Blacks In Film Essay -- essays research papers

Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a sizeable mass medium ofpropaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black mental pictureactor, since the major studios continue to reflect and reward the stereotyps of our times.The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies reinforce legion(predicate) of the misconceptions ofthe white majority rather than objective touchableity, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles.The movie "Soul Food" proved to be the inspiration for African-Americans peckish forbalanced, vivid depictions of blacks in America The film is about a Chicago family whoairs out its tribulations over Sunday dinner. It depicts well educated African Americans in plenteous suburban homes and high ranking job titles. Yet, comedic films, much(prenominal) as "BootyCall," or violent dramas, much(prenominal) as "Dead Presidents" or " following(a) Friday," restrained seem to be thenorms for blac k films in Hollywood. There are no gun-toting ruffians in "Soul Food," noover-the-top streetwise caricatures. Instead, the film serves up real-life characters contend with real-life familial problems. Thats why it seems to resonate with blackaudiences -- and why it was considered risky to make. "Soul Food" resonates with blacksbecause, as with whites, the most evocative films present idealized visions of their reallives. Unfortunately, films such as Soul Food, Love Jones, and The Best Man,rarely receive the credit in which they deserve due to the lack of promotions andviewership by mainstream society. In witness of this truth, the American public is facedwith the guilt of perpetuating the historical images of Sambo and Mammy with the newdepictions of aggressive, streetwise, and comedic caricatures.     In recent years, much of the debate around racial inconsistency in the United Stateshas focused on Representation. That is how peopleare imagined, portrayed, and often separated by the mass media. Integrally linked is the question of how these depictions inthe world of media turn over to genial discrimination and personal self-esteem in the realworld. No medium is a more powerful disseminator of images and stereotypes thantelevision, and no citizens have suffered more from magic in this country thanminorities. However, too often the debate about race and represen... ...he 80s. It seemed TV and film pioneer Bill Cosby hadfinally broken by means of the stereotype ceiling, depicting the life a strong black middle classfamily and projecting it into the living rooms of blacks and whites throughout the UnitedStates and the world. But undecomposed a few short years after Cosby, televisions way of dealingwith portraying black life was simply not to. For years none of the major networks werecreating computer programing for black audiences. UPN, Warner Brothers Network and FoxNetwork shrewdly tried to fill that void. However t he succession of black shows createdby these networks seemed not to be a impart of a sincere social consciousness, but ratheran attempt to appeal to an untapped revenue market.     And so blacks have come full rotary as it is this market and its hopes for somethingbetter than images of domestics and mammies that first spawned the blaxploitation craze.There is no argument that blacks in film have made significant advancements since thedays of popular blaxploitation film such as Shaft. However there is also no argument thatblacks have far to go in receiving a fair and honest act in movies and television. Blacks In Film Essay -- essays research papers Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium ofpropaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black filmactor, since the major studios continue to reflect and reinforce the stereotyps of our times.The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies rein force many of the misconceptions ofthe white majority rather than objective reality, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles.The movie "Soul Food" proved to be the inspiration for African-Americans hungry forbalanced, realistic depictions of blacks in America The film is about a Chicago family whoairs out its tribulations over Sunday dinner. It depicts well educated African Americans inlavish suburban homes and high ranking job titles. Yet, comedic films, such as "BootyCall," or violent dramas, such as "Dead Presidents" or "Next Friday," still seem to be thenorms for black films in Hollywood. There are no gun-toting ruffians in "Soul Food," noover-the-top streetwise caricatures. Instead, the film serves up real-life charactersgrappling with real-life familial problems. Thats why it seems to resonate with blackaudiences -- and why it was considered risky to make. "Soul Food" resonates with blacksbecause, as with whites, the most ev ocative films present idealized visions of their reallives. Unfortunately, films such as Soul Food, Love Jones, and The Best Man,rarely receive the credit in which they deserve due to the lack of promotions andviewership by mainstream society. In witness of this truth, the American public is facedwith the guilt of perpetuating the historical images of Sambo and Mammy with the newdepictions of aggressive, streetwise, and comedic caricatures.     In recent years, much of the debate around racial inequality in the United Stateshas focused on Representation. That is how peopleare imagined, portrayed, and often stereotyped by the mass media. Integrally linked is the question of how these depictions inthe world of media contribute to social discrimination and personal self-esteem in the realworld. No medium is a more powerful disseminator of images and stereotypes thantelevision, and no citizens have suffered more from misrepresentation in this country thanminorities. However, too often the debate about race and represen... ...he 80s. It seemed TV and film pioneer Bill Cosby hadfinally broken through the stereotype ceiling, depicting the life a strong black middle classfamily and projecting it into the living rooms of blacks and whites throughout the UnitedStates and the world. But just a few short years after Cosby, televisions way of dealingwith portraying black life was simply not to. For years none of the major networks werecreating programming for black audiences. UPN, Warner Brothers Network and FoxNetwork shrewdly tried to fill that void. However the succession of black shows createdby these networks seemed not to be a result of a sincere social consciousness, but ratheran attempt to appeal to an untapped revenue market.     And so blacks have come full circle as it is this market and its hopes for somethingbetter than images of domestics and mammies that first spawned the blaxploitation craze.There is no argument that blacks in film have made significant advancements since thedays of popular blaxploitation film such as Shaft. However there is also no argument thatblacks have far to go in receiving a fair and honest portrayal in movies and television.