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Reflection of history in cinema
Minorities are under represented in the American cinema
History of no diversity in film
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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.
In 1842, in New York City, the songwriter Daniel Decatur Emmett and three companions devised a program of singing and dancing in blackface to the accompaniment of bone castanets, violin, banjo, and tambourine. Calling themselves the Virginia Minstrels, they made their first public appearance in February 1843 in a New York City theater. Another group called the Christy Minstrels, headed by the actor Edwin P. Christy, began appearing a few years later and ...
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... which he received universal praise. Other films included The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, The Negotiator, Unbreakable, and Shaft. Despite his fame as a great Hollywood actor, Jackson has made time for stage work and independent films in order to stay close to his acting roots.
Samuel L Jackson has then came to appear in many great movies such as Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, A Time To Kill, One Eight Seven, Shaft, Coach Carter, Star Wars and many others. He has also been nominated for many of these and has received many awards for a lot of these films. He is still acting and does not seem to be thinking of retirement any time soon. He truly is a great example of a great actor who rose to fame in the time of blaxploitation and also an inspiration to all those with addiction problems as someone who was able to overcome his problem and make something of himself.
...ed against the moon, his films have sketched images in our minds we are unable to forget. His influence upon mainstream Hollywood directing is more than evident. Whether it be making us reflect on past tragedies or teaching us that differences should be celebrated aside from being just recognized, his methods of storytelling have established him as more than just a wonderful film director, but as a great humanitarian.
The Portrayal of Young Black Men in Hollywood Films Black Knight is a film starring Martin Lawrence which is a DreamWorks production released in July 2002 by AOL Time Warner. DreamWorks and AOL Time Warner are large companies that have achieved high levels of recognition and status within the film industry. The fact it was produced by two large companies connotes that it is a film with a large budget so any special effects are likely to be impressive, and have the ability to employ high budget actors/actresses which will bring in bigger crowds. The fact it is produced by a reputable company also means that the film should not be discriminatory or prejudiced. Black Knight is a text of the comedy genre but provides a mixed representation of young black males, as it opposes the dominant ideology yet also, eventually conforms to it.
Because these performers were known by so many different names, it is important to distinguish the one from the other. William Quinn and Audley Hall tell us that "Jongleur is the term now commonly used to designate the professional reciter of extended narrative poetry..." . The term minstrel is many times used interchangeably with jongleur, as it will be in this paper; however, minstrel or ménestrel carries with it multiple connotations that jongleur does not. Jongleur is specific to the Middle Ages; whereas minstrel is also used to describe musicians specifically, in addition to the black-faced performers of Vaudeville. Bard, scôp, and gleeman are of Celtic, Scandinavian, and Anglo-Saxon derivation, respectively.
Minstrel shows were one of the most integral parts of entertainment in the United States during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Audiences at that time liked blackface comedy due to segregation, and racial discrimination in the society. Due to wide varieties of caricatures, dances, and songs, minstrel shows gained popularity within a short span of time. In minstrel shows, white people masked themselves as black people, and portrayed exaggerated black stereotypes, which dehumanized black population. The racist comedy gags and dances performed by artists in minstrel shows were hilarious for white audiences back then. Blackface comedy conveyed the sense of eliteness and supremacy among white audiences
Well, yeah, I guess that most of what I just said about Ted Williams is true about Oscar-winning actor-producer Tom Hanks as well. Hanks also has a remarkably high career batting average – at the box office, but even the best don't get a hit every single time. The comedy-drama "A Hologram for the King" (R, 1:37) is a rare whiff for one of our most popular actors.
In conclusion Michael Jackson will be remembered has one the 20th century’s and music greatest artists. His iconic sound, style, and dancing will always be remembered by upcoming generations. He transformed the music video into an art form by including special effects, famous cameo appearances, dance routines, and complex story lines. Though his personal life was often publizied for the world to see Michael Jackson will always the “King of Pop” in our hearts and minds.
Minstrel shows were the first form of American entertainment that developed in the North during the nineteenth century. They involved a variety of acts that were performed by white performers in blackface makeup before the civil war. The acts they performed were a mockery of the lives of the blacks who lived on the plantation farms in the south. Minstrelsy was popular between the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century and this had a huge impact on the American entertainment industry. It led to the development and popularization of African American dances as well as the basis for the development of black stereotypes.
There is much more to music than just beats and rhymes. There are powerful meanings behind the lyrics that artists write. As said in the book Understanding African American Aspects in Hip-Hop Cinema, they are “reflective of an African spiritual past, of connections between self and community” (pg. 5). Songs like “Fight the Power” from Public Enemy is an example demonstrating the call for the black community to take action together to build a just and equal society. Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” successfully expresses the ideas Craig Werner mentioned in Understanding African American Aspects in Hip-Hop Cinema. The ideas which follow the steps of “acknowledging the burden, bearing witness, and finding redemption” (pg. 5). A “Fight the Power” lyric, “People, people we are the same” which links individual and community experience.
The term Jim Crow originated in American popular culture, specifically in a stage performance, a mocking imitation of a black plantation slave by Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy”
The movie I decided to analyze for this course was American History X (1998), which stars Edward Norton. Though this movie isn’t widely known, it is one of the more interesting movies I have seen. It’s probably one of the best films that depict the Neo Nazi plague on American culture. The film takes place from the mid to late 1990’s during the Internet boom, and touches on subjects from affirmative action to Rodney King. One of the highlights of this movie that really relates to one of the key aspects of this course is the deterrence of capital punishment. Edward Norton’s portrayal as the grief stricken older brother who turns to racist ideologies and violence to cope with his fathers death, completely disregards the consequences of his actions as he brutally murders someone in front of his family for trying to steal his car. The unstable mentality that he developed after his father’s death really goes hand-to-hand specifically with Isaac Ehrlich’s study of capital punishment and deterrence. Although this movie is entirely fictional, a lot of the central themes (racism, crime punishment, gang pervasiveness, and one’s own vulnerability) are accurate representations of the very problems that essentially afflict us as a society.
What appears to make Stephen King"s stories so successful are the current realistic settings of his stories that are put into context. Also, Stephen’s works are so consistent with the many fears that people experience in there lives. Generally, as we know, King"s written work style and type of writings had been affected by films throughout the duration of his life,. He is currently impacting the same business with his own particular vision and creative ability. King"s compositions are so generally engaging, that more than 42 of his works have been based upon or transformed into Hollywood motion pictures, which have included stars like Jack Nicholson (The Shining), John Travolta (Carrie), and Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank
Jim Crow began as a black character in musical shows that evolved into cruel laws. “Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens” (“The Origins of Jim Crow”). Jim Crow laws were harsh and degrading to the African Americans. Jim
In a career that spans almost four decades, Spielberg's films have touched many themes and genres. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, three of his films, Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park became the highest grossing films for their time. During his early years as a director, his sci-fi and adventure films were often seen as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster film-making. In recent years, he has tackled emotionally powerful issues such as the Holocaust, slavery, war, and terrorism.
Marlon Brando was a kid who thought there was no hope but turned into the best actor of his time. He was very handsome, famous, and rich. These things did not bring happiness in his life. Brando died a bitter lonely old man.
In doing so, he has established a signature mark. Both his films mix drama and comedy in a way that does not diminish the other. He exaggerates his characters for comedic effect but makes sure that they never crossover into being too slapstick. His films are short, around ninety minutes, and use montages to move quickly through narrative. His films contain both causal and episodic narratives. All his scenes are relatively short so his characters have lots of opportunities for different interactions. And he uses nature to reveal how a character is feeling. The way he tells a story is unique and constantly fascinating. His style and brand of humor is instantly recognizable, whether you 're watching one of his features, shorts, or advertisements. He still has the opportunity for a long career ahead of him and as he moves into more mainstream Hollywood, it will be important to see how he changes. His films may not have won any Oscars, but they have received acclaim in New Zealand and abroad. His effectiveness as a director and writer is impressive and his talent undeniable. Because he has been able to carve out this auteur identity in such a crowded industry, his films are surely worthy of study in the future. At the very least, they 'll always be highly