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World War 2 and how it affected the film industry
Racial stereotypes and how they cause problems in society
Racial Stereotypes and their Effects
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A Comparison of the Representation of the Afro-American Actresses Hattie McDaniel and Whoopie Goldberg in the Scam Scenes of Gone With the Wind Gone with the wind was released in 1939 and was directed by Victor Fleming. The film tells the epic tale of a woman's life during one of the most tumultuous periods in America's history. From her young, innocent days on a feudalistic plantation to the war-torn streets of Atlanta, from the utmost luxury to absolute starvation and poverty and from her innocence to her understanding and comprehension of life. This woman’s name is Scarlet O'Hara, during this compassion I will be focusing on her Mammy, played by actress Hattie McDaniel. The film received eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (for Hattie McDaniel - the first time a black had been nominated and honoured) Ghost was directed by Directed by Jerry Zucker and released in 1990. The film is about the murder of Sam Wheat, who’s love for his partner enables him to remain as a ghost on earth. However, in his ghost form he cannot be seem or heard, Sam is only able to communicate to his loved one (Molly) through Oda Mae Brown, a psychic played by Whoopie Goldberg. It is the character of Oda Mae that I will use in the comparison. Whoopie Goldberg was the second Black actress to win an Oscar for best supporting actress, some 51 years later. The characters played by Hattie McDaniel and Whoopie Goldberg have many similarities and differences. Subsequent to studying the two films it is clear to see the progress and changing representation of the Afro-Americans. In gone with the wind, there are several tracking shots of Scarlet, with Mammy scurrying on behind. The camera follows Scarlet, Mammy has to join. It is also notable that, when in shot, Mammy, despite having a large build, fills little of the screen. This reflects the way Afro-Americans were seen at the time, with much lower
When I was a little girl I often saw the caricature of a big black woman holding a broom I was always curious as of who she was and what she portrayed. I quickly came to find out that this would be the mammy character. She was characterized to care for her white family and be pleased by doing so. Even though the mammy is well loved and has considerable power with her white family, she still knew her place as a servant. Annie played a big role as a black maid in imitation of life. Even though she was given an immense role not overshadowed by a white actress, she was still stereotyped by playing a mammy role. The mammy character was seen as a good figure to the whites but it was seen
Since minorities have gained a more significant role in movies, it begs the question: what happens to them after they become the “magical negro” in the horror genre? Does the min...
The minstrel show is considered by many as the first American form of musical theatre (Bordman, 2010). However, the tradition of minstrelsy, in various forms, dates back to well before Thomas Dartmouth Rice first jumped Jim Crow. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, it was common for actors to darken their faces for dramatic effect, as illustrated by Shakespeare’s Othello (Strausbaugh, 2010). It could be said that minstrelsy continues to be alive and well today, in the form of reality television and hip-hop culture. While opinions on what may be considered minstrelsy today may differ, there is no denying that Rice revolutionized how the centuries old tradition of blackface was used to create a new art form, the minstrel show.
Minstrel shows were developed in the 1840's and reached its peak after the Civil War. They managed to remain popular into the early 1900s. The Minstrel shows were shows in which white performers would paint their faces black and act the role of an African American. This was called black facing. The minstrel show evolved from two types of entertainment popular in America before 1830: the impersonation of blacks given by white actors between acts of plays or during circuses, and the performances of black musicians who sang, with banjo accompaniment, in city streets. The 'father of American minstrelsy' was Thomas Dartmouth 'Daddy' Rice, who between 1828 and 1831 developed a song-and-dance routine in which he impersonated an old, crippled black slave, dubbed Jim Crow. Jim Crow was a fool who just spent his whole day slacking off, dancing the day away with an occasional mischievous prank such as stealing a watermelon from a farm. Most of the skits performed on the Minstrel shows symbolized the life of the African American plantations slaves. This routine achieved immediate popularity, and Rice performed it with great success in the United States and Britain, where he introduced it in 1836. Throughout the 1830s, up to the founding of the minstrel show proper, Rice had many imitators.
She was the first black to win an academy award. Hattie Mcdaniel’s role in Gone With the Wind only confirms the stereotype of the Mammy caricature in film by expressing her character as a big old woman with the small, sharp eyes of an elephant. Her skin assumed her to be pure African and this, in this era, was said to be ugly in the eyes of white society. Her character was devoted to the family that she was enslaved to. She was desexualized in the films as an ugly black woman who was enormously obese. No white man in their right mind would want a woman such as this. This character directly correlates to the Mammy caricatures that were first made in animated format. The Mammy caricature was created by whites to imply that black women were only meant to be domestic servants.(Authentic
White privilege is incredibly in evident in Rush Hour through the roles of the FBI agent in charge of the case. When the Chinese consular calls Lee for backup. The FBI agents feel threatened and annoyed and use the excuse that Lee will simply become a distraction and liability on the case. To the agents, Lee is a foreigner whose crime fighting tactics are subpar when it comes to the almighty FBI of the United States of America. They believe their department is the number one enforcer and that Lee will simply be a pest. As a result, they assign Carter, who is African American, to babysit him. As a result, the entire film is about their desire to find the consul’s daughter despite the commands of the FBI. Pham makes the comment that “Because Lee and Carter are the racial underdogs who successfully challenge two white FBI agents, they represent globally sympathetic figures” (Pham 126). As audience members, we often root for the underdogs and celebrate their victories. At the end of the film, Lee and Carter save the day, while the FBI agents experience embarrassment for not having trusted them. But is that all they get? Embarrassment? In today’s day and age, a public announcement of this racial discrimination would have gotten those FBI agents fired. Hollywood’s omission of the repercussions of exhibiting racism just goes to show that white privilege is incredibly prevalent. The FBI agents belong to the dominant class. Desmond and Emirbayer point out that
Nationalities in society today have a stereotype that they are unfortunately characterized by. People assume that Asians are smart and good at martial arts, that the Irish swear too much and consume too much alcohol, that Americans are obese and lazy, and that African Americans are criminals into drugs and are in prison. These stereotypes make everyone of one nationality to be the same as individuals. There are, of course, people who fit the stereotype, which is how the stereotype came to be, but there is a large number of people who defy the stereotype of their race. The film industry helps to reiterate the stereotypes of certain races by matching the race of the actor with the character in the film for a certain effect. African Americans, specifically, in modern day films have been frequently seen to both
It is estimated that African Americans spend about four to five hours more than the general public on watching television a week. Yet still with these findings, there are only 18 shows that feature an African-American cast or lead character out of the 115 that air on the six major broadcast networks. Even with this imbalanced ratio, there are reasons why there are so few programs featuring leading African Americans, despite the great amount of blacks that are consistent television viewers (Hall 12).
Not all African Americans are thugs and people that do not work. A lot of them have successful careers and have put in the time and effort to have good work ethic and be good people. African Americans have had a difficult history in the American film industry. During the early 20th century of filmmaking, blacks were stereotyped as not worthy of being in films, and they were only certain types of characters such as servants, mammies, and butlers. From several decades of filmmaking, African Americans have been sought out to be trouble makers, incapables, intellectually limited, and also lazy. Although blacks have won Academy Awards for acting, screenwriting, and music production they still find trouble in getting quality roles within the film industry. (Common Black Stereotypes)
To wreck, according to Gwendolyn Pough, is to dispel all stereotypes placed on black women. Stereotypes assigned because of intimidation, causing someone to be oppressed. Black women rappers have made a significant impact on the predominantly male Hip-Hop industries. To counter the negative representations of black women promoted by the male Hip-Hop culture, female rappers are “wrecking” the stereotypes and misconceptions. During the nineties, rapper Queen Latifah made a appearance, with lyrics that captivated political and social issues that inhibit black women’s interactions in the larger public sphere. Queen Latifah’s song “Ladies First”, which I believe elevates black women , addresses the issues of social undermining of black women
It is human nature to tell stories and to appreciate and participate in theatre traditions in every society. Every culture expresses theatre and may have their own traditions that have helped pave the way for how they are today. The involvement of African-Americans has increased tremendously in theatre since the nineteenth century and continues to increase as time goes on. African-Americans have overcome many obstacles with getting their rights and the participation and involvement of Theatre was something also worth fighting for. American history has played an important role with the participation of African-Americans in theatre. Slavery occurrence in America made it difficult for blacks in America to be taken seriously and to take on the characters of more serious roles. With many obstacles in the way African-Americans fought for their rights and also for the freedom that they deserved in America. As the participation of African-Americans involvement within the theatre increase so do the movements in which help make this possible. It is the determination of these leaders, groups, and Theaters that helped increase the participation and created the success that African-Americans received throughout history in American Theatre.
with a wasted face, dressed all in black. He sees her at the back of
At times being told to “Put On a Happy Face” can actually make others believe the delighted look on one’s face. In the text “Put On a Happy Face” by Benjamin Demott he often used metaphors, contrast, binary oppositions, and repetition to provide his audience with other viewpoints to look at. He briefly describes how the entertainment industry hand picks who they want for certain roles in movies and the special treatment among several people within the industry. In this piece of writing the author is trying to make a point that just because a director put two interracial people on television to convey to others that African American can work together and get along with one another does not mean it’s the honest truth. There was a time that African
This fieldwork aims to sociologically analyze gender roles and expectations within the movie White Chicks. In this film brothers, Marcus and Kevin Copeland, play the role of two black FBI agents looking to get back into good graces with their superior after they accidentally ruined a drug bust. They are assigned to escort two rich white females, Brittney and Tiffany Wilson, to the Hamptons for Labor Day festivities. While traveling they experience a minor car accident, leaving the girls with a single scratch each on their face. Because of their socialite status, the sisters no longer wish to continue their trip in fear of humiliation. The agents fear losing their chance of redemption, so they decide to disguise
The White Savior Complex is a damaging subconscious underlay of the Hollywood system, and more broadly all of western society. It is used to further separate the notions of “us” and “other” by creating a firm separation fueled by self-righteousness, and a sense of entitlement. Hollywood attempts to address race relations, but fails because of this trope. Kingsle, from the article “Does My Hero Look White In This?” described that both racism and colonialism are acknowledged, but not without reassuring that not only were white people against the system of racist power dynamics, but also were actively fighting against it in leadership roles (2013). In the remainder of my essay I will be commenting on many modern films and their use on this trope, and why subscribing to this filmmaking strategy is problematic.