Following the online backlash over the US cover for the award-winning Australian film The Sapphires, kick-started by the real-life soul singing female group that inspired the film and an online petition, the American distributor has issued an apology over their choice of marketing for the movie’s home release.
The US cover for The Sapphires – a film based on the true story of an Indigenous quartet who overcome bigotry, racism and sexism in Vietnam War-era Australia – relegates the female Aboriginal protagonists to monochromatic figures in the background, while placing an image of Irish actor Chris O’Dowd – who plays the vocal group’s manager in the film – front and centre.
The US distributors, Anchor Bay, issued a short statement that it “regrets any unintentional upset caused by the upcoming US DVD release of The Sapphires,” while apologising for “whitewashing” the female leads on The Sapphires cover and will consider a new design for future distribution.
The apology comes in response to an online petition on Change.org to have the US cover redesigned, set up Melburnian Lucy Manne, that has reached over 20,000 signatures.
“The US DVD cover was disgracefully insensitive,” said Ms Manne. “The Sapphires is a wonderful film about four Aboriginal women battling against racism and sexism in the entertainment industry of the 1960s. That’s why so many of us were disappointed to see a white-washed and gender-washed cover that reinforces the problems The Sapphires worked so hard to overcome.”
(A comparison between the US and Australian covers of the DVD release)
Ms Manne’s sentiments echoed not only those of the 11,000 people that signed her petition, but also of the four singers that inspired The Sapphires – Naomi Mayers, Beverly Briggs, Lois Peeler and Laurel Robinson – who wrote to US lobby group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, calling for support over the “racist… traumatic” cover.
“It’s disrespectful to the very talented young Aboriginal actors in the film, and it’s disrespectful to us as a group. But in particular, it’s disrespectful to women of colour everywhere who have stood up against this sort of thing all their lives,” said Ms Mayers – Chief Executive of the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service, where she works with Sapphire members Ms Briggs and Ms Robinson.
Chris O’Dowd, who plays manager Dave Lovelace in the film, also noted his displeasure with the US DVD and BluRay release that promotes his character as the cover star. “Yup, that’s pretty vile. Certainly not my choice,” he wrote in a series of tweets that have since been removed. “It’s ridiculous, it’s misleading, ill-judged, insensitive and everything the film wasn’t.”
Though Anchor Bay has issued an apology over the cover, it has not formally pulled the film – released to the American market this week – to change the artwork, noting that “new cover art is being considered for future replenishment orders.” Meaning that the film must sell out already distributed stock before there is a alternative design.
Ms Manne is one who will make sure the US distributors keep their word. “The apology from Anchor Bay is welcome,” she said while thanking the tens of thousands that signed the online petition. “I will be pursuing them to confirm their plans to produce a new cover for future shipments.”
The Sapphires not only beat out Hollywood major motion pictures at the box office upon its release, eventually earning $20 million globally, but its accompanying soundtrack was one of2012′s best-selling releases according to ARIA’s sales figures.
