Lecture 4 History of African Americans in Film Thurs Feb 14st AMH2097 Exam 2 Notes Key Terms History Before Film Minstrel Shows o Jim Crow animal like man people make fun of He s a character whites go see o Blackface most minstrel shows are whites dressed up in a stereotypical way acting like a fool Whites would cover themselves in paint tar act like monkeys o Hearts Flags 1911 First time you see African American in film o Birth of a Nation 1915 3 hour silent movie about what should have happened in Civil War World fell apart about rise of the KKK o Lost Cause films the idea that the Old South was a wonderful beautiful place where everyone was happy About how perfect plantations were and white life was Idea that every slave was a happy slave Only benefits whites who think that back in the day their grandparents owned thousands of slaves Always about slaves being happy slaves Afr American Stereotypes in Film 5 Main Stereotypes of African Americans seen in film 1910 1 Uncle Tom older man he loves being a slave loves his white family o Harriet Beecher Stowe s Uncle Tom s Cabin 1852 her book is the first time slaves are given a voice slavery seems bad However Uncle Tom is a stereotypical character really does love family seen as a grandfather figure b c he s seen as not sexual 2 Mammy older women seen as non sexual Uncle Tom s counterpart o Very happy slave house slave that takes care of children seen as overweight and not attractive Aunt Jemima the help etc o Gone with the Wind 1939 most famous Mammy o Aunt Jemima now her character changed is skinny lighter skin o The Help celebrates the idea of mammy dark skinned works for rich white overweight o Always seen eating fried chicken watermelon with a banjo Now replaced character of 3 Sambo Coon Jim Crow o Dark skinned big lips crazy fro hair o The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman o Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars resembles him 4 Black Brut or Buck or Mandingo Negro o Sexual nymphomaniac that needs to have sex with white women o Link to which stereotypes Sexuality Savagery Animality o Portrayed with a huge junk White guy w black paint tries to catch white virgin women 5 Jezebel Female version of black brut Uses her sexuality to her benefit better wages better position o Uses sexuality towards white men Reinforcing sexuality stereotype shows that that s how black women get ahead no brains Another View Race Films 1910 1930s African Americans who produce direct and act in the films Use it to their advantage Films show Afri Am s as people Come out at the same time as blackface films The Lincoln Motion Picture Company Oscar Micheaux 1960 s Link to Civil Rights becoming very successful in 60 s Laws started passing for them to vote be citizens again Gordon Parks one of the best directors in 1960s doing any type of films Different from race films b c they are doing mainstream films being produced by white film companies Afr Am s are starting to be in regular roles Sidney Poiter is in several most important roles that show change in Afr Am status 1st time there s a miscegenation on screen he marries a white girl Film came out in 1968 In 1968 we ended the law that outlawed miscegenation o In Heat of the Night film he tells people what to do Wins award for Lilies of the Field best actor 1st one to win in this category Next person that wins is Denzel Washington 2005ish 1970s Blaxploitation Afr Am s take the stereotypes they play on them and make them into a joke satire Shaft the Black Godfather Foxy Brown o Use stereotypes to prove how stupid they are funny Not too popular w whites Afr Am s produced them o Black Power being proud to be an Afr Am not just accepting it Back to Africa movement learning where your roots comes from Dressing celebrating that they are Afr Am o It s a militant movement Malcolm X is opposite of Martin Luther King Jr Black power is about being militant o Black panther party Afr Am s w machine guns Scared white people o Roots Alex Haley wrote the book he was involved in black power movement New Stereotypes 1 Deviant Radical Righteous Malcolm X They tend to celebrate violent side We see the black power that scares whites 2 Drug Lords Crack Victims Evil Afr Am s being involved w the drug culture Person who sells drugs to nice white children Evil idea of evil They are always doing something wrong Evil is associated with blackness 3 Welfare Queen and or Gold Digger Fat black woman living off of the government white man Gold digger what Jezebel is She goes after someone for their money 4 Sapphire Angry Independent Black Woman B c she has no man she s angry Women showing power must be miserable and angry Links to idea of women in African having power Needs to get laid by nice white man Lecture 5 Immigration from Ireland Thurs Feb 14 They are seen as black on the inside absolutely hated by WASPs Quick History of Irish English Relations Push Factor Problems with England 1169 Norman Invasion of Ireland militarily occupy Ireland Rape and burn down villages Once England militarily left Ireland went back and did what they wanted Henry VIII Re conquest of Ireland 1536 first successful reconquer Leaves military there so that Irish lose culture religion Henry VIII outlaws Catholicism makes all Irish culture illegal Forced assimilation with guns o They still practice everything in secret Things start to fall apart James I and the Plantation System feels like the best way is to take their money to break their will o He starts to little by little militarily take their land o Plantation of Ulster a series of plantations Starts in Ulster Northern Ireland Scottish are Protestant Take land put sheep on it to produce wool o UlsterScots paid mercenaries that are people from Scotland James I pays them to take over promises to turn over land to them Eventually take it over form plantations o Need more land less workers because only need like 2 workers for all the sheep Now Irish need somewhere to live Tenant Farmers Irish Slavery Basically sharecropping o Renting land that may have been owned by you Irish can t leave because of cycle of poverty Just like African Americans in that they can t leave o 1600 Irish own 80 of land o 1778 English own 95 1607 Penal Laws Similar to black codes o James I passes it to tell Irish what to do cannot carry rock have to be inside by certain time can t leave plantation o No Catholicism illegal punished in some cases by death no education Irish cannot be educated Population Economics o Overpopulation when a
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