CTCS 192 Race Class and Gender in American Film 1 12 12 Studying film from a cultural perspective Ours is an information based society rather than one based on industry Ways to talk about film Economically Aesthetically Main focus To talk about film from a critical stand point to see a film s significance in society How it might represent aspects of American life What exists outside of the frame of the film itself Film as a representation of a larger idea or image Does not have to account for absolutely everything involved in that thing Example characters represent types of actual people Just because something is not on the screen does not mean it does not exist It just cannot fit in the frame We have to be just as interested in the things outside the frame as the things that are present Interrogate Hollywood s system of representation Hollywood movies Like gambling Invest large amounts of money with no guarantee of making it back The film must be as universal as possible to have the greatest chance of making a profit Products that minimize difference Suggest that the film speaks to everyone Common appeal that many people can identify with Broad representations Stay away from anything specific Some images excluded Things that are planted take root and grow into something more Foundation of America Rich white males at the root The nation founded on their principles Native Americans Seeds planted Enfranchised some and disenfranchised others In Hollywood At the root Birth of a Nation D W Griffith Cornerstone upon which Hollywood was built Endorsed by president Racial propaganda justifies the actions of the KKK Technological achievements Though we have come a long way the roots are still there In both Hollywood and America itself Red Tails George Lucas One of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood Ran into opposition from studios who thought the film would not be successful Even with the power and clout Lucas has in the industry So he funded it himself Racially driven films consistently run into this problem If George Lucas cannot get financed what hope is there for other filmmakers making films of a similar nature Relationship between screen and spectator Movies do not simply wash over us as we watch The images are processed and a meaning is gleaned The meaning that is interpreted is relative to the individual spectator Reflective of our own personal history and identity In relation to what is on the screen The exact same image can have different interpretations according to different people Example Rodney King case A black motorist was pulled over for speeding and beat almost to death by 4 cops The episode was caught on tape broadcasted on the news and later went to court Jurors who acquitted the cops say they saw King as the one in control While it is obvious that King is helpless A certain amount of prejudice had to be present in the juror s mind to make them perceive the images in that way