blog 10

Choose and view a 1980s era film that was mentioned in either the Bogle or Guerrero chapters. With use of quotes and references from the chapter readings for context, explain in what ways your selected film reflects what Guerrero critically describes as the ‘cinema of recuperation’ and the dominant cinema’s narrative formulas, images and strategies of containment that devalued the African American image in the 1980s. How does the film reflect the themes of the ‘Tan era’ and ‘Buddy films’ that Bogle discusses?

I watched 48 hrs starring eddie murphy and Stir Crazy starring richard pryor. both were buddy films, one being an unwanted partnership and another being a best friend situation. However in both films, the black star was the sidekick. Just like bogle stated, the movies projected that the only way a interracial friendship could work would be in the white man was in charge. In 48 hrs, eddie murphy goes back to jail after being the central part of catching the bad guys. His buddy, nick nolte, goes off happy. Stir Crazy saw gene wilder get the girl at the end while richard was being embarrassingly pursued by another stereotypical black gay man the whole movie. I find it funny that the blacks in the movie were womenless, used as tools to be laugh at and not with, gay dressing like a woman, and used as rodeo clowns. All the roles of the movie that are embarrassing were given to the black actors. In 48 hrs, the writer does a good job of dialogue because it is very authentic besides nolte not calling murphy a nigger  at any point. The beginning of their unwanted friendship began with insult after insult. The use of the word convict from nolte was a close to nigger as the writers could get. However both films fail to go deeper into the relationship to a reality point. 

Side note, the 80s were about blacks and whites engaging in friendships. I was born in 1993 and my first best friend was white and even though i moved across town when i was 5, and clearly started having different influences than my white best friend, his mother always tried to keep us together and kind of show us off wherever we went. I remember that. 

Blog 8

Read Tosheme Gabriel’s blog Third Cinema Updated. Using specific examples of characters, scenes or plot developments from Sankofa, discuss how Gerima’s film about slavery reflects themes from Gabriel’s discussion of Third Cinema, when compared to Tarantino’s Django. How does Gerima’s perspective (from interview) and presentation of slavery differ from Tarantino’s?

To be completely honest, i thought third cinema was just an alternative form of cinema. The meaning of it is very deep however it was hard for me to follow in the reading. From what i took out of the reading, i will discuss in the blog. In fact, the movie, Sankofa, was hard for me to follow as well. The flashbacks were difficult to follow for me at times but i caught the vision that was being expressed by Gerima. In terms of authenticity of the films slave theme, he directed it on actual slave plantations and castles. His characters were played by actors and actresses from respective regions affect by slavery including west african, caribbean and 'american'. The theme of magic prevails in his film, a theme of third cinema as well, when an african slave seems to have rag doll control over persons by a simple look of her eyes. On top of the description of third cinema, it seems he states that third cinema is everything. As in, third cinema is what you make it, as long as its not default or generic or typical hollywood stuff. SO virtually any decent movie, filmed in a developing country or about a topic that is missing in hollywood, would be considered third cinema. I would like to hear other peoples discussion in class. 

Blog 7

Using specific examples of either plot themes, characters and their arcs, or specific scenes, critically discuss in what ways the films broke away from the typical Hollywood generated stereotypes of the Caribbean and the people mentioned in the readings. (be sure to reference from the reading). What types of images or themes does the film/films project about Caribbean culture and life? Do you think the films capture an authentic view of Caribbean culture? Use examples to explain why or why not.

I watched the movie Rockers from 1978. It was originally supposed to be a documentary showing reggae culture, rastafari at its peak in a very authentic way instead of a staged hollywood interpretation. It turned into a robin hood tale essentially. The main character, horsemouth, is an actual reggae artist and in the movie he is actually living with his real wife and kids in their real home. This is as authentic as you can get concerning the home life in the Caribbean  She works and takes care of the kids while he works and sort of serves as a traditional old school father who lets the woman handle the kids but he comes around and lays a hand down every so often. There are also real scenes involving gatherings in yards of the brethren and such. Instead of showing pothead dreadheads, it was definitely a communal gathering with the showing of ganja just once in the entire movie. The film is about horsemouth buying a motorcycle to sell records, his motorcycle gets stolen by a gang, and then he steals from the gang and gives all the loot to the poor. This message portrays the communal aspect of caribbean, particularly rastafari life. Everyone is happy and wants to be in a positive mood as they battle babylon and stay away from babylon. There were no references to babylon in this movie, no rich white man or anything, because they wanted this movie for themselves and didn't need that presence. I would say this is the most authentic view of caribbean life because as it was shot for a documentary, they made every element in the movie as real as possible by using real people for their roles. (excpet the gangsters obviously).  

blog 5

The first example that stuck out to me in the Half Past Autumn documentary was the story of Parks first trip to washington DC. He thought DC would be the heaven of democracy but he soon found out, on advice from his white supervisor, Striker, that DC was the same as the rest of the south. It sort of unmotivated him for awhile until his supervisor gave him an assignment to capture that feeling, not the white bigot but capture the people it effects and how it effects them in daily life, same way you felt today. His first photograph was leaving the building when he saw a janitor lady cleaning. He asked her to hold a broom and a mop in front of the american flag and bingo, symbolism is blacks in america are janitors yet we are the backbone of america even though they treat us like this.
The next example was parks photographs of red and his gang. He captured, without words because you don't need them at all if you follow the photos, inner city black life at the time. Kill or be killed is the motto. He explains that red would kill over something remedial, such as an accidental bump or even a game of stick ball. This false machoness of black males is still apparent today, that physically disturbing somebody makes you a man and making blood oaths is with your best friend is ok, because death is real and right around the corner.
The last example of my blog will be his trip to paris. even though he had been on staff only a year, he was sent to a choice job in paris and his family relocated as well. I think LIFE magazine did this to keep his troublesome photos away for awhile because they were so good. He felt that in paris, the energy was better because the energy in america had been hampered by racism. his photos reflected happiness and more colors as compared to those he took in america.
Apparently, Parks was the friendliest of fellows because he made friendships with a wide range of people. He was very observant of his surroundings and his photos seemed to capture that perfect moment, everytime, in his real life photographs of blacks. He is probably the only photographer to openly follow around a gang leader and be cool with it, and then report back to work at an all white organization. I think Gordon Parks most meaningful message to me would be to simply follow your dreams, be nice but firm with people trying to get in your way.

Blog 4

Between the three stars, Dandridge, Belafonte and Poitier, two of them displayed negative images while one was the shining light in film. Poitier was the model integrationist hero in america in film. In all his films he was educated and spoke proper english. He also reminded america of the old black star, still a tad bit uncle tommish in approach, resembling the civil rights movement at the time that if the black man is patient, his rights will come to him. But what really made him a star was his talent, the dignity he brought to his roles. In contrast to him, Belafonte played negative roles. He was a man who lost his wife to a mistress in Carmen Jones, had another affair in the film 'Island in the Sun' and then a bank robber with a racist partner in 'Odds against Tomorrow'. It surprised me that Poitier and Belafonte had the roles they did because usually light skin is associated with good roles that Sidney had while Belafonte was in roles that were usually picked for more darker toned blacks. Harry eventually stopped making films because of the roles offered to him. He was a civil rights activist so he turned to his music in the 60s and popularized caribbean music. Dandridge played the same type of roles as Harry. She was constantly a negative image of black women, sexy yet sneaky. In Carmen Jones she basically destroyed a mans life by taking him away from his lovely fiance and then playing him in Chicago. It was a precursor for what happens to successful black men today, they get caught up with the beauty and get taken for a joy ride into bad times. Her tragic mulatto roles played over into her real life as well, something one can not help to wonder why most black stars fall off in the pressure of white hollywood.

Blog 3

The entertainers of the 1940s offered something relatively hard to forget, entertainment, to the screen compared to the new negroes and problem people. They still upheld a certain dignity and class that black audiences could respect and they managed to put on a great show. The film Stormy Weather was an all black cast, entertaining, sexy and it didn't portray blacks as coons. Lena Horne was the starlet of the film and she sort of became the first african american (she was mixed) hollywood star. She was definitely Redd Foxx's favorite gal. The New Negroes were a product of the white mans repeated cycle of feed the negro the crumb every now and then. More black characters were casts in films however the leads were sympathetic ones often aiding the white man. Then the problem people were the next product. They were in more serious films that really delved into the race issue and mostly had a happy ending. However, even those these blacks were dignified, they still weren't entertaining or provoke emotion into the character other than sympathy.
The problem people did not deal with the race problem adequately as blacks would have it. It was told from the white mans perspective. How if the negro remains patient, his pie in the sky will come. The most surprising thing of history is the fact that blacks did not rise up, fight and become violent with whites after so many years of hatred. These films were fairy tale peaceful dreams that would never come true because even though the whites in the audiences wanted to believe in it, it was the whites outside the theatre laughing and knowing it would never happen but let these fools be fooled into thinking it.

Blog #2

Bogle discusses many servant types in his book and two actors humanized these roles. Clarence Muse brought dignity and self pride to his demeaning roles in feature films. He was a companion to whites in his popular films and even though his role called for a lot of tommery he still managed to reach out to the hearts of the audience. He walked upright with his head lifted and eyes forward indicating a self respect that he had as a black man. He went on to expand his accomplishments and star i many more roles and even write a script.
Louis Beavers also humanized her role as servant to the white household by being a woman of god. She was your typical civil rights activist as in wait for your pie in the sky, show nothing but love and god will lead the way. She was loyal to her white "friends" or employers or masters and in one film, her character stated that she wished the civil war would have never happened and that she were still a slave. However, her portrayal of her characters helped people sympathize with something that is very demeaning.
Due to Robesons political affiliation and comments on life in america, he was silenced. People began to look at blacks as communist and that obviously led to in increase in hardships for blacks so they shunned Robeson as well. Along with the great depression, there was a lot of tension towards blacks.