances.

Glover became famous doing "Lethal Weapon" movies with Mel Gibson, but he also embraces meatier projects.

Over the past few months Gibson and Burnett have taken "Namibia" around the film festival circuit, trying to generate word-of-mouth support.

The movie tells of Namibia's long fight to throw off South African rule. The setting and characters are compelling. Glover plays a minister with ties to people at all levels of the struggle.

The film was shot in Namibia with financial backing from the government, which wanted its story told.

Parts of that story include us, since U.S. policy affected events in Southern Africa.

A person can learn a thing or two and still be entertained.

I got an education in the workings of imperialism from a movie I saw in the 1970s, "Queimada."

It's set on an island of sugar cane plantations where slaves throw off the Portuguese only to be dominated by the British and manipulated at every turn.

It didn't do well in the U.S.

I've read since that its release was limited because of the volatile subject matter.

Ed Santiago, who edited "Namibia," said a movie executive bluntly told him "Namibia" didn't have a white guy coming in to save the natives from themselves.

Can we move past that?

Maybe. Glover cites the Mexican-American love story "Bella," which thrived on word-of-mouth. The movie showed in few theaters, but it generated major fan support. Clubs, church groups, schools turned out to see it.

That's what Glover wants. From the beginning he has had two careers, Hollywood actor and humanitarian activist.

He's the board chairman of TransAfrica Forum and works for math literacy, among other causes. Blending activism with moviemaking fits him.

And he's right that a handful of executives are too small a funnel for all the world's stories to pass through.

Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com.