May 17, 2006
EVEN BRUCE THE SHARK WAS WHITE:
Early viewers pan 'Da Vinci Code' (CNN, 5/17/06)
[W]hile not planning a protest or boycott, members of the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation expressed unhappiness with the film's heavy, a monk-assassin, being an albino, as described in the book.Posted by Orrin Judd at May 17, 2006 8:17 AMMichael McGowan, an albino who heads the organization, said "The Da Vinci Code" will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino.
Boy, they must have hated The Omega Man
Posted by: Bryan at May 17, 2006 8:39 AMAnd the Eiger Sanction.
Posted by: Mike Beversluis at May 17, 2006 8:51 AMWhile I don't blame albinos for objecting to being characterized as villains in the cinema, I also feel for the hapless author/screen writer. Where will the poor wretches go to find Dastardly Doers with no advocacy group?
All that's left to them are WASP's and members of the VRWC or is that redundant?
I wonder how many of the 68 albinos have been rich businessmen heading multi-national corporations, top officers in the U.S. military or a member of the current administration?
Man, in the eyes of Hollywood, that really would be the ultamate evil...
Posted by: John at May 17, 2006 9:37 AMI'd like a list of the 68 films. I'll be reorganizing my netflix cue for the evil albino film festival.
Posted by: Shelton at May 17, 2006 9:47 AM
Though the list I just found is somewhat dubious - including characters such as the white skinned orc (snaga) in Lord of the Rings, the replicants in Blade Runner, Count Dracula, the Angel of Death, zombies, and various other characters with pale appearances who are obviously not (or could not be) portrayed as having albinism.
Posted by: Shelton at May 17, 2006 10:00 AMShelton:
Maybe just any movie with a predominance of Irish and English, if my own fluorescent white skin is any indication. I'll still practically glow in the dark even at the end of summer.
Posted by: Rick T. at May 17, 2006 11:01 AMHey-
Don't forget one of my favorite 70s flicks - Foul Play. And the evil albino was even called "Whitey!"
Princess Bride.
Posted by: Mike Morley at May 17, 2006 11:09 AMWhen the National Organization for Evil and Conspiracy gets organized, Hollywood will have to close its doors and turn out the lights.
Obviously a conspiracy of a bunch of blackguards, doing the work of the Prince of Darkness.
Posted by: Lou Gots at May 17, 2006 12:34 PMWow, I didn't realize how (insert word for hatred of albinos) some of my friends must be. Our independent film group (read "bunch of college kids with a camera) has done at least three films featuring pasty white guys as evil characters. Oh, but me and my flourescent tan got to be the good, upstanding cop in one of them, so we're not all bad!
I can only imagine the protests on the next film, which features a pasty white guy tormented by an imagined albino-white character and a dark character, who eventually combine into one pasty white phsycotic character before being knocked off by a female angelic-like character. Yikes.
Posted by: Jay at May 17, 2006 1:06 PMFrosty the Snowman?
Posted by: jdkelly at May 17, 2006 6:43 PMVoldemort.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 17, 2006 10:05 PMThere was an albino villian on Star Trek:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Albino
Posted by: RC at May 18, 2006 1:46 AMI myself am not albino but a film character portral of any human being does not define other people that look like them. I think its great to have an Albino charecter in such a big film, it reminds people that there som many beutiful people in this world. Silas in the Da Vinci Code represents the manipulation of vulnerable people and silas is a victim of this on every level. I dont see him as a villain he is following his faith and has the best intensions by taking on the Teachers and Ariganosas sins. He is a martyr.
Posted by: eunice at May 19, 2006 6:10 PMHe's not a victim, he's a hero.
Posted by: oj at May 19, 2006 6:28 PM