Spike Lee Jungle Fever Analysis

Through the production of various films, an audience is given a glimpse or a rendition of what the world might be like during a specific time and place in history. It is through this we are able to gain insight and form opinions about the past and then make the corrective action about the future. Throughout this entirety of this class, we are shown that throughout different time periods there were ways in which gender, race, and class shaped and molded the foundations of our society. Ultimately these films helped us conclude that gender, race, and class are the foundations in which social interactions are built on and provide people with parameters on how to live and interact with one another. Embedded in different parts of society in the past

Spike Lee’s ‘School Daze’ has certainly done good for introducing historically black colleges and black modern culture to Central America than I have seen any other movie about colleges especially black colleges at that it is through this film that I have realize that the media plays a big part in educating us but also can be the cause of not only bitterness that will be built up but also enlightening us black people of our history and also our actions against each other. In the movie ‘School daze’ the themes of life versus dark skin the refusal of one to recognize his own race Are two themes that stood out throughout the film. And it’s only school these confront a lot of issues that aren’t

Remaining on the topic of controversial films, another director comes to mind. This director had an ultimate goal that he desired to “…make films that will capture the Black experience by any means necessary” (Smith 437). He stirred up much controversy with the content of his films within the film world, and because of this had to create his films with little outside help. This auteur is, of course, Spike Lee.

Spike Lee and John Singleton write their films about inner-city violence and black youth. Although they grew up in different parts of the United States (John Singleton in Los Angeles and Spike Lee in New York) they have something to say to society. They both strive to expose the realities faced by African-Americans, especially those in inner-city ghettos. With Spike Lee starring as Mookie and John Singleton embodying Tre, both directors showcase their perspective on American society via their characters.

There are many different movie genres that I enjoy watching such as action, drama, horror, and comedy are some to name a few. Recently however, I have been more entertained watching a certain type of movie, biopics, because they encompass from a variety of my favorite movie genres. The biopic Malcolm x, directed by Spike Lee, stands out to me the most. It is one of my favorite films because it features my favorite actor and director, it is based upon someone (Malcolm X) whom I admire, and the purpose of the film.

This movie continues to show all different types of racism. In one scene, two black men were walking down the street complaining of how everyone is so racist. The district attorney, Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser), and his wife, Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock), were walking down the street. She was holding his arm and started to hold him closer because she was cold. The two black men saw her and assumed that she was scared as they walked by them. Later on, the two black men steel a SUV at gun point. The passengers of the SUV just happen to

After bidding farewell to her boyfriend, she immediately seeks to have sex with an African American drug dealer, and later on that night, she is raped and beaten

Redefining Black Film by Mark A. Reid is the book I’ve selected for the mid-term reading report. This book is an eye opener learning experience as well as a beginning guide to understanding African American film, filmmaking, actor/actress and directors. Mark A. Reid discussed the challenges and obstacles African Americans faced during the turn of the century up and through the civil rights movement of the Sixties including the focus on feminism in black cultural production . Redefining Black Film fits in the history of filmmaking as it relates to the ground breaking movements of African Americans in film as well as production process. The acceptance by white society of African Americans in film was a major part of this book as African American

“They never seen black people kissing or making love on screen” (Lee ,1987).After decades of black love not being portrayed in the film industry, one young black director, by the name of Shelton Lee, also known as Spike Lee, brought this new visual aspect of African American love. Lee was the first to display black love, both figuratively and physically, on the big screen. It is not only the intimacy of black people that attract larger audiences but it is the inclusion of black female sexuality. The look of a woman through a male gaze quenches the subconscious thirst of a male’s fantasy. In Lee’s films, males portrayed on screen as multidimensional, and are defined by their unusual characteristics and attributes. The women, on the other

Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever is a narrative about racism and romance in the 90s. The film focuses on interracial relationships which were, at the time, considered taboo. Before 1968, however, the guidelines of the Hays Code would have made this film almost impossible to produce. While Jungle Fever doesn’t defy the previously dissolved Hays Code outright, there are several points that still do and do not follow the guidelines once used in cinema production.

The most common, if not one of the most common methods the morals and perceptions of American society are shaped is through our own storytellers in Hollywood. Filmmakers, writers, and producers for both cinema and television make it their career to create works that tell a compelling story. On occasion, American Society will be reflected in these works, which raises the question: do the works influence society, or vice-versa? This can be problematic when the focus of these works solely to “sell” them. As history reveals, certain groups of people, especially African Americans, have been portrayed with certain biases and stereotypes, which has been seen by the masses, and has shaped not only our society, but have caused us to develop our own racist perceptions. Racist portrayals have changed from the time of the Civil Rights movement, but they have not disappeared, having taken on new forms and effects.

Through the “mythification, marking, and omission (Sned, 143)” of the black identity and history, white cinematic institutions have shaped and shifted notions of societal race relations in order to restrain blacks to a position of persistent inferiority both on and off screen. Within Birth of a Nation and Song of the South, images serve both as aesthetic objects as well as social codes of racism, segregation, and subordination through which whites and blacks are simultaneously elevated and degraded. Stuart Hall proposes that groups that have been structurally oppressed, both economically and politically, will also be oppressed culturally.

Movies are more than a form of entrainment. They are pieces of art that express social and political problems within the culture. The Black male character and culture has not always been a predominant figure in films like they are today. The display of the African American culture in film has progressed through the years. It has progressed by the change of racism displayed on screen, the character roles, and the emergence black figures and society in motion pictures. (How racism is depicted in the films- Black face-we would see it again) With movies such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Shaft, Do The Right Thing, and Madea’s Family Reunion. People see the transformation of black cinema throughout the years. Films of the 60s, 70s, and 80s have significant differences from contemporary productions as the standards of culture shift in the decades. Before the audience can note the rise of black figures and standards in film. They must have recognition of the history of black cinema before its transition into the mainstream.

The film that I chose for my AFI Top 100 Film Paper is the movie King Kong (1933 film). The film first released in New York City on March 7, 1933. Universal Studios holds the 1933 copyright to this film. The film is completely unrated. King Kong was the 3rd highest grossing movie in 1933. The film was directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. Merian was an American aviator, United States Air Force officer, Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, film director, and producer. He fought in multiple wars including the polish-soviet war, World War I, and World War II. Merian also won several awards for his service such as the World War I and World War II victory medals, the Cross of Valor, and the Order of Virtuti Militari.

Modern Family is about a non-traditional family that prides itself on family ethics. In season seven, episode one, called “Summer Lovin,” which picks up from the previous season. Claire and Haley attempt to stop Andy from proposing to Beth. Haley falls into deep depression. Claire and Phil try to end Haley’s sadness by taking her to the movies and getting her out of the house. Right before walking into the movies, the family runs into Dylan, an ex-boyfriend who she decides to get back together with. Mitchell begins a mid-life crisis after losing his job. He picks up painting, which becomes a hobby he is obsessed with. This starts to concern his partner Cameron. Cameron is determined to persuade Mitchell’s old boss to rehire him. While the two other families are dealing with their day to day problems, Jay and Gloria are looking for a pre-school for their toddler Joe. Jay decides to pick a high-class preschool for Joe. But becomes frustrated when the principal makes jokes about how celebrity children are accepted in the school by giving favors to the school, but Jay has to put his child on a waiting list. Gloria and Jay look at a different preschool, but Jay is not pleased with the low quality of the school. After letting Jay see that Joe likes the school, she convinces Jay to let Joe attend. The second episode called “The day Alex left for College” is leaving Phil and Claire snubbed to Alex, who intentionally gives the wrong date to her parents to avoid making a big family