Soundtrack '63 is a live, multimedia musical performance and retrospective of the African-American experience in America. It is an artistic survey of the past that gives context to the present day condition and asks important questions about our future. The performance was very powerful and the way it took the audience on a journey from Slavery to the current times kept the audience engaged. The performance was empowering to see because we often forget the history of our nation and think everything is very jolly. The performance was a reminder of where we have come as a nation. From slavery to the civil rights and black panther movement. The journey guides the audience from the slave ships to the first black president of the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement. I think the most impressive thing was the fact that the performance had an orchestra of several types of musical instruments and singers. I enjoyed the musical acts and poetry that was on the show as well. The images were very impactful because the lead performer, Chen Lo would rap about black power while the images were being projected right behind. The poetry verses were so …show more content…
It was very awakening to see what had happened to a kid whose only crime was whistling at a white woman. It was very upsetting to see the pictures of the hangings as well. I had previously seen some of these pictures but there were brought into a new light in the performance and it was overwhelming. One story that stuck with me was the story of Ruth Shilsky who was a Polish immigrant who moved to the Suffolk as a child and encountered racism and prejudices all thought her life. The fact that she was able to have forgiveness in her heart even after all the suffering she has been through makes her really inspiring. I think her experience as a minority in this country shows how it can be for people who are
For centuries, music has been defined by history, time, and place. To address this statement, Tom Zè, an influential songwriter during the Tropicália Movement, produced the revolutionary “Fabrication Defect” to challenge oppression as a result from the poor political and social conditions. On the other hand, David Ramsey discusses, in mixtape vignettes, the role of music to survive in New Orleans’ violent setting. Furthermore, “The Land where the Blues Began”, by Alan Lomax, is a film and perfect example to understand under what musical conditions profound ways of communication are made to stand the hard work of cotton plantations. As a result, music plays a crucial role in the sources’ cultures and its creation relies on particular conditions such as the social
It shows that there is no difference between white and colored people, but it’s so hard for people to get past the physical features to realize that we are all equal. Ethel was right when she said two colored men would help two white women, and those white men knew she was right. Those men knew Ethel had a point and now they had no choice but to help her and her friend. When Ethel was in the hospital, she had two doctors who mistreated her leg injury. Her wound was severely infected because the two doctors never helped her, and her leg could have been amputated.
In the book Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago, LeAlan Johns and Lloyd Newman, as two kids grow up in ghetto, document their life from 1993 to 1996 to show the rest of the America the reality of living in a poor black neighborhood. Through vast interviews, diaries and monologues, Johns and Newman provide a new perspective on the ongoing issues in the ignorant black community; they encourage the black residents to express their point of views on gang, drug, crime, and they also address their hope. Since this book is story with long time span and fragmental writing styles, it is impossible to finish the soundtrack for chapters in detail within eight songs. Therefore, if I am going to be the music composer of the movie based on this book, I would choose eight songs for the following eight themes.
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
This shows us how white people thought of African Americans as inferior, and they just wanted to dominate the society making no place for other races to express themselves. Even though African Americans were citizens of the state of Mississippi they were still discriminated against. This documentary does a great job of showing us the suffering of these people in hopes to remind everyone, especially the government, to not make the same mistakes and discriminate against citizens no matter what their race is because this will only cause a division to our nation when everyone should be
Before beginning to analyze both Motown and Stax Record’s influence on black consciousness it must first be understood why black consciousness itself can be seen as a step in the right direction in the fight against black struggle. Brian Ward does a great job of capturing the true success of soul music’s influence on black consciousness. Ward says, “[Black radio’s] real strength… was its ability to dramatize and celebrate shared aspects of the black experience… to promote a revived sense of black identity, pride, solidarity and common consciousness” (Ward 449). In his book, Ward also points out that despite this successful development of black consciousness, there was limited success both economically and structurally on behalf of the black music industry. This shows that even though ther...
I have always believed that all races have their good and bad. Their is never going to be the perfect race. This movie definitely set a powerful message that life is not perfect for any race and that even though people are from different cultures, they are all interconnected somehow. The filmmakers did a great job at showing us that individuals should not be based on first impressions such as skin color or the social status.
This movie is a wonderful production starting from 1960 and ending in 1969 covering all the different things that occurred during this unbelievable decade. The movie takes place in many different areas starring two main families; a very suburban, white family who were excepting of blacks, and a very positive black family trying to push black rights in Mississippi. The movie portrayed many historical events while also including the families and how the two were intertwined. These families were very different, yet so much alike, they both portrayed what to me the whole ‘message’ of the movie was. Although everyone was so different they all faced such drastic decisions and issues that affected everyone in so many different ways. It wasn’t like one person’s pain was easier to handle than another is that’s like saying Vietnam was harder on those men than on the men that stood for black rights or vice versa, everyone faced these equally hard issues. So it seemed everyone was very emotionally involved. In fact our whole country was very involved in president elections and campaigns against the war, it seemed everyone really cared.
Out of Nowhere shows us the taints religion and race can put on society, the importance of sports, friendship, and acceptance in a multicultural community, the power and actions it takes to stand up for what you believe in and most importantly the cultural consequences our seemingly selfless actions can lead
Although Jackie Brown has been widely acknowledged not to be a blaxploitation film but rather a critique or homage to blaxploitation, the soundtrack boasts of authentic 70s funk and soul-- most, if not all, of the songs taken directly from other movies in the subgenre. As Tarantino is infamous for constructing his films in tribute to the myriad of his artistic influences, it comes as no surprise that Jackie Brown is as propelled by its striking cinematography as its meticulously selected music-- further evoking the simultaneous dismal yet optimistic tone characterized by Jackie’s journey to liberation. Thus, in analyzing the music of the film, one can gain insight on just how politically aware and individually authentic Jackie Brown is beyond the plot itself.
I couldn’t understand its purpose, and thought it was unnecessary in progressing the plot of the show. The projections were another thing I did not understand. I particularly did not even enjoy them in the first place, also seeing no purpose for them. The content of the projections did not make much sense, the actors in their regular clothes and without the accents they put on during the show. They played at random times during the show, confusing me and not helping the story progress. I did not understand the director’s purpose of these projections, and wished there was more to know about them. Despite the things I hated about the show, they all involved design and not the actual telling of the story. I was very grateful to be able to see this show. It taught me a lot about the struggles that some black women face to accept who they really are. In a world where black female empowerment is on the rise, seeing the difficulty some women have is understandable. However, I think the story does a really good job of joining this family of strong women together in order to help them love themselves and each
In the final chapter of Global Soundtracks, Mark Slobin writes about his two means of analyzing film music one of which is called a “narrative knot”. When breaking down a film, the music that is chosen can enhance the scene to which it was placed. The way composers and directors work together in producing scenes of a film can make an impact on future films. This is where Mark Slobin’s term “narrative knot” comes in. A “narrative knot” is used to describe when the visual and audio or audio and plot are brought together nicely and are used in many types of media. Looking back at past films and at films more recently released similar connections can be found. One of Slobin’s examples of a “narrative knot” is the use of a gramophone. When watching
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf
At first glance it did seem to not be worth it, a silent protest and then booed away from something they enjoyed so much, but it did spark a hope in their fellow African Americans. Millions around the globe were more than thrilled at the amazing sight of two men standing wholeheartedly before the world, not afraid, voicing their disappointment with the nation they called their home that often fell short of its
After the performance, I related most with Tim Miller’s acceptance and embrace of his identity. Even though I personally haven’t experienced racism in my life, that I’m aware of, I did still feel like I could also empathize with his struggle for basic human rights not only for himself but for other LGBTQ+ individuals.