Black Hollywood : from butlers to superheroes, the changing role of African American men in the movies / Kimberly Fain.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fain, Kimberly, 1974- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American men in motion pictures.

Masculinity in motion pictures.

Physical Description:

xxi, 251 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Santa Barbara, California : Praeger, [2015]

Summary:

Moving through cinematic history decade by decade since 1910, this important volume explores the appropriation, exploitation, and agency of black performers in Hollywood by looking at the black actors, directors, and producers who have shaped the image of African American males in film. To determine how these archetypes differentiate African American males in the public's subconscious, the book asks probing questions--for example, whether these images are a reflection of society's fears or realistic depictions of a pluralistic America. Even as the work acknowledges the controversial history of black representation in film, it also celebrates the success stories of blacks in the industry. It shows how blacks in Hollywood manipulate degrading stereotypes, gain control, advance their careers, and earn money while making social statements or bringing about changes in culture. It discusses how social activist performers--such as Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Spike Lee--reflect political and social movements in their movies, and it reviews the interactions between black actors and their white counterparts to analyze how black males express their heritage, individual identity, and social issues through film.

Contents:

Introduction: appropriation, exploitation, and agency of black performers in Hollywood

Black images from Jim Crow to the McCarthy era of blacklisting. 1910s: whites in blackface and the sexually depraved black Mandingo-The birth of a nation

1920s: Oscar Micheaux's response to blackface and D.W. Griffith

1930s: the Hays Moral Code and Jim Crow-The emperor Jones and Gone with the wind

1940s: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Lincoln "Stepin Fetchit" Perry: black servants in musicals and comedies

1950s: McCarthyism and blacklisting: Canada Lee and Paul Robeson

Black images from the apex of the civil rights era peak into the age of Barack Obama

1960s: token black actors in the civil rights age: Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte

1970s: blaxploitation: preachers, pimps, pushers, and players

1980s: black comedians rule: in the age of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor

1990s: gangsta rappers transcend music: Ice Cube, Ice-T, DMX, Nas, and 2pac

2000s: black icons: control, agency, and self-appropriation: Spike Lee, Tyler Perry and Will Smith

2010s: black power Hollywood: In the age of Obama's hope and change

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781440831904

1440831904

OCLC:

881400784