Hollywood Racism
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Like many successful industries in the U.S., the motion picture industry is one that is primarily owned and controlled by white males. As such, there is often criticism that the people these men empower and represent in their films are largely those like themselves, white men and white women. This is not to say that minorities like African Americans are not represented in Hollywood films, but until recently minorities and women had little power or control in Hollywood and when presented on screen it was generally in stereotypical roles. African Americans historically are the victims of extremely stereotypical portrayals in Hollywood films, with few gaining lead roles that portray them in a positive or role model light. Further, few African American have been able to win Hollywood’s highest accolade, the Oscar, particularly in lead roles or positions of power such as director and/or producer. Despite this historical imbalance, over the past two decades African Americans have been able to break through the “color barrier” traditionally witnessed in the motion picture industry. From the Best Actress and Best Actor Oscar being awarded in 2002 respectively to Halle Barry and Denzel Washington to the success of Black film producers like Spike Lee, John Singleton and Tim Reid, African Americans are moving beyond the color line in the motion picture industry.In an overwhelming majority of cases the historical portray
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the film because of working for an education and having a stable father figure to help guide them. What is ironic about the film is that “hoop dreams” does not work in the film. Most Blacks can not escape the ghetto merely by speed and the ability to jump. An education, even where successful athletes are concerned, can not be underestimated as a means of achievement in America.
While such African American filmmakers might be guilty of reinforcing stereotypes about Blacks, the majority of such negative images in films stem from the hands of white executives and filmmakers. Both in front of and behind the camera, African Americans have struggled to gain a presence in the motion picture industry. This is particularly true in positive, leading roles in front of the camera and positions of power like producer and/or director behind the camera. Hattie McDaniel was one of the most popular African American actresses in Hollywood history. McDaniel endeared film audiences with her portrayal of “Mammy” in Gone With The Wind. For that portrayal, McDaniel was the first African American to be nominated for and the first to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1939. Since that time only 26 African Americans has been nom
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Some common words found in the essay are:
African Americans, Instead Blacks, African American, Program African-American, Hollywood Blacks, Imagination Assorted, Alexander Black, Americans Hollywood, Rollins Jr, african americans, Barrier Introduction, color line, african american, black actors, motion pictures, front camera, major motion, motion picture, black filmmakers, major motion pictures, black film, motion picture industry, roles major motion, color line hollywood, lee john singleton,
Approximate Word count = 3114
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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