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.