MovieChat Forums > Harlem Nights (1989) Discussion > Was this movie decidedly misogynistic?

Was this movie decidedly misogynistic?

posted 6 years ago by TMC-4 (20160)
4 replies | jump to latest

I recall Roger Ebert complaining about the way that women were often depicted in Harlem Nights:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/harlem-nights-1989

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcgZhsmeEi4

Basically, just about every woman in Harlem Nights such as Della Reese, Jasmine Guy, and Lela Rochon's characters are either portrayed as madams (female pimps), conniving femme fatales, or out and out prostitutes.

https://www.google.com/search?ei=ZivVXL_qM8HStAXPgpWYDg&q=harlem+nights+misogynistic+&oq=harlem+nights+misogynistic+&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i299l2j33i160.5113.7206..7648...0.0..0.146.1818.0j15......0....1..gws-wiz.......35i39j0j0i20i263j0i22i30.iNPbOAfDkQ4

And then there's of course Eddie Murphy's character shooting Della Reese in her pinky-toe and straight up murdering Jasmine Guy...and yet, we're supposed to root for him.

[–] Ldlamb (639) 6 years ago

It was pre-WW2 and revolves around nightclubs and gangsters....exactly what were the female characters going to be.

And Jasmine Guy was trying to kill Murphy...what is he supposed to do.

[–] VanHellion (656) 2 years ago

Apparently Eddie was just supposed to lay there after emptying his balls into Jasmine while she grabs a pistol and blows his brains out all over her nice silk bedding. Didn't you know? She preceded the blue-haired-land-whale movement.

Seriously, muh-soggy-knee? Expert trolling.

[–] TimMC (9143) 5 years ago

The women were portrayed as prostitutes and the men were murdered. The latter don't matter. Why is that?

[–] Creamofwheat22 (434) 4 years ago

It's a gangster flick set in the 30's. Were you expecting all the women to be hardcore feminists, squaring off with men in hand to hand combat and running gangs? Get real.