The Tuskegee Airmen Movie Analysis

The Southern portion of the United States ranging from the East Coast to Texas is commonly referred to as the South. Two different versions of this area exist. One is the true South that anyone who drives through states like Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi will see. The other South is a popularized depiction of this region. Hollywood has played a part in constructing this version of the South by creating countless movies that have depicted a stereotyped South fixated on the Antebellum Era. The 2002 movie “Sweet Home Alabama” poetries Southerners that are trying to preserve the way of life that existed before the Civil War.

Disney has faced a large amount of criticism from critics over the tropes and stereotypes that it portrays in its animated films. This is not a recent event however. One of Disney’s most notorious and controversial films, Song of The South, was released in 1946. Song of the South, set during the Reconstruction Era, focuses on a young boy named Johnny who learns that his parents will being living apart for an unknown amount of time, moves to a plantation in Georgia, while his father continues to live in Atlanta. Depressed and confused over the recent events Johnny decides to run away to Atlanta, but is drawn to the voices of Uncle Remus, an ex-slave living on the plantation, telling stories of Br’er Rabbit. Although it is implied that the African American workers are no longer Johnny’s family property, the black characters are still wholly subservient and are happy to be so. James Baskett plays Uncle Remus as a blissfully, happy companion ready to please. Due to this “magical negro” trope, the characters’ ridiculously stereotypical voices, and the unrealistic happy and joyful relationship between the white landowners and their black help, Song of The South, is one of Disney’s most offensive, racist, and fictitious film. Disney’s portrayal of Uncle Remus is his veiled justification of the mistreatment that minorities received before and after the Reconstruction Era.

The film Malcolm X was released in 1992. In the movie, Malcolm X is portrayed by Denzel Washington. It is a biographical drama that depicts the life and legacy of African American civil rights leader, Malcolm X. One theme that I found to be very evident throughout this film is evolution. To evolve means to gradually go through a major change. This film effectively captures Malcolm X evolving from a troubled teen with a rough childhood into one of the most influential and powerful leaders of all time.

Imagine the world is invaded by aliens. Some of them eat humans, some live among humans, and others live outside of our world. You don’t know it, but many of the people who have shaped our lives and our culture aren’t even human themselves. This is the world of the 1997 film Men in Black, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Men in Black is a sci-fi comedy about a group of enforcement agents defending and regulating aliens from invading Earth. But if you take their costume off, Men In Black can be seen as far more than a comedy about space aliens. Under the lens of postcolonial criticism, the film reveals itself to be a veiled, political commentary on immigration. A lens is a way for us to look at a piece of literature in a whole new depiction that we may not have thought of the first time we had read or watched a piece of literature. Through the postcolonial lens, I can see the movie as a biased contrast between the immigrants and the immigration police. Interpreting the movie through this lens allows me to see that the Men in Black are the immigration police, and are considered to be the protagonists of the film. On the other hand, the aliens, or immigrants when looking through the lens, are the antagonists of the movie; The Men in Black protect the US from bad aliens, giving immigration police the positive reinforcement of the brutal evictions immigrants received in the 90s.

According the to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was conducted in 1932 by the Public Health, which included 600 black men as their test subjects. Of the 600 men, 399 had syphilis and 201 didn’t (CDC). The men were told that they were being treated for “Bad Blood” and didn’t have any knowledge of being included in a study (CDC). In exchange for their services, researchers offered the men free medical exams, burial insurance, and free meals (CDC). The study was called “ The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” (CDC).

"Red Tails" describes the tremendous amount of plights that many African-American pilots had to go through during World War II. It demonstrates the extreme amounts of segregation between those involved in the American Airforce and those involved in the Tuskegee Airmen. "Red Tails" demonstrates how only the African-Americans were segregated, they were forced to train differently, learn differently, and be on separate bases. As the movie clearly showed the Tuskegee Airmen were given many hand-me-downs and very little respect for protecting their country. One example of this behavior in the movie was when one African-American pilot went to a saloon that was filled with white pilots. When he walked in the room went quiet for a second, but was then filled with hateful words and phrases being thrown at him.

Before World War II, African Americans were banned from joining the United States Air Force. An initiative known as the “Tuskegee Experiment” trained the first ever African-American Air Force pilots. The elite and selected few to complete the program became known as the Tuskegee Airmen (“Tuskegee”). These Airmen fought battles on both fronts: Europe and back home, facing adversity in the form of racial discrimination in a divided United States. In the 1940s, white Americans continued to ridicule and undermine their African American counterparts, especially in the military. The Tuskegee Airmen served as an inspiration for civil rights because they proved the intelligence of African Americans, received little recognition during their time, and

In the short film, “The Negro Soldier,” the whole focus was to get African Americans to join the military. With the use of propaganda, the U.S. government hoped to promote getting African Americans to want to fight for their country. It hoped to instill patriotism in them. It showed that Germany and the Nazis had no respect for them and considered them the scum of the earth. It also portrayed them being accepted as equals into the American society. It was used to make them think they were wanted and play a major role in the success of the war against germany. And to ultimately make Germany and the Nazis look like the bad guys (destroying their monuments) instead of the racist America they lived in. It also portrayed African American soldiers prior contributions in previously fought wars as pivotal moments in American history. It made it seem like they were the reason for those victories. It also explained how the African American soldiers were honored with tributes, memorials, medals and parades for their service in the military. In the ongoing WWII, it was said that there were three times the number of African Americans soldiers in WWII than in WWI. Also, many more were getting commissioned and attending West Point and OCS (Officer Candidate School). African American men that were once printers, tailors, entertainers are now soldiers in the Army as gunners, tankers, radio operators, mechanics, quartermasters, and infantrymen. They were now the backbone of

The first lady Eleanor Roosevelt takes flight with Chief instructor Anderson to prove that there wasn't anything wrong with an African American pilot. The flight program at Tuskegee received public boost because of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt's inspection on it in March 1941 and flew with African American Chief instructor C. Alfred “ Chief” Anderson (Redtail Squadron, n.d.). Chief pilot Anderson took his passenger on half-hour flight in a Piper J-3 Cub. With the cheer and talk over the first lady's flight had such an impact that it was mistaken as the start of the CPTP though it was 5 months old (Redtail Squadron, n.d.). With the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt's flight with Anderson the CPTP at Tuskegee became more and more popular.

The film grants audiences to gestate their understanding of the movie and the manner experiences antiquated regarding racial violence and prejudice. The ineptitude of history implies to the intellectual chattels that chronicles and culture can have on all progeny. Malcolm Little would ultimately revolutionize into his worst adversary, that entangled with the decisions he would subsequently make. Malcolm's philosophic mentality and provocation with death was indicative to his life. The remarkable depiction in the film pronounced the indubitable fortitude and essence of the audience.

“The Mission” is a film that gives a historically accurate depiction of the events that took place in South America around 1750, displaying the jesuit missions and their attempt at expanding missionary ventures in the area. These missions foresaw the Jesuits going to uncharted areas of the jungle inhabited by the Guarani people, demonstrating the significance assimilating the Guarani people meant to the Jesuits. Additionally, the Guarani people were accurately displayed as a self-sustained society where basic components such as: productivity, protection, justice regulations and a form of a leader was evident in the form of their King. Nonetheless, the Guarani were an isolated group of individuals who were secluded to the outside world; their only contact with outside personnelles were slave traders who would put them into forced slavery for personal benefits. Not to mention the “Treaty of Madrid”, which resulted in the social and political disputes between the, Portuguese, Spanish and Catholic community; manifesting in the form of territorial conflicts and misunderstandings amongst the three vigorous societies, where each have a different purpose for the Guarani people.

In many ways, ideas were seen in the reasoning behind the movement. Many businesses’ in the shopping district were reliant on the African American population. This is an idea which Thoreau's explains through the idea that “if I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not to pursue them sitting upon another mans' shoulders.” This can be seen in the boycott. White owned business was benefiting from African Americans, however, African Americans were still being discriminated against. Another principle that can be seen in the movement is the idea that “ let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.” The civil rights movements ideology was based on this. Every action the movement took was with the goal of obtaining the respect from the government and to be treated equally.

The untouchables is a movie based on the true events that occurred when the eighteenth amendment was passed. The eighteenth amendment established the prohibition of production, transport, and sale of alcohol. The Federal Agent Eliot Ness wants to stop Al Capone, who is the top of organized crime. It was a hard job for Eliot Ness because Al Capone with his money bought many policemen, politicians, and other important people, therefore Eliot Ness could trust anyone. Eliot Ness had to choose no more than twelve men to form his squad. The Untouchables were formed by Eliot Ness, and another nine men he picked, they were called the Untouchables because they never accepted any bribes. Al Capone One of Al Capone’s men offered Eliot Ness $2,000 to stop interfering with the organization and an additional $2,000 if he continued to cooperate. Eliot Ness’s plan was to make an impact in the income of the gangsters, so they couldn’t pay for protection. (Biography.com)

Selma is based on a true story that happened in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. Selma was the city that ended suffrage for African Americans because of Rev Martin Luther king and the help from his Christian family. The movie has some intense violence and a lot of foul language, but overall is mainly about Christian and moral content. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 desegregated in certain areas. It made it more difficult for black to register to vote. In 1964 Rev Martin Luther king receives a Noble Pace Prize. The Civil Rights Act was outlaw segregation in all 50 states, but African Americans where still having trouble at that time. Martin decides voting should be there next fight. So, they march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

"Lincoln" (2012) is a historical film directed by Steven Spielberg, about the final months of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Abraham Lincoln is the vital force that motivated the people during the American Civil War. In this film, we got to see the 1860's through Lincoln's views and perspective. In a nation torn apart by civil war, Lincoln pursues an action that will bring peace to the nation and forever abolish slavey. We also got to visually experience his struggle trying to pass the 13th amendment. "Lincoln" is film that is beautifully made, stay true to the actual history, and left behind historical significance.