Mel Brooks, a well known and respected contentious writer with a void for filter, acts in his personal film productions. His script in “Blazing Saddles” intrigues the viewer capturing their attention while sending a message that might trigger the viewer into presumably pondering whether his work is considered displeasing to the audience. The film which aired in the 1970’s in a time period in which public society was discontent and uncomfortable with the ideology of a man of color partaking in a film production and hearing humorous antics that had been predominantly placed in the film. Brooks film was no ordinary film as it was targeted towards the male audience with a dash of comedic influence that sparked an upheaval within the community making
This group of soldiers, led by Theodore Roosevelt, was one of the most memorable army units in United States history. Consisting of sheriffs, outlaws, students, and Native Americans this unit was definitely a miss-match of people, yet what they had accomplished brought them fame in America. Fighting in battles like that of Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill had been key points throughout the campaign in Cuba against Spain, and grew the notoriety of the Rough Riders. This reputation would eventually lead the Rough Riders into the history books and Theodore Roosevelt into the White House.
Being one of the few black students to attend Tisch School of the Arts, the aspiring filmmaker’s first year at New York University was a particularly difficult one. Lee’s experiences, race, and upbringing have all led him to create controversial films to provide audiences with an insight into racial issues. Spike Lee’s first student production, The Answer, was a short ten minute film which told of a young black screenwriter who rewrote D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. The film was not well accepted among the faculty at New York University, stating Lee had not yet mastered “film grammar.” Lee went on to believe the faculty took offense to his criticisms towards the respected director’s stereotypical portrayals of black characters (1).
Grapes of Wrath and It's a Wonderful Life Following the relatively prosperous era nicknamed the "Roaring Twenties" came the Great Depression. Unemployment skyrocketed and good times were hard to find. In the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" we see the transformation from stability to utter chaos. With World War I freshly over, there was joy and celebration to welcome American 'boys' back home.
The film observes and analyzes the origins and consequences of more than one-hundred years of bigotry upon the ex-slaved society in the U.S. Even though so many years have passed since the end of slavery, emancipation, reconstruction and the civil rights movement, some of the choice terms prejudiced still engraved in the U.S society. When I see such images on the movie screen, it is still hard, even f...
Bessie Coleman, the child of a southern, African American family, had become one of the most widely know women and African Americans in history. "Brave Bessie", as she had become known for, encountered the double hardship of racial and gender prejudice in early 20th-century but, she conquered many challenges and became the first African American woman to acquire a pilot's license. She not only enthused crowds with her talents as a barnstormer, but she has become a great inspiration for the women and African Americans. Her being in the air threatened contemporary stereotypes. She also disputed segregation when she could by taking advantage her impact as a celebrity to make a change, no matter how little.
The Birth of a Nation (1915) is one of the most controversial movies ever made in Hollywood, some people even consider it the most controversial movie in the long history of Hollywood. Birth of a Nation focuses on the Stoneman family and their friendship with the Cameron’s, which is put into question due to the Civil War, and both families being on different sides. The whole dysfunction between the families is carried out through important political events such as: Lincoln’s assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Kan. D.W. Griffith is the director of the movie, and him being born into a confederate family in the South, the movie portrays the South as noble and righteous men, who are fighting against the evil Yankees from the North, who have black union soldiers among them, whom overtake the town of Piedmont, which leads the KKK to take action and according to the movie become the savior of white During this essay, I will focus on the themes of racial inequality, racism, and the archetypical portrayal of black people in the movie, which are significant, especially during the era when the film was released. Black face in Hollywood was very common, especially during the time the film Birth of a Nation was released.
Woll, Allen L and Randall M Miller. Ethnic and Racial Images in American Film and Television: Historical Essays and Bibliography. n.d. Print.
... middle of paper ... ... Despite the progress that blacks have worked toward since the days of slavery, society continues to give in to the monetary benefits of producing self-disparaging entertainment and media. It is not only up to the directors, editors, producers and writers to establish this change, but it should also be the demand of the people, or the consumer.
Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were the only way for African-Americans to express the deep pain that the white population placed in front of them. Singing, dancing and acting took many African-Americans to a place that no oppressor could reach; considering the exploitation of their character during the 1930's-1960's acting' was an essential technique to African American survival.
English classes in today's society have started to get away from its roots. Great American Authors are being overlooked for mediocre foreign authors more and more each day. This is a huge problem in classes today, and is truly a major reason for lack-luster efforts in reading and the decline in interest in today's students. One of these said overlooked authors is Thornton Niven Wilder. Wilder is an amazing author who should be taught in schools because of his wonderful teaching skills, his award-winning works, and his thoughtful insights in which he presents throughout all his works.
Schrock, Douglas, and Michael Schwalbe. “Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts.” Multicultural Film: An Anthology. Eds. Kathryn Karrh Cashin and Lauren C. Martilli. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014. 35. Print.
Some Hollywood cowboy movies draw symbolism from Christian themes. For example, The Magnificent Seven is related to the Seven Virtues. 3:10 to Yuma and High Noon also have Christian symbolism in them. A piece of artwork called Four Horsemen, much like a cowboy movie, has Christian roots, specifically in the New Testament. The artwork and the other pieces in the series depicted an apocalypse in the 16th century. After the world did not end in 1511, the artworks were republished.
The movie Forest Gump was a historical fictional story narrated by the main character, Forest Gump. Forest Gump was born in 1944 in Alabama .He was raised by his mother ,and his father left when he was little .Forest Gump wasn’t your average white boy ,Forest was different psychically and mentally .Forest Gump had to wear leg braces as a little boy because of his back. His mother would always encourage him .even though forest was deemed as an idiot, she was still supportive. Forest Gump was teased in school because of his mental capacity .He befriend a girl in school name jenny ,and she would hold a special place in his heart besides his mother .Forest Gump talks about his life and the historic events that the nation endured. Forest Gump’s mother would always say life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what gonna get.”Throughout forest Gump’s life, he meets new people and he also began to have an impact on peoples lives. Forest Gump goes through life becomes successful in everything he does. Even though many might say forest was slow or stupid, he still managed to finish college become an all-star football player for college. He then goes to the army to fight in Vietnam and becomes a war hero .He always managed to keep Jenny in his life even though they were not together. Forest became successful by starting a shrimp business. Forest recruits lieutenant Dan from the army to be his business partner .Forest becomes a millionaire; however he was still humble and living with his mother. Forest was never involved with women socially nor sexually is .The reason for this because Forest never developed a scene of maturity to enter an adult relationship, and besides being a mother’s boy.
“The Great Dictator”, an elegant speech composed by the magnificent Charlie Chaplin, was a particularly moving one that has gained widespread recognition and praise since it was given back in the 1940s. On the surface, it appears as if Chaplin is directing soldiers to think for themselves and to break away from dictators’ indoctrination, as “dictators free themselves but they enslave the people!” is a line that is reprehended throughout the speech. Further analysis of Chaplin’s speech seems to reveal, however, that he rather wants the soldiers to break away from the deeper aspect of tyranny that has been embedded within them, essentially controlling them. Chaplin wants the audience to take action and think for themselves; to help one another and to save humanity from war using three key rhetorical tools: ethos, organization and pathos.
James Agee once wrote in Life Magazine of Charlie Chaplin’s career as, “The finest pantomime, the deepest emotion, and the richest and most poignant poetry was in his work”. One thing that personally inspires me about Charlie Chaplin was his charisma. In every film he has been apart of, he always manages to make everyone in the room laugh whether using slapstick comedy or the use of simple gags. In this project, I will explore Chaplin’s upbringing, his great movie career, and why Chaplin was unwelcome in the United States during the Red Scare of the 1950’s.