The racial subtext, was it necessary?

I tend to think that the racial subtext of this movie was entirely necessary, given the ethnic backgrounds of the two lead actors. The movie is a work of fiction, but it’s grounded in real life situations. And in real life, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, race matters. For the movie not to give a nod to this reality would have been unrealistic.

That said, I don’t believe that Captain Ramsey was a racist. I believe that the comment was made to push Commander Hunter’s buttons. As shown earlier in the movie Ramsey believes that the crew should perform as well under stress as they do under relaxed circumstances. The comment about the horses was a racial jab to see if it would shake-up Hunter. I think by that point in the movie, Ramsey was willing to consider that he might have been wrong, and if he was wrong, then Hunter had been correct to remove him from command. But, if Hunter, under extreme stress, had lost his resolve in the face of racism then, in Ramsey’s mind, Hunter would then not have been fit to take over command.

Crimson Tide is one of my favorite movies. I own a copy, and every time it comes on TV, despite owning a copy and having seen it so many times, I sit down and watch. I love how the movie is enjoyable on several levels: how the Navy and being a sub commander is all that Ramsey has, and he feels duty bound to complete his mission, even if it could possibly ignite a world war; how Hunter feels that a nuclear war would be a global holocaust, and in the back of his mind he must be thinking about his family who would suffer and die in that holocaust if the Alabama wrongly launches it’s missiles; the conflict of CoB and Westergaurd for doing what they feel is right even if it means that CoB must take sides against Ramsey, who like him is old Navy, and Westergaurd must take sides Hunter, who, like him, is a black naval officer; and the contrast between ’Weps’, the weapons officer who resists unleashing the destructive power under his control and Dougherty, the supply officer who seems almost giddy about the prospect of igniting a nuclear war.

This is a great movie.

Yes, it was ncessary.

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sPider the troll -> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/JediNg/SpiderLOL.jpg

I completely disagree - I thought it just added to the tension and it was obvious he was doing it to just wind his adversary up and the script was written in a time when writers could still treat their audience as adults knowing they could work that out for themselves.

I hate movies where race is brought up. Why can't a movie involving black characters and white characters or even asian characters keep quiet about it? Why do filmmakers bring race into their movies, when it's not even relevant most of the time?

I have seriously cut down on the time I spend on this site because I'm so sick of the "racial/racist" posts. Am I the only one that sees Ramsey's comments for what they were? Comments about an ANIMAL THAT IS WHITE! He's talking about a *beep* horse, for God's sake.

Ramsey shouldn't have talked about them because they're white? So, he can't discuss snow, or teeth, or copy paper either? They're all white as well. How about the President's residence, the White House? That one off-limits,too? White Christmas, The White Stripes, they forbidden, too? And don't mention bleach, because it keeps your whites looking white! A double whammy!! Oh, the horrid, evil, Captain Ramsey, mentioning a horse that's white. How does he get to his KKK meetings when he's out in a submarine for months at a time?

I swear, people that see racism in everything are the ones with race issues.

It never occurred to me to think of that scene racially. As the trivia page notes:

"The disagreement between Cpt. Ramsey and Lcdr. Hunter over the origin of the Lipizzaner stallions throughout the movie foreshadows and illustrates the fundamental source of friction between the two men, both insisting that their mutually exclusive version of reality is the truth."

I also saw it as a way to increase the tension, ironically by focusing on something totally off-subject during the tensest moment in the movie.

I always had a hunch that the scene was written by Quentin Taratino--discussions about arcane topics (hamburgers in Paris) during the tense build-up to confrontations is a staple of his.

It's Hollywood. Most time when black and white share the same screen Hollywood has to throw in some racial tension or joke or whatever. I blame the writers, had Tom Cruise played Denzel part they would have written it a little different.

-stay thirsty my friends

Race is a very complex issue in the U.S., and my guess is it will be for another 100 years.

I think the strife between Hackman and Washington's characters was only partly racial. Imho, the larger component was a gruff old guy, who had to work and sweat his way to the top resenting a younger guy, maybe half his age, who spent a year at "Haa-vaaad." A golden boy, who has had the luxury of interpretingvon Clausewitz's inner meaning.

So yes race is a factor, but its a multidimensional hate. Just like the debate about who was right, who was wrong, in the hearing after it was over. Some say both, others side with one or the other.