The Evolution of Minorities in Film Essay - 1778 Words

The Evolution of Minorities in Film Back in the 1800’s, when calculating the population, African Americans were counted as 3/5 of a person (Antonia, p2). One would think that in the past two hundred years people’s beliefs would have changed a little bit, but the general white public are stuck into believing the common stereotypes commonly portrayed in movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film†¦show more content†¦White people might not take it very well and possibly get the impression that minorities will never amount to anything, nor be a large portion of the population. In the late 1970’s, the hit-movie Roots took the country by storm serving as a n icebreaker for minorities getting into the movie industry. It showed the world that a movie consisting of all black actors could still be a very popular movie. Even though it revolved around the concept of slavery, once Roots came out, minorities started to show up more and more in films. In the years to come, this trend would become more and more of a standard in America’s mainstream culture. In the late 1980’s a film entitled Lethal Weapon came out. In this movie, a black man is shown having the family and being the successful one, while Mel Gibson, the white man, plays the role of the suicidal lunatic after the death of his new wife. This movie was one of the first few movies where this kind of thing was going on. Just for laughs, the two would make fun of each other and make somewhat racist assumptions about each other. But in the end of the movie they end up becoming best friends. Lethal Weapon served as a good movie to unlock the door to the minority/w hite costar door with due to the way in which it does it in a fun way where the viewer doesn’t even realize that the two were of a different race. In Die Hard, Bruce Willis is forced to wear a signShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Black Men And American History X And Television Shows Blacks1745 Words   |  7 Pagesin movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film producers try to incorporate this into their films. Very rarely, if ever,is it possible to see a minority depicted asRead MoreThe Movie : Charlie Chan1692 Words   |  7 PagesOland took the role of Charlie Chan in his first film: Charlie Chan Carries On (1931). In the film, Charlie Chan finds himself in London, where he is tasked with solving the case of the death of an American millionaire Louis Potter. Throughout his investigation, Chan’s frequent proverbial statements and consistent humor provide for a fast-paced, well written detective film just the same as any other in its time. Where the film differs from other films of the time such as Haldane Of The Secret ServiceRead MoreMedia s Influence On Gender Relations And Sexuality1230 Words   |  5 Pagesand mirrors the evolution of gender-related biases and stereotypes and views on sexuality. In the course of time, gender relations and sexuality evolved and changed and all these changes found their reflection in mass media (Bonvillain, 1995, 210). Mass media, in their turn, po rtrayed gender relations and sexuality according to the dominant cultural view on gender relations and sexuality. This is why it is possible to trace the evolution of those views through the analysis of films, for example, createdRead MoreMonsters Are The Stars Of Entertainment For The Horror Industry1553 Words   |  7 Pagesmovie â€Å"Buffy the Vampire Slayer†, was a comedy horror film about a cheerleader named Buffy. Buffy’s fate is to hunt vampires. The vampires in the film were not terrifying; instead, the film overthrew the idea of [a little blonde girl who gets killed in an alley in scary movies] to explore themes like feminism. Just how â€Å"Buffy the Vampire Slayer† adapted to social themes, a similar form of evolution due to social tolerance can be seen in a later film â€Å"Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles†Read MoreThe Evolution Of Comedic Self Representation Of Minorities Essay1543 Words   |  7 PagesThe Evolution of C omedic Self-Representation of Minorities Over the past 70 years, there has been great change in comedy especially for African-Americans and other Non-American races. During the early days of comedy, many of these people were considered to be minorities during that era. This influenced many comedic stints of that time which over the years have evolved to catch up with the modern day society. Some of these include the humor, the topics discussed and also epithets. Over the years manyRead MoreDracula and Science, Superstition, Religion, and Xenophobia1602 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States that have been ongoing for decades, and some for even centuries. Some of these issues are in relation to science, religion, and some are even a combination of the two. Film and other media outlets have commonly been used to address these types of issues ever since these outlets were started. In the film Dracula, directed by Tod Browning in 1931, many controversial issues of the 1920s and 1930s including science, superstition, religion, a nd xenophobia are addressed. An argument thatRead MoreRepresentation Of The Hollywood Television Industry1505 Words   |  7 Pagesdiversity within Hollywood by examining all the films released, television programs on broadcast, cable, or digital networks, as well as the actors, writers, directors, and producers within the industry. Ethnic minorities make up about 40% of the American population but still remain underrepresented in all forms of entertainment. The study also discovered that more than 50% of moviegoers in the past two years were minorities. In television, minorities only claimed about 7% of lead roles in broadcastRead MoreEssay on Remember the Titans1263 Words   |  6 Pagesof the south, and the creation of T.C. Williams High School, a school that supported segregation, parents were the ringleaders of influence. It was the young people that started to make changes in the views of the community. The key topics in this film are segregation and discrimination, and the social problems that have ari sen because of them. Synopsis: Suburban Virginia schools have been segregated for generations, in sight of the Washington Monument over the river in the nations capitalRead MoreEssay about The Evolution of Fairy Tales1306 Words   |  6 Pagesadapted by the different storytellers to accommodate the interests of their audiences and societies. Folk tales altered as the beliefs and behaviors of the members of a particular group changed (Zipes 334). Generally, these tales were passed down by minorities: women, the poor, and other second class members of society. The plight of these storytellers is reflected in the content of the stories they told, which are still the foundation of fairy tales popular today. Their wants are represented in the socialRead MoreD.W. Griffiths Movie, Birth of a Nation Shows the Reality of Racism1132 Words   |  5 Pages Ku Klux Klan. The film is divided to show the different aspects of those two sides during this historical time. During this time Africans were coming to America and it s tarted the reconstruction on our country. D.W. Griffith made this film to show us the reality of racism at this point in time. The importance that this period in time and how it influenced us now. For some would say that this film is the ugly truth and that it shouldn’t be shown. But personally, this film has opened my eyes to