From the Paper "Black films from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s were produced by black filmmakers for a black circuit and were rarely seen by white audiences. So-called blaxploitation films from the late 1960s and early 1970s were produced by white filmmakers for a largely urban audience, and these films were shaped for white audiences as well as black. The black films from an earlier era showed a wide range of subject matter, with the mass of films emulating white genres such as detective stories, westerns, comedies, domestic dramas, crime dramas, and so on. The blaxploitation films of the 1970s were much more limited, being primarily crime and action films featuring drug use, violence, sexual situations, and so on, creating an image of blacks that was limited and, in the eyes of many critics, degrading."
Examines and compares 1930s-1940s and 1960s-1970s films. Discusses the portrayal of black characters and culture, themes, accuracy, audiences, biases and blaxploitation.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 5 sources, 1997, $ 79.95
From the Paper "INTRODUCTION
Black films from the 1930s and 1940s were produced by black filmmakers for a black circuit and were rarely seen by white audiences. So-called blaxploitation films from the late 1960s and early 1970s were produced by white filmmakers for a largely urban audience, and these films were shaped for white audiences as well as black. The black films from an earlier era showed a wide range of subject matter, with the mass of films emulating white genres such as detective stories, westerns, comedies, domestic dramas, crime dramas, and so on. The blaxploitation films of the 1970s were much more limited, being primarily crime and action films featuring drug use, violence, sexual situations, and so on, creating an image of blacks that was limited and, in the eyes of many critics, degrading. It would be wrong to argue ..."
Abstract Discusses stereotyped portrayals of black males in various films. Cites examples from THE BIRTH OF A NATION, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, the blaxploitation genre, MANDINGO, 1930s films of the old South, THEY WON'T FORGET, 1940S STEREOTYPES AND THE "New Negro," TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Realistic treatment of black males in several independent later films.
From the Paper "D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Stanley Kramer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1967) represent opposing poles in the treatment of the African-American male in Hollywood films. The portrayal of black men in both films is absurd, but their intentions were quite different. Griffith, the Southern-born director whose great career was a milestone in the development of the medium, claimed until his death that his film was not racist despite the thousands of African Americans and white Americans who explained why it was, indeed, a landmark in screen racism. His conception of the old stereotype of the sexually predatory black male, intent on despoiling white females, gave cinematic form to one of the most prevalent myths involved in white fear of black people. Kramer, on the other hand, was a devout liberal interested in furthering the cause of ..."
Abstract This paper discusses how Melvin Van Peebles' landmark film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadassssss Song" deviates from traditional Hollywood cinematic techniques. his he does in order to directly comment on early 70s race relations and usher in the 'Blaxploitation' film genre.
From the Paper "In the movie, Hollywood's traditional three-act structure is also discarded. The climax of the movie comes when Sweetback kills the policemen, as there are no further conflicts. His goal is escape, and the rest of the movie is spent following him as he runs to Mexico. Additionally, the resolution of the movie is decidedly unclear. Sweetback has escaped, but will return. We do not know when or how, or what he will do when he does. The racial issues presented in the movie are also left wide open. The end is not an end at all, but rather a means to continued action off-screen in the real world. Because the movie so reflected society at the time, to neatly resolve the issues it puts up with consign it to mere fantasy. Thus the three-act structure is insufficient in accurately portraying the world of the movie because the movie so reflects society, and society cannot be summed up in three acts."
Abstract This paper explains that, if people do not have exposure to a variety of individuals from different races and cultures on a daily or frequent basis, the media then becomes their primary source of stereotypes from which to form judgments of various ethnic groups. It points out that unfortunately, culture and class stereotypes are still prevalent in the media today, especially with regard to African-Americans. The author points out many specific examples in film, television shows and crime-related television news stories where Black Americans are being portrayed as violent, ignorant and racist more often than White Americans. The paper stresses that Americans will never learn to respect each other as long as one race is glorified at the expense of another race; therefore, all consumers, minority and "majority", should make an economic statement about better quality programming by applying pressure on sponsors.
From the Paper "The issue of the black coach goes far deeper than wins and losses on the football field. Owners have demonstrated all too often that the bottom line is not the number in the win column. Reasons provided for not hiring more black coaches range from not knowing the person, to not wanting a person of color in charge. Owners and general managers know who is in charge, and they demonstrate a belief that they can achieve their objectives with those who share a common ground. The bottom line is that it's inexcusable for a disproportionate representation of black coaches in both collegiate and professional sports, where there is such a high representation of participants."
