Racism Exposed In The Film 'Mississippi Burning'

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Mississippi Burning

Mississippi is one of the United States of America. Situated in Southern America, across the river from Alabama, this state was the setting for one of the biggest civil rights cases in American history, and hence was also the setting for the 1988 film "Mississippi Burning," based roughly on a true story in 1964, "When America was at war with itself." Alan Parker, the director of this film, uses artistic medium to portray many concerns, including racism, courage, and justice. This essay will discuss racism while looking at the artistic medium used to help emphasize this prominent concern.

"Mississippi Burning," was primarily about racism, and consequently was the greatest concern …show more content…

In this scene a white man drinks from his tap first followed by a young coloured boy drinking from his tap. This scene it very significant because it sets up the film, sending a message the film is about segregation, but also sends the message that all men a created equal with the use of the singular pipe connected to both drinking taps. It also portrayed the message that young coloured children are taught they are inferior from a young age. It then cuts straight into flames of a burning building, which we later find to be a black church, and headed, in bold white writing. Using this scene, Parker was able to set up the film for the viewer and send a strong message of what was going to happen in the film. Playing black gospel music in the background Parker displayed an intense sense of contrast as the camera panned through the intensely burning debris of a black church. This is very symbolic because black churches were the head of many black civil rights movements, …show more content…

The director structured it like a mystery thriller to make it more entertaining for the view, but basing it on a true story gave the film some substance and background which the viewer was able to relate to. Most people who view the film were probably aware of the racist background the Americans had and were able to relate parts of the movie to their own knowledge and experiences. As well as for being for viewer entertainment the mystery thriller format was able to create relationships between the characters, for example F.B.I. agents Ward and Anderson. Many original thrillers established the relationships between the two main characters, including the popular series, "The X Files."

The use of different camera shots emphasized many of the concerns, especially racism. The opening shot of the water fountain and fire gave meaning to the movie as was before mentioned. It set up the plot and gave the viewer time to think about what was going to happen next. The opening with the boys drinking was very short, but still

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