Oscars Location Abolishes Statues Marking Racist Legacy Of Filmmaker DW Griffith
Image via ID 90742178 © Diego Grandi | Dreamstime.com
Several white fiberglass elephant statues were recently removed from an Academy Awards venue, in a bid to reject the racist legacy of filmmaker DW Griffith.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the new owners of Hollywood & Highland shopping mall have chosen to remove the statues and all “faux Mesopotamian elements” as part of a makeover.
The elephant statues appeared in the 1916 film Intolerance, directed by Griffith, which followed his controversial 1915 film The Birth Of A Nation. The latter has since been condemned by the National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP) for its racist undertones.
“This is a real opportunity to move away from the clichés of Hollywood, red velvet ropes, and big studios. The Hollywood of the future really needs to stand for something that is more inclusive of what our culture looks like today,” said Chad Cress, Chief Creative Officer of Hollywood & Highland.
The center’s renovation is scheduled to be completed by next summer, and will be renamed as Ovation Hollywood. A new color scheme, outdoor space, landscaping, and a different façade hope to attract a younger crowd and distance the building from Griffith’s legacy, as per NME.
This is not the first in recent times that historic statues have been removed due to their racist connotations. Recently, the confederate statue of Robert E Lee was removed after 100 years.
[via NME, cover image via ID 90742178 © Diego Grandi | Dreamstime.com]
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