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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page research paper that examines the significance of two 1940s films by Director Vincente Minnelli, "Cabin in the Sky" (1942) and "Stormy Weather" (1943) and their significance for Black cinema. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khblfilm.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
films presented was "necessary for racist Americas fight" against Black advancement (Diawara 3). Griffith included in that first film the template for what would become the standard representation of Black
experience, i.e., an obsession with miscegenation, and a "fixing" of Blacks within certain prescribed spaces, such as kitchens, and supporting roles, such as criminals (Diawara 3). The "radical
conflict" that was depicted in "The Birth of a Nation" became the only way that Hollywood had for talking about Black people (Diawara 3). In the decades that followed
Griffiths film, there were Whites who protested against the use of stereotypes. One such person was the Italian film director, Vincente Minnelli, who produced two films in the early 1940s
that, presumably, broke out of the standard mold and presented African Americans in realistic terms. These films were "Cabin in the Sky" (1942) and "Stormy Weather" (1943). There has
been considerable controversy as to whether or not these films achieved their goal. White critics have tended toward seeing the films as presenting Blacks in a more favorable light
then the typical Hollywood fare, Black media has agreed that these movies were better than the usual film-fare, but felt that these movies still fell considerably short of avoiding stereotypes.
For example, one review, that is typical of those produced by white critics, described the typical Hollywood musical of the 1930s and 1940s as depicting Blacks in ways that
were stereotypic, condescending, and ridiculous (Anonymous PG). However, this reviewer thought that M-G-Ms "Cabin in the Sky" was an exception to this rule, stating that the roles in this film
were "indeed roles, not stereotypic walk-ons often given black actors in other Hollywood films" (Anonymous PG). In the standard Hollywood film, black characters were liable to burst into song
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