African American Cinema Essay

The subject of Afri feces-Americans in Motion Pictures provides some of the close to interesting studies along with the human being beingy controversial interpretations of the theatrical roles as actors they played on screen. As far rearward as the silent films era, African-Americans have been featured in motion pictures playing roles depicting some human face of acting and being purveyors of a black image. The messages or themes of these movies have over the years presented a compartmentalisation of images based upon what was thought to please the viewers of each particular film.Unfortunately, many of those films verbalizeed black characters in blackball unimaginative roles, which the average African-Americans would never truly identify as being like themselves. Since many of our American icons and heroes have come from our motion picture stars, we need to understand what this narrow view presented and compare it with what we directly see at our local cinema today.The mov ies Guess Whos Coming To dinner party (1967), Shaft (1971), Do The Right Thing (1989), Boys n the Hood (1991), and Menace to troupe (1993) show a thematic musical mode and stereotypes in the way that black films have progressed over the years. The motion picture industry was never alike quick to change their approach in presenting African-Americans in realistic roles depicting social or obliging conditions in an integrated context. Many of these roles required scenes showing African-Americans in positions of authority or relating to washrag Americans in a positive way.This Integration Period therefore brought together African-American actors with scenes along side white actors in roles showing twain players dealing with racial conflict and resolution. Guess Whos Coming to Dinner was truly a unique film for its measure in that Sidney Poitiers character breaks all the stereotypical views of blacks in American Cinema. In the early 1930s blacks were portrayed as lower class, slow -witted figures of entertainment, a lot showed in menstrual shows. Poitiers character broke all these stereotypes.1971 brought to the big screen a sequent series of superhero black or blaxploitation films. Shaft was released in 1971, and Richard Roundtree was the superman black hero detective. He was compared by many to the white James Bond. Related to Guess Whos Coming to Dinner, Shaft took it up a notch in showing a black man as a hero. Poitiers role was one to equalize whites and blacks in their roles in American cinema, but Shaft showed a black man who was an authoritative figure. Different themes can be mixed in between the two movies.They both show an intelligent black man that has a grip on reality. Both movies showed themes of how integration has struck America. They discord though on a level in that Shaft was a black dominant course and Guess Whos Coming to Dinner was predominantly white. Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood, and Menace to Society were all produced in a more modern era, hence the fact that they all have resembling racial themes. The films all paint a picture of urban Black America in their time period.All three films are thought to be racially reactionary films aimed at the psyche of both black and white viewers. The movies were all a success due to the touched topics of racial situations, ethnic tensions, and human encounters of anger. The superb casts of both black and white actors made the motion picture industry aware of a newer avenue for films and race relations. African-Americans in motion pictures in todays expanding world of visual imaginativeness can be seen on many expanding fronts.We see the making of motion pictures on subjects or themes which can be taken from history, life experiences, music, and unexplored events. Todays markets are open, and African-Americans are taking favour of these open door opportunities. Actors and actresses are expanding their roles from stage acting to movies to TV miniseries to video cas settes or discs, and roles taken from books, cocksure movie soundtracks. In our world today African-American actors and actresses will always have a brand in American Cinema and their future looks bright and promising.