Hidden Figures is a compelling film that explores the extraordinary achievements of the three pioneering African American women whose significant roles at NASA reshaped history during the space race era. Despite facing adversity, these mathematicians and engineers played essential roles in some of America’s most iconic space missions. However, some may say altering and adding scenes to a film that is based on true events does not take the credibility of the movie. Nevertheless, altered and added scenes to a film that is based on true events take away from the movie’s credibility. Hence, although some people state that the film does not take away the credibility because the film remains true to the essence of the historical circumstances, the …show more content…
For instance, when the article “Hidden Figures (2017)” states, “we learned that Kevin Costner's character, Al Harrison, is based on three different directors at NASA Langley. . . movie’s director, Theodore Melfi, was unable to secure the rights to the guy he wanted. . . he decided to make Costner’s Al Harrison a composite character” (Lang). Introducing fictional characters like Harrison into a historical narrative such as Hidden Figures lessens its credibility by blurring the line between fact and fiction. While fictional characters can sometimes serve to represent broader themes or perspectives, their inclusion risks distorting the audience’s understanding of the actual events and individuals involved. In the case of Hidden Figures, inserting a character like Harrison who did not exist undermines the recognition and appreciation of the real-life figures who made significant contributions to NASA and the Civil Rights Movement. It may also create confusion or skepticism among viewers who are familiar with the historical context. Overall, maintaining fidelity to the known historical figures and events is crucial for preserving the credibility and integrity of the narrative, as well as the inclusion of a fictional character like Harrison in a story rooted in historical events can dilute the authenticity of the narrative. Audiences may question the accuracy of the portrayal and the legitimacy of the story’s claims, especially if the character’s actions significantly impact the course of events. This weakens the audience’s trust in the film’s depiction of history and detracts from the overall impact of the story. While fictional characters can add depth and complexity to a narrative, their presence in a historically based film requires careful consideration to ensure that they complement rather
People who enjoy science fiction would enjoy the movie or the short story the Minority Report. This paper is being written to express the differences between the movie and the story. The paper will be written based on the scenes, characters, and the technologies.
Many times, things are not what they seem. Deception is often used to publicize things in a different light and it distorts actual historical content and facts. One example of this is when Disney inaccurately portrays the actual life of historical characters such as Mulan and Pocahontas.
In the specific case of The Laramie Project, I feel the book provides more freedom for the reader. With a book, there is often just descriptions of characters and then the reader gets to imagine what the characters look like. Having the ability to design the characters makes it easier for the reader to relate to the book. With movies, one only gets the see the directors vision of the performance. For example, in the movie, Doc O’Conner is played by Steve Buscemi, a white male in his middle 50s. When I first read the book, I imagined Doc as a black male in his 70s, like a grandfather figure. I found the casting choice enjoyable, but it was not how I had imagined. This then created a distance between me and the movie. It was not how I imagined it so it seemed incorrect, which made the events seem more
Due to production costs and financial restrictions, the director and screenplay writer can never fully reproduce an entire literary work into a screen version. With the complications of time restriction in major motion pictures, a full-length novel is compacted into a two-hour film. This commonly leads to the interference in the sequence of events, alternation of plots and themes, and the elimination of important characters or events. But the one true adversary of novel-based films is Hollywood fabrication. Producers, directors, and playwrights add or eliminate events and characters that might or might not pertain to the storyline for the sake of visual appeal, therefore defacing the author’s work.
Back in the 1800’s, when calculating the population, African Americans were counted as 3/5 of a person (Antonia, p2). One would think that in the past two hundred years people’s beliefs would have changed a little bit, but the general white public are stuck into believing the common stereotypes commonly portrayed in movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film producers try to incorporate this into their films. Very rarely, if ever, is it possible to see a minority depicted as a hero-type figure. Every once in a while, there will be an independent film from a minority director, but as Schultz states in Lyon’s piece, “We [blacks] are still being ghettoized in Hollywood, a serious black project of any scope is as difficult to get marketed today as it was in the ‘70s.” By making a barrier to entry for minorities in the film industry, it’s almost as if America is trying to keep black films out of the popular media. At first glimpse, it may appear that minorities are very hard to be seen in the filming industry, when in reality, they are becoming more and more apparent in America’s mainstream media culture, particularly in action movies.
Everyone has ambitions, whether they are as small as walking a block each day or as big as becoming president, everyone has them. In the movie Hidden Figures based in 1961, one of the biggest problems is racism, people fighting in the streets or people getting angry at work because of this inequality, for Dorothy, Mary and Katherine, it is at work. Work for Dorothy is having the job of a supervisor and she does not get paid the same as a supervisor. Dorothy’s self interest does not stop her from doing what she wants. Dorothy’s self interest influences her choices by making her take risks for equality and for her survival at NASA like when she steals the book from the library. Or when Dorothy sneaks into the IBM room so she can make it work
Understanding the race and ethnicity issues in a multicultural society is vitally important nowadays as the society is undergoing changes. Some people believe that science fiction has no correlation with modern plights of the society. However, the scholarly research refutes these beliefs. In this essay I will explore the cinematic representation of racial injustice and xenophobia in the modern science fiction film “District 9” to demonstrate that Neil Blomkamf, the film director, investigates racial relations on the example of aliens and humans to reflect such social maladies as racism and apartheid, which until now have not yet been rooted out. I will refer to three scholarly sources on cinematic representation of racial injustice in “District 9” film. These articles assess a depiction of racial relations and racial injustice in science fiction films. The works include Professor Adilufu Nama’s book “Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film," Julian Schurhorz’s article “Mockumenting South Africa? Race and segregation in District 9” and Julia’s Kristeva’ research “Forgiving the Sci-Fi Alien: District 9 as a Postcolonial Apologia”.
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
Hollywood’s diversity problem is well-known; however, the extent might be surprising to most Americans. According to a 2014 report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television, Film & New Media, found that females comprised only 30% of all speaking characters among the top grossing films of 2013. (Lauzen, 2014) However, minority women faired far worse than their Caucasian counterparts. As a matter of fact, if one looks at the numbers even female characters from other world’s were as better represented in film than some minority women; the numbers are as follow for women: Caucasian (73%), African American (14%), Latina (5%), Asian and other world tied (3%). (Lauzen, 2014) If the lack of representation were not enough consider a 2009 study which found that when minority groups are portrayed on television the portrayal tends to be negative. (Alexandrin, 2009) A study by Busselle and Crandall (2009) found that the manner in which African-Americans are portrayed, often as unemployed criminals, tends to have an influence on the way the public perceives African-American’s lack of economic success. Furthermore, the news media does an equally poor job in the ways that African-American’s are presented; according to the same study while 27% of Americans were considered “poor” in 1996 the images of America’s “poor” being presented by news media was heavily Black (63%). (Busselle & Crandall, 2002) Today, this can be seen in the way that African-American victims of police brutality are depicted in the media. Even when African-Americans are murdered at the hands of police for minor and non-violent offenses (e.g. Mike Brown, Eric Gardner, and Tamir Rice) they are often portrayed as thugs, criminals, and vandals. What’s more, seve...
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: The Cultural Impact of Blaxploitation Films Introduction This paper argues that Pam Grier’s outstanding and groundbreaking career in blaxploitation films, which include Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown, and Coffy, played a significant role in not only challenging and reinforcing racial stereotypes in the black community but also contributing to a fine distinction of understanding the cultural impact of blaxploitation films on the portrayal of African Americans. What is a Blaxploitation? First, it is crucial to ask, “What is Blaxploitation, and why did it happen?” In short, blaxploitation, a movement started in 1969 and picked up in the 1970s, amidst civil rights struggles like racial equality in America, was a unique
Two other psychological concepts depicted in the movie are stereotyping and group antagonism. In American History X, one of the first scenes presented are three African American men attemptin...
Many times in Hollywood, a movie that intends to portray a novel can leave out key scenes that alter the novel’s message. Leaving out scenes from the novel is mainly done to time limits, however doing so can distort the author’s true purpose of the story. In history, movies were directed to intentionally leave out scenes that could alter the public’s opinion. This frequently lets the novel’s main points be swept under the rug. There were times of this at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, where white Americans were the only ones making movies.
The article, “White” by Richard Dyer explores both sides of the black and white paradigm in mainstream films –while addressing racial inequalities. Dyer talks about the “…property of whiteness to be everything and nothing [and that this] is the source of its representational power…the way whiteness disappears behind and is subsumed into other identities…”(Dyer 825). Also, according to Dyer “…stereotypes are seldom found in a pure form and this is part of the process by which they are naturalized…”(Dyer 826). Through the application of binarism to the film, The Green Mile, this essay will critically analyze the identities of black and white people. For instance, specific examples of the films mis-en-scene will serve as evidence to show the visible binarism and racial symbolism that exist in this
As stated numerous times throughout this essay, movies must stay true to their book predecessor for full effect. Books are normally beautifully described and written, and help the reader visualize a completely new world. Most movies, not just The Book Thief, normally omit several
Some hobbits lives in or traditionally live in holes in the ground. Bilbo prefers to stay at home and live a quiet life. The wizard Gandalf invites Bilbo to an adventure, but Bilbo declines and wants nothing to do with the wizard because he has a weird feeling about him. Next day a dwarf name Dawalin shows up at his home. Soon other dwarfs arrive and his home becomes crowded. Atlast Gandalf shows up with another dwarf name Thorin. There is thirteen dwarfs and Gandalf and with Bilbo in the house. They all started discussing about business and the wizard takes out a map about a great mountain. The great mountain has a mysterious secret entrance and Thorin happens to have the key for the entrance. Bilbo suspects that the dwarfs want him to play