The film Green Book by director Peter Farrelly captivated audiences around the world: $321 million in worldwide box office receipts, three Oscars, including "Best Picture", "Best Supporting Actor" and "Best Screenplay".
The film tells the story of a trip to the southern United States in the 60s, that was made by the black pianist Don Shirley and his driver, the white bouncer Tony Vallelonga. But the musician's relatives did not like the film.
The musician's nephew, Edwin Shirley III, called the film a distortion of reality. He noted that in life Don was closely connected with the black community, actively participated in the civil rights movement and was friends with Martin Luther King. In the film, he is shown as being torn from his roots, as if he did not feel a sense of belonging to his own culture.
An even harsher assessment was given by the musician's brother, Dr. Maurice Shirley. He called the film nothing less than a "symphony of lies," emphasizing that in reality Don maintained constant contact with his family, including three brothers, while in the film he is presented as a lone wolf.
Green Book: the bouncer was not friends with the musician
Maurice's wife, Patricia, even doubted the friendship between Shirley and Tony. According to her, it was more of a work relationship than a close relationship. And what is especially important is that, according to the family's recollections, Don himself categorically refused the idea of making a film. Thirty years ago, he rejected a similar offer from Nick Vallelonga, Tony's son and co-author of the script.
After the release of Green Book, Mahershala Ali, who played Shirley, personally called his relatives and apologized, explaining that he simply did not know about the conflict.
"If I offended you in any way, I am very, very sorry. I did the best I could with the material I had."
Green Book is not a documentary, and a certain amount of fiction is permissible in it. However, the fact that the script was written by the son of one of the characters, without consulting the family of the other, raises questions. Was Don Shirley deliberately sidelined so that Tony the bouncer could be the main character and knight in shining armour? The question remains unanswered.
