[Loki]

As Tom Hanks’ “The Da Vinci Code” opening looms May 19, featuring an albino character as a murderous, self-flagellating monk, a Hingham-born albino moviemaker is set to screen his own film tomorrow in Boston that wryly attacks the myth of the “evil albino.”


    “It’s another kind of evil or outcast depiction of a person with albinism,” said Dennis Hurley, 28, who was angered over the homicidal red-eyed character Silas depicted in the “The Da Vinci Code” best-selling novel. “There are regular people like me who happen to have this condition.”
    The low-budget, nine-minute parody flick, “The Albino Code,” stars Hurley and pokes fun at the absurdity of a red-eyed albino assassin. Albinos are considered legally blind and don’t have red eyes. “The Da Vinci Code” is one of more than 60 films that portray albinos as “the butt of a joke, the loner or the outcast or the evil magical albino,” Hurley said.
    Hurley said his movie, produced by 7 Fluid Oz. Productions in Reading, aims to educate people about albinism through humor.
    “I just want to see a change,” said Hurley, a Hingham High School grad and struggling New York actor.
    Albinism is an inherited condition that affects 1 in 17,000 people in the United States, according to the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH). Albinos have very white skin and hair and very poor vision.
    NOAH has called for an end to albinos portrayed in films as “mystical freaks” and villains.
    “It only reinforces the stigma of albinos and the problems associated with looking different in a society that places so much value on looks,” said Michael McGowan, an albino and president of NOAH.
     “Two weeks from now (albino) kids on the playground are going to be called ‘Silas.’ They are going to be the subject of another round of that taunting,” he said.
    The “Albino Code” debuts tomorrow night at The Tribe Theatre, 67 Stuart St., Boston. For a link to the “Albino Code” Web site, visit bostonherald.com.

Check out the website at www.albinocode.com!

i do not understand people with this line of thinking, its a character not a generalization about all albinos. stop thinking its an albino thats a murderer and start thinking its a murderer whos an albino. we know not all albinos are that way. the same thing applies to the feminist views on "weak" "submissive" female characters. its a character it works for the part and so they did it. i happen to like that kind of girl who needs somone to stand up for them, i have to have someone to stand up for and she would need someone to do that for her. not so i can step allover her but because if find it cute and it would help balance my anger, when i see her reaction to my anger even if it's directed at someone else i would be inclined to calm down. i could never ever hit a girl it's in my genes it's hard for me to even yell at one, so in closing (shut up you babbling fool! lol) it's not a representation of an entire group it's a character.


p.s. sorry for babbling.

[leapetra]

I think the problem is that  how many movies are the albinos not portrayed as weird.  Powder comes close to an Albino hero, but even that character has strangeness about him.   It is a quick way to make someone not only seem strange, but otherworldly.  It is like that with how the gays are portrayed.  It wasn't until I saw the Night Listener did they treat the gay relationship as just a relationship.  Not LOOK ITS A GAY COUPLE!!!!!, for the sake of having a gay couple in the film.
It's too easy for writers to use the stereotypes to get the points across quickly.  ie: "Hmmm I have a weird murderer here... How do I make sure the audience knows it.  I know!!! Albino!!! "
You need more writers like the one making the parody.  Then maybe we will see less and less of it.

[Moloch]

Think 'majority rules' here, and you see the situation is pretty close to hopeless. Until the majority of folks in power and media are completely different one from another, as opposed to the flocking groups you have now, there won't be much change on this issue. And as for that idiotic group that wants to ban albinos from being characterised a certain way in movies and other media - screw him. Don't people realize yet that if you makes something taboo it will only heighten its desirableness to the masses? C'mon people, I'm an overweight guy, not to put too fine a point on it, but you don't see me complaining about Chris Farley or John Candy's roles in media. Just because I jiggle doesn't mean I want to make you giggle. Yet that's one of the many stereotypes fat people deal with now. I live with it, just like these albinos ought to just accept it, or DO something constructive about it, instead of sitting around whining.

Ok, my rant is done.

I suppose it depends on how tortured you've been by others because you're different.  My entire family was different. I did well. A few people tried to fight me and I won or held my own. My brother with a 60 IQ didn't fair as well. He was beaten very badly because he was different and because and I quote, "It's funny to see him flail (sp?) when he tries to defend himself."  I would be more concerned if the person who said that he had been tortured. Name called, unfortunately, we all get that. I don't know anyone who doesn't get called a name. But if that movie makes anyone think a person who has inherited albino genes isn't human or it is OK to beat that person or that the person is evil and must be eliminated, then I would worry. I used to watch a soap opera and the person who played an evil character went on a talk show to tell people, "Hey, I'm playing a character here. I'm not evil." She was getting death threats in her mail even. I agree, a person playing a character is a character. Now if everyone would just think that way, . . . . I had a couple of friends that were albino when I was growing up. No one seemed to pick on them. One was legally blind, but I didn't think the other one was. 1 in every so many thousand, I thought it would be 1 in over a million. I haven't even seen an albino since college.