"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Paper Summary:

In 1967, the film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was released, telling the story of a high class white girl who brings her African American fiance home to meet her parents. Telling her parents that she needs their approval by the end of the night, a dinner with both sets of parents follows, where all the parents try to come to terms with the interracial marriage. To consider the issues the film raises, the paper considers how this film would have been received at the time, how it would be received now, why the characters act as they do and what changes might be necessary for a modern version of the film.

From the Paper:

"The film probably gets away with causing only mild controversy for several reasons. Firstly, the subject is presented as a comedy, reducing the seriousness. This means that conservative viewers can laugh about it while telling themselves that these events would never really happen. The second reason is that John Prentice is a doctor, which gives his character a certain amount of social status. Finally, the story is somewhat universal, as the racial issues in the film can be seen as just a barrier to a happy ending for two people in love. The film also very cleverly brings up some important issues. The white parents in the film have raised their daughter not to be prejudiced. They have done this successfully, with her lack of prejudice extending to her being able to fall in love with an African American. The parents are then left to consider whether they really believe in not being prejudiced, or whether they only raised their daughter because it seemed to be what society was demanding."

More papers on "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?:

• Comparison Essay # 111457 : "Racial Conflict in Film"
• Creative Essay # 66417 : "Coming to America"
• Essay # 24646 : "Treatment Of African American Men In Hollywood Films"

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