Role of African Americans in Film - Essay Example

EN 101 Essay #3 Assignment J. Colosi 11/14 Essay # 3 Role of African Americans in Film The purpose of this essay is to provide an outline for an essay on the role that African Americans portray in cinema. The format that this paper will utilize is to first identify major points of interest and then provide some insight into these issues based on relevant research. As a concluding point this paper will postulate a solution to potentially improve the racial sensitivity of films produced in the future.

Without question, Hollywood films have portrayed a number of stereotypes of minorities since the dawn of the motion picture. According to arguments presented by Turner (2011) it is even the case that modern films that focus on addressing racism in America are often are by their nature inherently racist. Turner cited the example of the 2011 film 'The Help' which is based on a novel which was written by a white woman who many commentators believe is incapable of telling such a sensitive story. The very idea of a white person telling the story of black oppression in the American south wherein the stories protagonist is also white could be considered insensitive.

In regards to what some of the most common assumptions that Hollywood makes as well as what part minorities play in films, one could argue that there are a wide spectrum of different stereotypes that have been portrayed over a long period of time. A) Firstly one could make the argument that in some of the earliest motion pictures such as D.W. Griffith 1915 film Birth of a Nation the blacks in the film were portrayed as being incompetent, drunkards who were obsessed with white women. Moreover all of the African Americans were portrayed by white men in 'blackface' which played on a number of physically unrealistic stereotypes. B) During the Blaxploitation film craze, one could make the argument that African-Americans were typically portrayed as being criminally inclined, sexually obsessed and revenge driven.

Moreover the characters were often portrayed as the 'Anti-hero' insofar as they may be idealistically a good person but accomplish their goals through questionable means. C) As a final example, in modern cinema one could make the argument that in Tyler Perry's film franchises, African-American actors are often cross dressing, moreover many characters are simple minded. Having taken all of this into consideration, one could make the argument that the main role of movies as a form of entertainment is to fulfil a number of different needs.

On one end of the spectrum, cinema can be dedicated to providing an education to the viewer. It was argued by Vincent (2011) that one of the best takeaways from Spike Lee movies is that is through constantly making films that focus on race relations, political issues, as well as crime and poverty Lee has encourages dialogue and discussion through controversy. On the other end of the spectrum, Hollywood has been producing movies for the purpose of generating money by producing films that they perceive are entertaining.

In some respects this mentality generates a number of films that utilize easy story lines. The role of African Americans in film is incredibly diverse. If one looks at the (1971) Blaxploitation film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, one could make the argument that the protagonist falls into the category of portraying negative black stereotypes. However it is also the case that in this film the protagonist also portrays a strong, powerful black man that is fed up with being pushed around by the white police.

Even if examples seem clear, the roles that African Americans can be viewed from many different perspectives. There are a whole host of actors that have played enriching roles that speak to positive perceptions of African-Americans but also a whole host of actors that have done exactly the opposite. In regards to whether or not Hollywood is racist is a complex issue. Mendoza-Denton (2011) had made the argument that it is not so much the fact that Hollywood is racist insofar as it may not be a concieous decision to make a racist film, rather there simply is a lack of diversity at all stages of the movie making process.

However there have been several examples of hollywood films incorporating very racist themes.. As a concluding point, one recognizes that clearly there have been a number of racist films produced throught hollywoods history. In terms of how to remedy this issue one of the most effective yet most complex solutions would be to better educate young people with films to ensure that young learners become interested in the filmmaking process and hopefully play a larger role in Hollywood in the Future.

References Allende, I. (1992) “Toads Mouth”. A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie.New York. Plume Publishing. Pp 83-88. Cressy, D. (1997) Birth, Marriage, and Death: Ritual, Religion, and the Life Cycle in Tudor and Stuart England. New York. Oxford UP. Newsweek (March 7th 1994) The Decade of the Spy. pp. 26-27. Rosenberg, J. (March 31st 1997) Electronic Discovery Proves an Effective Legal Weapon. New York Times. pp. D5 Willett, P. (1997) Victorian Women Writers Project.

Indiana University. [online] Date of Creation April 26th 1997 Yeh, M (1996) The 'Cult of Poetry' in Contemporary China. The Journal of Asian Studies. V55. pp.51-80 Mendoza-Denton, R. (February 16th, 2011) Whitewash: Is Hollywood Racist? Psychology Today. [online] Available at http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/are-we-born-racist/201102/whitewash-is-hollywood-really-racist Accessed on November 14th 2011. Turner, P. (August 28th 2011) Dangerous White Stereotypes. New York Times [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/opinion/dangerous-white-stereotypes.

html Accessed on November 14th 2011. Vincent, M. (September 13th 2011) Spike Lee to NSU Students “Education is What Counts.' The Virginian Plot. [online] Available at http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/spike-lee-nsu-students-%E2%80%98education-what-counts%E2%80%99 Accessed on November 14th 2011.