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. …show more content…
In the first collective reference to Grier’s 1970s blaxploitation reign, the credits flash on the screen in the same typeface as Foxy Brown-- one of her most notable roles. It becomes immediately apparent that Tarantino will draw from Grier’s prior work, setting the stage for the ever-present references to blaxploitation and the hardships Jackie will endure throughout the film. As the entire three-minute song plays out, Tarantino blatantly demands the viewer’s attention to Womack’s sentimental
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
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.
In his documentary Classified X, Martin Van Peebles describes three areas where African-Americans could be receive some sanctuary from the racism that pervaded almost all Hollywood films. These three places were: the Hollywood version of an all-Black film, the church, and entertainment. Black culture and music is prominent in mainstream society, but the people behind this culture don’t always receive recognition and respect for their creations. Mainstream White pop culture excitedly consumes and appropriates Black culture, but disrespects the source.
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). For his final film project, Lee wrote, produced, and directed Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads. The film won him the 1983 Student Academy Award for Best Director and the Lincoln Center chose the film as its first student production. The film was lo...
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...
Do the Right Thing is a dramatic comedic film that was directed by Spike Lee. The movie was released in 1989. Lee served in three capacities for the film: writer, director and producer of the movie, Ernest Dickenson was the cinematographer and Barry Alexander Brown was the film’s editor. For this film, Lee garnered together some notable actors and actresses, including Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Rosie Perez, Samuel L. Jackson, John Tuturro and Martin Lawrence. The setting of the movie is in Bedford-Stuyvesant; which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. This particular neighborhood is made up of several ethnic groups that include African Americas, Italians, Koreans, and Puerto Ricans. The movie takes place on a particularly hot day during the summer time. The extreme heat causes tensions between the different races in the neighborhood. In this paper, I will attempt to show how mise-en-scène, camera work, editing, and sound are used to convey “explicit” and “implicit” meaning in one scene in Do the Right Thing.
At its release, D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation was regarded as a revolutionary and masterful piece of cinema. It was heralded as one of the greatest films ever made for the next fifty years, and is still revered by some for its amazing visuals and ground-breaking cinematic techniques. But these praises, some of which may be well deserved, obscure the film’s blatantly racist and offensive content in the minds of many viewers. Some of the most egregious aspects of The Birth of a Nation’s deeply rooted racism are expressed through the contrasting characters of Silas Lynch and Ben Cameron.
Tarantino tends to slide in a little racism in his flicks. It's pretty obvious it's not the main topic, but it is apparent. Hopper was unique when he told the Sicilian guy his great, great, great, great grandmother had slept with a nigger and that's why he had dark skin and brown eyes.
Some people consider jazz to be a “black music”, so white musicians should not be included in the history of it. Others think it’s unfair to call jazz a “black music” or that white musicians need to be given more credit in jazz history. DeVeaux argues that jazz music has origins in traditional African musical culture and is based on the experience of African Americans, so it should be considered black music. But at the same time, he also argues that white musicians did play an important role in jazz, both from a consumption and production standpoint. This fact should not be ignored because to do so would be to rewrite history. This should never be done even if doing so might be considered good for social movements. DeVeaux sensitively found a middle ground, so his argument could mean unity for critics who before could only see jazz as either black or white. This article also encourages unity within music and could increase equality in jazz for musicians. Through this groundbreaking article that destroys racial barriers, DeVeaux has successfully answered the question he posed for himself at the beginning of his
Our main character is Mooky, a black teenager, who works in Sal’s famous pizzeria. Mooky is the pizza parlor delivery boy and he is the only one of his friends to have a job. Sal and his two sons run the pizzeria. Sal is one of the very few white Italian business owners remaining in this predominately black neighborhood. Despite obvious tensions, Sal holds his ground in the neighborhood and remains proud of the fact that these people, meaning the kids of Bed-Stuy, have grown up on his pizza. Along the way we meet other characters such as Radio Raheem who is a neighborhood kid who walks the street with an oversize radio and decorates his fingers with the symbolic ‘love’ and ‘hate’ rings. Smile, a mentally disabled individual who runs around the streets selling the one existing photograph of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Then there is Mooky’s Puerto Rican girlfriend, who is raising their son and constantly nagging Mooky for being a deadbeat father. We also meet The Mayor, an alcoholic, elderly man who wanders the street looking for any type of chores to do in exchange for a small about of money. Lee’s choice of characters and actors seems noticeably ideal. Each character is full of life and more importantly each is an individual. Each character is created to retell a part of our society that we sometimes over look. This obviously makes Spike Lee a...
This essay will look at how Pink Floyd The Wall can be perceived as a postmodern film and will attempt to further analyze certain characteristics and influences of a postmodern culture through illustrated examples within the film. By considering the significance of postmodernism within the television industry, music and arts, Pink Floyd The Wall will be effectively deconstructed to exemplify what a postmodern film consists of. Furthermore, the theory of celebrity culture and its noticeable elements in Pink Floyd The Wall, will be knowingly applied an briefly discussed to reveal an intriguing yet indispensable relationship between Pink, the main character, and its faithful audience.
Music often carries information about community knowledge, aesthetics, or perspectives. Toni Morrison discusses the power of music and the way it functions in culture in discussions of her craft. Symbolic and structural elements of music appear throughout all of Toni Morrison’s fiction in one way or another. (Obadike) As mentioned above, the title itself, draws attention to the world-renowned music created by African Americans in the 1920s’ as well as to the book’s jazz-like narrative structure and themes.
In the Following essay I will explore and develop an analysis of how the movie Twelve Years A Slave produces knowledge about the racial discourse. To support my points, I will use “The Poetics and the Politics of Exhibiting Other Cultures” written by Henrietta Lidchi, a Princeton University text “Introduction: Development and the Anthropology of Modernity” and “Can the Subaltern Speak?” by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
Video productions produce, or at least make a tremendous effort in delivering a story as if reading a novel. The 2002 release of Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” comes about as close to reading a story. “Even at two hours and 45 minutes, “Gangs of New York” never feels overlong, but occasionally it is overstuffed. Influenced by Dante Ferretti’s marvelous production design, which brings entire neighborhoods of old New York to life in a studio outside Rome, Scorsese occasionally pauses to make sure we are appreciating the history. Marveling as an Irish jig absorbs African rhythms, the otherwise racist Bill proclaims, “This is a new form of music!” (Westhoff, 1).
Hooks, B. (2009). Reel to Real: Race, Class and Sex at the Movies. New York: Routledge.