--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many times, I get young people asking…" description: "\"Many times, I get young people asking, 'What do you think about black movies?' And I say, 'What are you talking about? You mean Hollywood movies that h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/melvin-van-peebles-8573_black-movie_many-times-i-get-young-people-asking-wha_2051733.jpg" --- # Many times, I get young people asking, 'What do you think… ![“Many times, I get young people asking, 'What do you think about black movies?' And I say, 'What are you talking about? You mean Hollywood movies that have black people in them?' It's gone back to that, and that's not the same thing as a black movie.” quote by Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/melvin-van-peebles-8573_black-movie_many-times-i-get-young-people-asking-wha_2051733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/melvin-van-peebles-8573_black-movie_many-times-i-get-young-people-asking-wha_2051733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/melvin-van-peebles-8573_black-movie_many-times-i-get-young-people-asking-wha_2051733.jpg) > “Many times, I get young people asking, 'What do you think about black movies?' And I say, 'What are you talking about? You mean Hollywood movies that have black people in them?' It's gone back to that, and that's not the same thing as a black movie.” [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker challenges the notion that movies featuring Black actors are a separate genre, emphasizing that they are simply Hollywood films with diverse casts. **In simple terms:** Black actors are not a genre; they are part of mainstream cinema. Key Takeaway Recognize diversity within mainstream media. Themes representation film diversity Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - film criticism - media studies - educational workshops - diversity training Key Concepts genre classification racial identity Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect perception of movies? - What impact does representation have on audiences? A Different Perspective Some may argue that cultural context still creates distinct experiences for Black audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-movie/) [Black Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-movies/) [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [If you're going to make black movies only about black people, that's as bad as white movies only about white people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/if-you-re-going-to-make-black-movies-only-about-black-people-that-s/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [The people who can be helping to make movies that have blacks and Latinos and women and all that - that movie doesn't come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/the-people-who-can-be-helping-to-make-movies-that-have-blacks-and/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I grew up on Shane Black movies, and I grew up on Joel Silver movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-grew-up-on-shane-black-movies-and-i-grew-up-on-joel-silver-movies/) [Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/) > [At some point, all black movies became biopics. All the good, serious ones became biopics. 'Ray,' 'Ali'... those types of movies, those are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-syms/at-some-point-all-black-movies-became-biopics-all-the-good-serious/) [Martine Syms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-syms/) > [I think the whole stigma of 'black movies' is slowly being lost. When you look at movies like '12 Years A Slave,' to 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-think-the-whole-stigma-of-black-movies-is-slowly-being-lost-when/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Black movies don't have real names, they have names like Barbershop. That's not a name, that's just a location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/black-movies-don-t-have-real-names-they-have-names-like-barbershop/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > ['Luke Cage' came out in 1972 at the height of the blaxploitation era. It was a literary response to this notion of blaxploitation movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-younge/luke-cage-came-out-in-1972-at-the-height-of-the-blaxploitation-era-it/) [Adrian Younge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-younge/) > [I just hate when things get labeled as "black movies." I don't say, "Oh, this weekend, I want to see an all-white movie," or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraji-p-henson/i-just-hate-when-things-get-labeled-as-black-movies-i-don-t-say-oh/) [Taraji P. Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraji-p-henson/) > [We really wanted it to be an action movie. Those are the movies that we love. We're big fans of like Shane Black movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/we-really-wanted-it-to-be-an-action-movie-those-are-the-movies-that/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [I grew up on a very specific diet of certain weird movies. Of course, being black, there are more black movies in there. I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/i-grew-up-on-a-very-specific-diet-of-certain-weird-movies-of-course/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [What!? You tell people that, I won't get no more black movies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-tucker/what-you-tell-people-that-i-won-t-get-no-more-black-movies/) [Chris Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-tucker/) > [I would think black people think everything is about race. They are the ones who are on the outside of the game. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-would-think-black-people-think-everything-is-about-race-they-are/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I think that for the most part, black people specifically have sort of been used as props in TV shows as a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/i-think-that-for-the-most-part-black-people-specifically-have-sort-of/) [Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/) > [I want a lot of people to see my movies. More black people. More white people. I want to make that connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/i-want-a-lot-of-people-to-see-my-movies-more-black-people-more-white/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [It's very difficult to get any movies done about Black heroes - Haitian or American - in Hollywood. The argument in Hollywood is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-jean-louis/it-s-very-difficult-to-get-any-movies-done-about-black-heroes-haitian/) Jimmy Jean-Louis ## More by Melvin Van Peebles > [I went to a number of schools when I was a kid on the south side of Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-went-to-a-number-of-schools-when-i-was-a-kid-on-the-south-side-of/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Music or sound in a film is a character as important as another character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/music-or-sound-in-a-film-is-a-character-as-important-as-another/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I'm not a normal director. You can't look at me that way. What's kept me alive is my technical skill at doing other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-m-not-a-normal-director-you-can-t-look-at-me-that-way-what-s-kept/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Don't ask me something if you don't want to know. Because I will tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/don-t-ask-me-something-if-you-don-t-want-to-know-because-i-will-tell/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I was a trader for a company. That's different from the brokers who we sort of disdain as sort of just errand boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-was-a-trader-for-a-company-that-s-different-from-the-brokers-who-we/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I'm pretty much a loner. That's not good, bad, or indifferent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-m-pretty-much-a-loner-that-s-not-good-bad-or-indifferent/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [After 'Don't Play Us Cheap,' I got very busy with theater and Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/after-don-t-play-us-cheap-i-got-very-busy-with-theater-and-wall-street/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [The studios didn't really take independent films seriously, till 'Sweetback' was such a financial success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/the-studios-didn-t-really-take-independent-films-seriously-till/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Over time, you accumulate a lot of life material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/over-time-you-accumulate-a-lot-of-life-material/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I intend to stay dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-intend-to-stay-dangerous/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Whitey is uptight about offending blacks without really knowing what offends blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/whitey-is-uptight-about-offending-blacks-without-really-knowing-what/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I said to my kids, 'Learn the business of America if you want to be an artist in America. The rest of that stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-said-to-my-kids-learn-the-business-of-america-if-you-want-to-be-an/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [If you give people something they want, they'll come and see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/if-you-give-people-something-they-want-they-ll-come-and-see-it/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I do what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-do-what-i-want-to-do/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Music - some people just don't know that part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/music-some-people-just-don-t-know-that-part-of-me/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) [Explore all 79 Melvin Van Peebles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) ## More Black movie quotes > [What!? You tell people that, I won't get no more black movies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-tucker/what-you-tell-people-that-i-won-t-get-no-more-black-movies/) [Chris Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-tucker/) > [I grew up on a very specific diet of certain weird movies. Of course, being black, there are more black movies in there. I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/i-grew-up-on-a-very-specific-diet-of-certain-weird-movies-of-course/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [We really wanted it to be an action movie. Those are the movies that we love. We're big fans of like Shane Black movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/we-really-wanted-it-to-be-an-action-movie-those-are-the-movies-that/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [It's so important to create roles and characters and projects that feature black people in a way that's not specifically targeted toward the niche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/it-s-so-important-to-create-roles-and-characters-and-projects-that/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [I just hate when things get labeled as "black movies." I don't say, "Oh, this weekend, I want to see an all-white movie," or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraji-p-henson/i-just-hate-when-things-get-labeled-as-black-movies-i-don-t-say-oh/) [Taraji P. Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraji-p-henson/) > ['Luke Cage' came out in 1972 at the height of the blaxploitation era. It was a literary response to this notion of blaxploitation movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-younge/luke-cage-came-out-in-1972-at-the-height-of-the-blaxploitation-era-it/) [Adrian Younge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-younge/) > [If you're going to make black movies only about black people, that's as bad as white movies only about white people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/if-you-re-going-to-make-black-movies-only-about-black-people-that-s/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [Black movies don't have real names, they have names like Barbershop. That's not a name, that's just a location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/black-movies-don-t-have-real-names-they-have-names-like-barbershop/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [It's so important to create roles and characters and projects that feature black people in a way that's not specifically targeted towards the niche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/it-s-so-important-to-create-roles-and-characters-and-projects-that-2/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [I think the whole stigma of 'black movies' is slowly being lost. When you look at movies like '12 Years A Slave,' to 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-think-the-whole-stigma-of-black-movies-is-slowly-being-lost-when/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [At some point, all black movies became biopics. All the good, serious ones became biopics. 'Ray,' 'Ali'... those types of movies, those are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-syms/at-some-point-all-black-movies-became-biopics-all-the-good-serious/) [Martine Syms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-syms/) > [There is an obsession with black tragedy. If you see a black movie, it's typically historical, and it tends to deal with our pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/there-is-an-obsession-with-black-tragedy-if-you-see-a-black-movie-it/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I fell asleep during 'Year One' twice. And my son, who never falls asleep during a Jack Black movie, also nodded off. That's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-fell-asleep-during-year-one-twice-and-my-son-who-never-falls-asleep/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I grew up on Shane Black movies, and I grew up on Joel Silver movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-grew-up-on-shane-black-movies-and-i-grew-up-on-joel-silver-movies/) [Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/) > [I was born a poor black child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-was-born-a-poor-black-child/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) [Browse all 20 Black movie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-movie/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many times, I get young people asking, 'What do you think about black movies?' And I say, 'What are you talking about? You mean Hollywood movies that have black people in them?' 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