Christopher Plummer and Redface
Irving Lerner's 1969 film "The Royal Hunt of the Sun," adapted from a play of the same name a few years prior, is a prime example of flawed historical depiction. Christopher Plummer, portraying Atahualpa, the final Incan ruler was the main offender of the flawed depiction.
Plummer's portrayal of Atahualpa has its obvious flaws: The blatant use of red-face, the act of a Caucasian person painting their skin and portraying someone of Native American or Aboriginal-Pacific decent. This act is highly offensive, appropriating someone of a different culture--especially in a negative light as this film does--only promotes stereotypes that are harmful toward that race or group of people. This offense on top of his offensive and immature behavior with the role, showing acts of sudden outburst, some sort of ticking, and various irrational tendencies* portrays an all-around offensive performance.
*Also worth mentioning is his (seemingly Italian? sounding) strange accent which does not quite resemble Incan tongue.
Plummer's portrayal of Atahualpa has its obvious flaws: The blatant use of red-face, the act of a Caucasian person painting their skin and portraying someone of Native American or Aboriginal-Pacific decent. This act is highly offensive, appropriating someone of a different culture--especially in a negative light as this film does--only promotes stereotypes that are harmful toward that race or group of people. This offense on top of his offensive and immature behavior with the role, showing acts of sudden outburst, some sort of ticking, and various irrational tendencies* portrays an all-around offensive performance.
*Also worth mentioning is his (seemingly Italian? sounding) strange accent which does not quite resemble Incan tongue.
Christopher Plummer as Atahualpa in "The Royal Hunt of the Sun," 1969
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