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Manderlay

 Manderlay
type
TVTItem
 Manderlay
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Manderlay
 Manderlay
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Manderlay
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comment
Manderlay is a minimalist drama directed by Lars von Trier, following on from Dogville (the first in an ongoing trilogy that may never be finished). Many of the same roles are reprised from Dogville, though with a few exceptions, the entire cast has changed.As with the previous film, Manderlay follows the exploits of Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is now fleeing across 1930s America with her father (Willem Dafoe) and his band of gangsters. As they stop to take rest, Grace discovers the Manderlay plantation, which still relies on slave labour. Grace takes it upon herself to out the plantation owners and free the slaves. Following a warning from her cynical father, she decides it would be safer to stay (along with a retinue of hoods) and assist with the transition from slave camp to free enterprise. Like in Dogville, little goes to plan for the idealistic, headstrong Grace, or her fledgling democracy.As with its predecessor, the film is notable for its limited (or invisible) props, taking place on a sound stage that is marked out with painted lines, like a giant blueprint. The design leads to a stage play feel and intensity, but can be initially difficult to get into.
 Manderlay
fetched
2023-06-01T05:15:06Z
 Manderlay
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2023-06-01T05:15:06Z
 Manderlay
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Dropped link to TheMafia: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Manderlay
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Manderlay / int_121865ac
type
Noble Savage
 Manderlay / int_121865ac
comment
Noble Savage: Grace perceives Timothy as one of these. He is only pretending to be one.
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Manderlay / int_121865ac
 Manderlay / int_18150c85
type
Democracy Is Flawed
 Manderlay / int_18150c85
comment
Democracy Is Flawed: The subject of the film. The democracy presented is absolute and without limitations, giving the slaves ultimate power to determine what time it is, whether they shall execute transgressors, and finally whether they can vote to end democracy.
 Manderlay / int_18150c85
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Manderlay / int_18150c85
 Manderlay / int_185ea595
type
The Trickster
 Manderlay / int_185ea595
comment
The Trickster: The "Type VII" slaves, who transform into whatever is most appealing to the beholder. Timothy ends up being one of these types of slaves, rather than a "Type I" as Grace had tricked herself into thinking he was.
 Manderlay / int_185ea595
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Manderlay / int_185ea595
 Manderlay / int_1869b4b1
type
Unreliable Narrator
 Manderlay / int_1869b4b1
comment
Unreliable Narrator: The narrator parrots what certain characters (particularly Grace) think is going on, rather than what is actually going on.
 Manderlay / int_1869b4b1
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Manderlay / int_1869b4b1
 Manderlay / int_1994ba0b
type
Gone Horribly Right
 Manderlay / int_1994ba0b
comment
Gone Horribly Right: Grace's efforts to introduce democracy. Which is ultimately applied by the slaves to vote on ending their democratic powers.
 Manderlay / int_1994ba0b
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Manderlay / int_1994ba0b
 Manderlay / int_1effdd6b
type
White Man's Burden
 Manderlay / int_1effdd6b
comment
White Man's Burden: Deconstruted. Grace immediately sees it as her responsibility to free, educate, and protect the fledgling community of freed slaves. They initially seem incapable of making basic decisions or even looking after themselves without constant supervision, without their former masters, or Grace. It backfires when the Manderlay citizens decide they want a slaver, not a teacher.
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Manderlay / int_1effdd6b
 Manderlay / int_21718ffc
type
Deep South
 Manderlay / int_21718ffc
comment
Deep South: Manderlay is located somewhere in Alabama.
 Manderlay / int_21718ffc
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1.0
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Manderlay / int_21718ffc
 Manderlay / int_21e5b9c7
type
Failed a Spot Check
 Manderlay / int_21e5b9c7
comment
Failed a Spot Check: As William points out at the end of the film, the fences in Manderlay were short enough for anyone willing to build a ladder to escape over if they really wanted to leave. This should have been a hint to Grace that they could have left if they wanted to but chose to stay put.
 Manderlay / int_21e5b9c7
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Manderlay / int_21e5b9c7
 Manderlay / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Manderlay / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: Mam's demand to burn the Mam's law guidebook. Specific advice within the guidebook about the slaves. Timothy's white hanky. The window with a handle on the outside. Everything Grace's father says. The relative lack of literal guns owned by the former Manderlay bosses.
 Manderlay / int_22cf536c
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Manderlay / int_22cf536c
 Manderlay / int_237404cc
type
Ironic Echo
 Manderlay / int_237404cc
comment
Ironic Echo: "We made you this way." Also, Grace's claim that things are going very well at Manderlay end up being horrendously misinterpreted by her father. Also, Grace's father's claim that everyone tends towards harem sex fantasies.
 Manderlay / int_237404cc
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1.0
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Manderlay / int_237404cc
 Manderlay / int_2854b56d
type
Uncertain Doom
 Manderlay / int_2854b56d
comment
Uncertain Doom: Thanks to the movies Bolivian Army Ending and the final film in the trilogy being years long into Development Hell, it's unknown what ended up happening to Grace after she was chased by the mob.
 Manderlay / int_2854b56d
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1.0
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Manderlay / int_2854b56d
 Manderlay / int_28b2f93a
type
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil
 Manderlay / int_28b2f93a
comment
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: The film's subject: slavery is presented as terrible, not just because of its immediate oppression and exploitation, but because of the self-perpetuating institution it creates. The film ends with a slideshow of the suffering of post-emancipation black Americans, with some images dating as recently as the 90s and 00s.
 Manderlay / int_28b2f93a
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Manderlay / int_28b2f93a
 Manderlay / int_2c1f1138
type
He Who Fights Monsters
 Manderlay / int_2c1f1138
comment
He Who Fights Monsters: Grace. The film even ends with her framing Timothy for stealing wine and then whipping him when he angers her, the same situation he was in at the beginning of the film that she prevented from happening.
 Manderlay / int_2c1f1138
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Manderlay / int_2c1f1138
 Manderlay / int_32cb267a
type
Magical Negro
 Manderlay / int_32cb267a
comment
Magical Negro: Grace makes the critical mistake of treating both Wilhelm and Timothy as these. It turns out the former literally wrote the book on subjugating black people, and the latter is a cheat and a thief who merely puts on the front of being a proud, wise man.
 Manderlay / int_32cb267a
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Manderlay / int_32cb267a
 Manderlay / int_3b23e81
type
Plot Twist
 Manderlay / int_3b23e81
comment
Plot Twist: Quite a few, quickly following on from one to another. First, it is revealed that Timothy is the one who stole the plantation money, not the gangsters. Next is that this shows Timothy to be a charlatan who Grace has been mistaking for a proud, heroic slave. Thirdly, that Mam's law was a creation of the black slaves, and not the white plantation owners. The slaves could have easily escaped any time without Grace's help, but felt it was better not to. The final twist is that Manderlay's only clock was set to the incorrect time, ensuring Grace missed her one chance to escape with her father.
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Manderlay / int_3b23e81
 Manderlay / int_4b316d47
type
Break the Cutie
 Manderlay / int_4b316d47
comment
Break the Cutie: Grace, again.
 Manderlay / int_4b316d47
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Manderlay / int_4b316d47
 Manderlay / int_4cca4ac7
type
Trapped by Gambling Debts
 Manderlay / int_4cca4ac7
comment
Trapped by Gambling Debts: The gambler's job is to ensure no slave manages to save sufficient money to buy their freedom, cheating them out of their savings at cards.
 Manderlay / int_4cca4ac7
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Manderlay / int_4cca4ac7
 Manderlay / int_5313c266
type
Bookends
 Manderlay / int_5313c266
comment
Book Ends: The film begins and ends with Timothy the slave being whipped.
 Manderlay / int_5313c266
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 Manderlay / int_5313c266
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Manderlay / int_5313c266
 Manderlay / int_66b98472
type
Erotic Dream
 Manderlay / int_66b98472
comment
Erotic Dream: Grace is susceptible to these.
 Manderlay / int_66b98472
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_66b98472
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1.0
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Manderlay / int_66b98472
 Manderlay / int_6c87dbef
type
Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration
 Manderlay / int_6c87dbef
comment
Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: Grace does so to deal with hers.
 Manderlay / int_6c87dbef
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_6c87dbef
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 Manderlay
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Manderlay / int_6c87dbef
 Manderlay / int_79a0e313
type
Bolivian Army Ending
 Manderlay / int_79a0e313
comment
Bolivian Army Ending: The film ends with Grace being chased across the map by the torch-wielding Manderlay slaves, who apparently intend to kill her as they did the previous man that tried to liberate them if the narrator's words are anything to go by.
 Manderlay / int_79a0e313
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Manderlay / int_79a0e313
 Manderlay / int_7d89315b
type
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
 Manderlay / int_7d89315b
comment
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Grace gives one to the Manderlay slaves due to them being willing to continue living in oppressive circumstances despite being free. Had she not done this, it's likely that Timothy wouldn't have distracted her from getting to her father's getaway car and escaping.
 Manderlay / int_7d89315b
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Manderlay / int_7d89315b
 Manderlay / int_7e9a0f3a
type
Wrote the Book
 Manderlay / int_7e9a0f3a
comment
Wrote the Book: Mam's Law, the literal book of slavery. Though surprisingly, Wilhelm is the one who states he wrote the book, not the Mam.
 Manderlay / int_7e9a0f3a
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 Manderlay / int_7e9a0f3a
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Manderlay / int_7e9a0f3a
 Manderlay / int_7fbb2a3
type
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
 Manderlay / int_7fbb2a3
comment
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: A lot of Grace's schemes to improve life at Manderlay backfire.
 Manderlay / int_7fbb2a3
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_7fbb2a3
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Manderlay / int_7fbb2a3
 Manderlay / int_875615dd
type
Truth in Television
 Manderlay / int_875615dd
comment
Truth in Television: The premise that plantations relying slave labor even long after Emancipation Proclamation with enslaved people not knowing they were free actually happened in real life, as it turns out.
 Manderlay / int_875615dd
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Manderlay / int_875615dd
 Manderlay / int_88dbce75
type
Card Sharp
 Manderlay / int_88dbce75
comment
Card Sharp: A professional gambler who's occupation is to cheat former slaves out of their savings, thus ensuring they remain perpetually indebted to their employers.
 Manderlay / int_88dbce75
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_88dbce75
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Manderlay / int_88dbce75
 Manderlay / int_8c55e307
type
Ultimate Job Security
 Manderlay / int_8c55e307
comment
Ultimate Job Security: The lawyer, who has a unique talent for making legal documents that can be interpreted in one way only. He is very much treasured by Grace and Grace's father.
 Manderlay / int_8c55e307
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 Manderlay / int_8c55e307
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Manderlay / int_8c55e307
 Manderlay / int_973d220f
type
Never My Fault
 Manderlay / int_973d220f
comment
Never My Fault: One of the supposed benefits of Mam's laws is that the slaves can take solace in perpetually blaming their cruel white masters for anything that goes wrong, and never take responsibility for any of their own mistakes.
 Manderlay / int_973d220f
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Manderlay / int_973d220f
 Manderlay / int_a58802b7
type
Happiness in Slavery
 Manderlay / int_a58802b7
comment
Happiness in Slavery: Not exactly happiness, but perpetual slavery is the more stable and comfortable lesser of two evils, according to Wilhelm.
 Manderlay / int_a58802b7
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Manderlay / int_a58802b7
 Manderlay / int_ab802f4b
type
Work Off the Debt
 Manderlay / int_ab802f4b
comment
Work Off the Debt: Had Grace not stepped in to take charge, the slaves would have almost certainly entered into exploitative employment with their former masters, who lend money to the slaves (to spend in a new on site store.)
 Manderlay / int_ab802f4b
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Manderlay / int_ab802f4b
 Manderlay / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Manderlay / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: The ending credits puts upbeat, plucky music against a slideshow of real-life racist imagery and downtrodden black Americans.
 Manderlay / int_abad35b4
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_abad35b4
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Manderlay / int_abad35b4
 Manderlay / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Manderlay / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: Grace's father, who was perfectly fine with abandoning his implied to-be teenaged daughter in a plantation camp with no way of contacting him for help just to prove a point about her stubbornness. That said, he at least left her some of his best men to protect her and ends up reluctantly giving her his lawyer. He also does come to retrieve her toward the end of the movie, but leaves after misinterpreting the situation he witnessed as Grace having a handle on things.
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Manderlay / int_b11ac9f5
 Manderlay / int_c07adb60
type
Unwanted Rescue
 Manderlay / int_c07adb60
comment
Unwanted Rescue: No one at Manderlay wanted to be rescued by Grace. The final act of Manderlay's commune is to revert the plantation back to slavery.
 Manderlay / int_c07adb60
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_c07adb60
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Manderlay / int_c07adb60
 Manderlay / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Manderlay / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: Knowing that the Manderlay slaves won't let her leave of her own free will now that she has been appointed as the next Mam, Grace comes up with a plan to frame Timothy for stealing wine, the same crime he had been accused of at the beginning of the film. It would be the only time the gates would come down, and she planned to use this opportunity to escape to her father's getaway car, but not before giving everyone a "The Reason You Suck" Speech. The plan falls through when Timothy distracts Grace by echoing her own "We made them" words right back at her, angering her enough to whip him for close to 15 minutes, the amount of time her father planned to wait for her. She failed to hear her father pull up in front of Manderlay, only stopping when the clock finally chimes at the wrong time. By the time she goes to the meeting spot, he's only left a letter, revealing that he had been there during the entirety of the whipping and misinterpreted it as her having a handle on things. He then left her with no way of contacting him for help, just as the Manderlay slaves light up their torches and move to pursue, and presumably kill, her.
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Manderlay / int_c3c18143
 Manderlay / int_ccf7fe9c
type
Freedom from Choice
 Manderlay / int_ccf7fe9c
comment
Freedom from Choice: Manderlay's freed slaves finally decide they prefer not being free.
 Manderlay / int_ccf7fe9c
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_ccf7fe9c
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Manderlay / int_ccf7fe9c
 Manderlay / int_e07d3d72
type
Uncle Tomfoolery
 Manderlay / int_e07d3d72
comment
Uncle Tomfoolery: One of the slave types are defined by their need to crack jokes.
 Manderlay / int_e07d3d72
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 Manderlay / int_e07d3d72
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Manderlay / int_e07d3d72
 Manderlay / int_e529d5c3
type
Torches and Pitchforks
 Manderlay / int_e529d5c3
comment
Torches and Pitchforks: Grace's father describes being chased by a torch-wielding mob as everyone's lurid fantasy. Grace ends up being chased by one.
 Manderlay / int_e529d5c3
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 Manderlay / int_e529d5c3
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Manderlay / int_e529d5c3
 Manderlay / int_e567510d
type
Determinator
 Manderlay / int_e567510d
comment
Determinator: Grace is particularly stubborn. Timothy refuses to give up in the face of obvious defeat, riding against the dirt storms that ravage the cotton crop.
 Manderlay / int_e567510d
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 Manderlay / int_e567510d
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Manderlay / int_e567510d
 Manderlay / int_ebb900a7
type
Resignations Not Accepted
 Manderlay / int_ebb900a7
comment
Resignations Not Accepted: No one is allowed to leave Manderlay, either under slave rule or under Grace's new society. The latter eventually permits the gangsters to leave, and Grace eventually chooses to leave too. Until it is revealed the slaves voted that she must stay, forcing her to become their new slaver boss.
 Manderlay / int_ebb900a7
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Manderlay / int_ebb900a7
 Manderlay / int_ef2d2bae
type
Mafia Princess
 Manderlay / int_ef2d2bae
comment
Mafia Princess: Grace.
 Manderlay / int_ef2d2bae
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 Manderlay / int_ef2d2bae
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Manderlay / int_ef2d2bae
 Manderlay / int_f217cdab
type
Great Big Book of Everything
 Manderlay / int_f217cdab
comment
Great Big Book of Everything: Mam's Law, a guidebook that contains every rule and piece of advice on subjugating the slaves.
 Manderlay / int_f217cdab
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 Manderlay / int_f217cdab
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Manderlay / int_f217cdab
 Manderlay / int_f2b03c88
type
Indentured Servitude
 Manderlay / int_f2b03c88
comment
Indentured Servitude: The former plantation owners are obligated to work as slaves for the freed slaves, until they have sufficiently learned the error of their ways.
 Manderlay / int_f2b03c88
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 Manderlay / int_f2b03c88
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Manderlay / int_f2b03c88
 Manderlay / int_f56d2c81
type
Everyone Is Armed
 Manderlay / int_f56d2c81
comment
Everyone Is Armed: All the gangsters are packing. This is what enables them to initially force democracy onto Manderlay. And when they leave with their guns, Grace no longer has the power to come and go as she pleases, as the people of Manderlay can now force her to act as their new Mam, just as she tried to force them to instate democracy.
 Manderlay / int_f56d2c81
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 Manderlay / int_f56d2c81
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Manderlay / int_f56d2c81
 Manderlay / int_fb5ab090
type
Loan Shark
 Manderlay / int_fb5ab090
comment
Loan Shark: Grace's father warns that inevitably the homesteaders will become these, using endless debts to entrap the newly freed slaves into servitude.
 Manderlay / int_fb5ab090
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1.0
 Manderlay / int_fb5ab090
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 Manderlay
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Manderlay / int_fb5ab090
 Manderlay / int_fed07537
type
Mighty Whitey
 Manderlay / int_fed07537
comment
Mighty Whitey: Played with. Grace looks like an archetypal one, in her singlehanded efforts to free and nurture the slaves. She becomes their literal superior, when the slaves decide they want to be subjugated, and elect her the new "Mam" of the house by virtue of her being the only white person left in Manderlay. That said the slaves admit they were perfectly capable of emancipating themselves whenever they wanted, they just didn't want to.
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Manderlay

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Manderlay
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Happiness in Slavery / int_4a297f93
 Manderlay
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The Great Depression / int_4a297f93