"The Help" Turns Back Time

by Alicia Pollard, staff reporter

In a world where racism is quickly becoming a memory, “The Help” turns back time to when racism was not only tolerated but praised under the guise of respectability. Emma Stone as the shyly courageous Skeeter, Viola Davis as the wise but under-appreciated Aibleen, and Bryce Dallas Howard as the manipulative, fashionably cruel Hilly skillfully portray the battle of words and actions that goes on in Jackson, Mississippi between rich housewives and their poor “colored help”.
The movie’s filming elegantly captures the beauty of Mississippi in the glory of summer: Skeeter’s lonely bench beneath a magnificent weeping willow and the lush gardens of wealthy homes are ironically peaceful behind the cruelty and injustice of racism. The luxury of the white Hilly, Skeeter, Celia (Jessica Chastain) and Mae’s homes are a significant contrast to the plainness and small size of African American Aibleen and Minnie’s houses. The subtle emphasis on the racial divide of housing in the town is something of a shock today, but its seeming normality teaches the audience about the thoughtlessly selfish mentality of the early 1960s.
The costumes used in “The Help” both revealed the characters’ personalities and were a continual reminder of how different life was in the 60’s from today. Skeeter’s mother’s prized olive green dress (and why she gives it to Skeeter), Mae’s lovely purple floral dress, and Celia Foote’s unforgettably revealing red dress show the importance of being dainty, feminine and modest as a woman in this time period. The plain blue starched dress-and-apron that Aibleen, Minnie and the other maids wear demonstrates how they were viewed as inferior and suited mainly for work. A reminder of a past society and its values, the costumes used in “The Help” create an atmosphere of comfortable wealth and stretched poverty, stylish delicacy and coarse discrimination.
The acting in “The Help” is exceptional. Hilly’s demanding, superior attitude is an interesting contrast to Skeeter’s warm, easygoing personality. Jessica Chastain plays the kind-hearted but scatter-brained and oblivious Celia with strength and subtlety. Octavia Spencer is hilarious as the sassy, outspoken Minnie, and shone especially in how she carefully balanced Minnie’s confidence to others but allowance of her husband’s abuse. The cast of “The Help” deftly portrays the vast spectrum of characters and their diverse responses to racism - acceptance, obliviousness, or horror.
“The Help” is a captivating portrait of the relationships between the races at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Both the actors and scriptwriters skillfully kept a balance between the stereotypes of radical racism and passionate equality, both addressing the issue and making every character human with their own hopes, dreams and fears.