Analysis Of Blaxploitation Films : A New Step For The Hollywood Film Industry From 1968 Till

During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that,

During the 1950’s, black artists and entertainers chose either to directly or indirectly supported. Everyone in spite of where they came from and regardless of their identity, race, and gender all came together to fight the injustice. Black women entertainers bridged the entertainment world and popular culture to the civil rights politics. They were able to highlight the inequality between black and white people and men and women. Their activism allowed for global perspective on race relations and was continually reinforced through the interactions between entertainers, diplomats and other intellectuals. After World War II, black people in New York were rallying support for the movement by using creative strategies to represent blackness politically.

Many people may not find anything positive about regular African Americans. “According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, in the year 2008 black youths, who make up 16% of the youth population accounted for 52% of juvenile violent crime arrests including 58.5% of youth arrest for homicide and 67% for robbery” (Wikipedia). Spike Lee films such as Malcom X and Get On The Bus depict black people coming together instead of tearing each other down and shed a more positive light on African American culture. There are many stereotypes on every ethnicity and culture, but African Americans in particular may have the worst rap sheet. Spike Less criticized the way African Americans are portrayed in films and television (Yale Bulletin & Calendar). Long before television and film took over as leading forms of entertainment, African Americans have been cast in roles that aided in the perpetuation of racialized stereotypes. During the latter half of the 1800s minstrel shows were a popular form of entertainment among white Americans. These shows portrayed both free and enslaved African Americans (who were mainly played by whites) in an extremely demoralizing fashion. The minstrel show is the birthplace of “Jim Crow”. Jim Crow is most popularly seen in the context of the Jim Crow laws, which enabled white Americans to legally separate themselves from African Americans in nearly every facet of life (Antiracist

The Great Migration and African American battle for civil rights has been a continuing battle that was centered on prejudice, injustice, and lack of support from the government. In the Jim Crow South there was a huge discrepancy between whites and African Americans. They were treated poorly and received harsh treatment everywhere they went. For example, “A negro woman in Georgia resisted the offensive attention of a white ruffian, with the result that her house, with all her possessions, was burned, and notice served on her to leave the community at once or she would pay the penalty at the rope’s end (The Migration of Negros, p.g. 52).” This incident shows how powerful the Jim Crow south was and how racial superiority showed in a malevolent way. The violence and injustice taken towards African Americans were vile and the conditions of their situation. The conditions many African American faced were cruel and the living situations were harsh as most African Americans lived in the Jim Crow South. The conditions and the destruction of African Americans political rights, the curtailment of their civil rights, and the lack of protection in life made it difficult for them to gain equality (The Migration of Negros, p.g. 47). African Americans fought for their rights through media and protests. There were many movies and media displays that created stereotypes and harsh views among the African American culture and the way to fight back would be to counter those stereotypes and negative views. The South made it extremely difficult for African Americans as it created social, political, and economic inequality. The Great Migration and fighting for equal rights pushed African Americans further into equality.

The United States has long been a country that has accepted that change is a necessity for prosperity and growth. However, each change within the nation's history was hard fought against those who resisted such change either through racism, bigotry, and blatant discrimination. African American cinema is enshrouded in history that depicts these themes of racism, struggle, and deprivation. Yet, this same cinema also shows scenes of hope, artistic spirit, intellectual greatness, and joy. Black actresses, actors, directors, producers, and writers have been fighting for recognition and respect since the great Paul Robeson. The civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's was fueled by black cinema through films like A Raisin in the Sun.

As stated above, the Civil Rights Movement was an act directed towards equality. The importance of this involved many prestigious leaders who all contributed to the reform of society, which later led to the integration of all races. Some very well known leaders were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa parks. Each one of them helped achieve civil rights for all African Americans. This was a very momentous time in history being that racial profiling was at an intense level. The intensity led to what we know as extreme violence and the establishment of a hatred group known as the Ku Klux Klan.

During this time, the black community was being severely persecuted, and dominated by oppression, from the white community. The Civil Rights Movement had begun the start of the black community’s fight against racial segregation and discrimination, together with the revolution of the Black Panther Party, who had begun the fight for black rights. “ 4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings … 7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and the murder of black people” (Magoon 76).

Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were

The whole world watched as the heroic (quality adj) Martin Luthor King Jr. gave his speech at the Lincoln Memorial. There was a struggle for the African-Americans in the mid 1950’s (1)to the late 1960’s. Since (cl) segregation was caused by the Jim Crow Laws, they were trying to get rid of them. Voting, moving, and marrying whites were denied (sv) to the African-Americans (3)because (bec cl) of the Jim Crow Laws. During the Civil Rights Movement there were many boycotts which (w-w cl) were done by the African-Americans. Lastly (ly adv), the people I will talk about are Emmett Till, John F. Kennedy, and Ruby Bridges.

Between 1970 and 1980 there was a cultural film explosion, there were over 200 films released by major and independent studios that hyped major black characters and themes. Prior to the Blaxploitation era black actors had been relinquished to playing small parts that usually presented stereotyped images of the black race with roles such as waitresses or shoeshine boys. This however all changed when in 1971 when the first successful black film "Sweetback's Baadasss Song" showed a black man coming out on top over the white establishment. The term blaxploitation both helped and destroyed the genre. While many blaxploitation films were box office successes, they also fueled the public's perception of blacks as cold-hearted heroes, gangsters,

Blaxploitation movies in American society were at an all time high in the 1970’s. They gained popularity during and after the civil rights movement due to the influence African Americans were having on society. The movie Coffy, directed by Jack Hill and release in 1973, is a great example of how Blaxploitation movies reinforced the stereotypes that already exist about black men and women. Young African American filmmakers, made lots of these types of movies in order to appeal to the young African American crowd. In the article “Baadasss Gangstas: The Parallel Influences, Characteristics and Criticisms of the Blaxploitation Cinema and Gangsta Rap”, by Dustin Engels, it says, “African American artists began using their mediums to appeal directly to black audiences in an attempt to spawn cultural movements that would display and bring to the forefront the cultural, social and economic struggles of the African American experience.” The African American that was originally making these films had a positive purpose and wanted to spread social consciousness in the best way they could.

Since the 1940’s, movies have predominately portrayed women as sex symbols. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing though the 1980’s, women did not have major roles in movies. When they did have a leading role the women was either pretreated as unintelligent and beautiful, or as conniving and beautiful: But she was always beautiful. Before the 1990’s, men alone, wrote and directed all the movies, and the movies were written for men. In comparison, movies of the 90’s are not only written and directed by women, but leading roles are also held by older and unattractive women. In this paper I will show the variations and growth of women’s roles in movies from the 1940’s though the 1990’s.

The producers will develop a test and the audience will tell the producers whether it is something they want to see or they are not going to see. This can affect the next text to be produced in an attempt to conform to the audience demands. Looking at the development of different types of genres and the development of films within the same genre, it’s possible to look at similarities and differences and identify changes in society and audience ideologies and tastes.

From the very beginning of the early stages in American cinema, African Americans had a presence on the silver screen. The twentieth century created a new era of cinema that consisted of films produced for and targeted to an all-Black audience. “Race films” which existed in the United States for over thirty years (1913-1948), were films produced by African Americans that focused on Black themes and highlighted the talents of African American directors, producers, scriptwriters, and actors.

Over the past decade, important and relevant movies has been made about the historical and cultural touchstones after world war 2. For instance: Americas history, the Vietnam war, John F. Kennedy, the women’s liberation and fight for equality. But there has been one glaring historical event, both in terms of importance of your culture and society. That is The Civil Rights movement – possibly the most influential social and political event in the 20th century, both in America and in the rest of the world. Until 2013 these paramount events had not been adapted for the screen. The movie “The Butler” - which I will write my essay about – gives an insight of the events that would later on change the world. Not only does the text interpret the events of The Civil Rights Movement, it also shows the labyrinth of getting a