When Halle Berry won the Oscar for best actress in a leading role, people thought this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The fact that also the best actor was Afro-American, felt like a long-awaited victory for blacks in films. Film psychology, society, and ideology seemed to have broken with the white people stereotypes tradition.
This was 2001, and that’s very recent. So, black performers had to wait until the 21st century to reach equality with their white counterparts. But was this really the case? It sure was an emotional moment. For Halle. What did it do for other black actors? How many black actors received the greatest recognition in the movie world since 2001? That’s right, no one. Black nominees? Nothing to boast about. But the reason for this is not racism. Some white actors and actresses gave their opinion: The performances of black actors and actresses are simply not good enough. Oh really?
Trend 1: Mix up the Oscar’s board
So, it’s bad acting. Sure, it can’t be because the members nominating is 94% white and average “only” 62 years of age. President Cheryl Boone isn’t blind for the (ironic) complications. She promises a change in composition asap. She wants to throw in a few women and people of colour. Yes, that’s how she carefully chose her words, no doubt after hemming and hawing.
Here we see the real problem. As long a distinction is made between the sexes and the races, this problem will never get solved. And Hollywood does nothing more than reflecting the society in general. People should be people and not divided into categories. “People of colour”, the more you repeat that awful phrase, the more it stings.
Trend 2: the roles (casting & performances)
It’s no use to have coloured people in the jury if there are no outstanding coloured performances to nominate. Let’s have a look at some examples, starting with comedies that may uplift our spirit:
A. How are blacks portrayed nowadays?
And is it any better since Stepin Fetchit’s portrayal of your typical Black-African guy? The stupid, lazy clown. His heart in the right place but deserves a kick in the rear-end. Let’s list up some recent films:
-Nothing to lose (1997). Tim Robbins walks into a ghetto and gets robbed by Martin Lawrence. That’s right, Lawrence is the black guy and logically is portrayed as a crook.
-Blue Streak (1999). Miles Logan (again played by black actor Martin Lawrence) is a jewel thief who, after being released from jail pretends to be an L.A.P.D. detective.
-What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001). A rich man catches a thief burglarizing his home… the thief is black.
Maybe it’s better when Martin gets teamed up with iconic leading man Will Smith. Bad Boys III (2020) about 2 cops. Even when blacks belong to the good guys, they still are bad? Smith solo then… Focus (2015): Nicky Spurgeon is an extremely accomplished con man…
Black men are portrayed as streetwise criminals, for laughs.
But wait a minute, what about Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning performance? The movie is called Training day. “Denzel Washington plays L.A.P.D. detective Alonzo Harris, a veteran narcotics officer whose methods of enforcing the law are questionable, if not corrupt.” – IMDb
B. Black films made by blacks
The first name that comes to mind is Spike Lee. His films are appreciated by people of all colours, but are far from light-hearted. His topics are racism, realism, and uh racism. However, this is the first time we come across anything that resembles a trend against racism. Lee’s movies are wake up calls and worthy of writing essays about. Reading essay topics on racism certainly make us realize that racism in movies reflects what’s going on in real life. It’s the psychology of society that steers ideology. As long we keep seeing coloured people as a different race, we might as well accept that no trend in the Arts (literature, movie making, music …) will ever make the slightest difference. Many argumentative essay samples free show how a widely spread racism essay topics are.
C. Hints of Segregation leak through in advertising
Segregation is to separate. We are here and they are there. And we are that separated we can look at them. See this ‘we and them’ – ideology displayed in catchphrases, meant to attract audiences:
-These TV series and movies with Black actors will inspire you or make you laugh!
-What popular Black shows are TV now?
-Movies With Black Actors to Watch On Netflix
-Check Out These Movies with Black Actors You Will Enjoy
-And this is maybe the best one: Top Ten Black Actors.
Conclusion
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn wasn’t more racist than modern-day movies, TV shows, and their PR machines are now. Both reflect the spirit of their time.
Even now, racism is so normal that lots of it goes unnoticed. Racism can survive in the 21st century thanks to the underlying distinction people still make between people of different colour. People get divided into races as if we are different species. Trends against racism in the Cinema will not do much good in such a climate. On the contrary. AS long as the wound is gaping, it’s salt on the wound.
