film and class

Review

Jennifer did a great job last week explaining the evolution of African American representations in film. Minstrel shows in Vaudeville with white actors in black face were incorporated into some early films (that, remember, relied heavily on theatrical traditions). African American actors gradually appeared more often in films, but mostly in supporting roles (that were, without exception, based on racial stereotypes). Black filmmakers were unheard of at this time. However, performers like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole and actors like Sidney Poitier gained popularity and found a more prominent place in American cinema. Van Peeble's Sweet Sweetback... introduced the blaxploitation movement, giving blacks an even more prominent role in films, but introducing even greater controversy to their representation. While blaxploitation films demonstrated to the film industry the potential popularity of films with African American characters, the cinematic representation of blacks is still far from equitable. And while more black filmmakers are seeing success in the film industry, the African American perspective is still fairly unrepresented in today's industry.

A Preview of What's to Come

So, as you may have noticed, we've changed track a little in this course. We've been discussing the representation of race, class, gender, and sexuality in specific, historical genres. These genres provide the foundations of American cinema, in many ways determining the characters, narratives and themes of today's films.

So, now we are going to switch gears and focus our attention on the representation of these issues in today's films. But rather than focus on a specific genre, we want to emphasize the representation of specific issues across genres. So for example, this week's discussion of class should be informed by our previous discussions of class in the screwball comedy, film noir, and the western.

Film and Class Assignment

So, rather than simply walking you through different cinematic representations of social and economic class division and struggle, I think I'll mix it up a little. I've included two lists: the first of websites that address different issues that relate to our discussion of class. The second list is of pop culture texts that in some way or another intersect with the issues of class. Your job is to choose an item from each list (preferably a pop culture text with which you're familiar) and discuss how they correspond with one another. Please take your time and familiarize yourself with the website and the concepts it discusses. Then, rather than summarize the information, demonstrate your understanding of the info in your discussion of how the pop culture text corresponds with it. Remember, that a pop culture text will most likely not exemplify a concept. Texts are far more complex to be exact illustrations of theoretical ideas. So, be sure to point out how the text and idea play off of each other. Acknowledge the complexity of this correlation between text and idea. So, be thoughtful, and please avoid repeating each other's responses. This assignment will hopefully help you prepare for your next Film Analysis paper.

Concepts

Marx and the alienation of the laborer
Marx and Engel's communist manifesto
Gramsci's hegemony
Smith's capitalism
neoliberalism
egalitarianism

Pop Culture Texts

Sicko
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Fun with Dick and Jane
Office Space
My Super Sweet 16
MTV Cribs
The Cosby Show
My Name is Earl
The Hills
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
"Glamorous" by Fergie
"Good Life" by Kanye West
"Diamonds from Sierra Leone" by Kanye West

Quiz

What does Marx mean when he writes that money is “the universal confusion and transposition of all things”?

Student "Presentations"

For the next four weeks, students will have the opportunity to present some information on individuals who use the humanities to address issues of class, race, gender and sexuality. Rather than post the usual assignment, students will research ONE artist, filmmaker, author, musician, performer, etc who uses their medium to address issues of social inequality. Students should include a link to a relevant website about the individual. Students should also post a summary of some basic biographical info on the individual and an explanation of some of the major contributions the individual has made to the social discourse.

So, take a look at the next four weeks. Pick an issue (class, race, gender, or sexuality) that interests you. The individual you choose to focus on must address the issue that corresponds with that particular week of class. (So, I could discuss Spike Lee on the week of race--but you cannot, because that would be stealing my idea). That week, rather than submitting the normal assignment, you will post your "presentation." (That week, you will still be responsible for completing the quiz though).

***REMEMBER THAT ALL ASSIGNMENTS (QUIZZES, ASSIGNMENTS, AND PRESENTATIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY AT 11:59PM)***

African American Portrayal in Film

Alright time to dive into racial representation in film.

The first known film representations of African Americans were those in minstrel films, with white actors wearing "black face." The video below is about 10 minutes, but very informative, please watch.



Then as the years and decades passed, Hollywood never really tried to tackle racism or bigotry. In the 1960s, Hollywood exposed these problems, but left out the politics, meaning the films did not show sit-ins, marches, etc. associated with the civil rights movement. They were usually set in a different time or set in a northern city where the politics would not be involved. One of the main reasons behind this move by Hollywood in the 60s was because the majority of the film audiences were white, middle class individuals and who did not want to spend money on political driven films concerning race.

Then in the late 1960s and 1970s blaxploitation films became increasingly popular with young African Americans and even the teen angst ridden suburban white kids. These films were very cheaply made, mainly featuring the black lead as an outlaw or a pimp. Some of popular films to come out of this time were Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song by Mario Van Peebles and Shaft, where the lead was a private detective.














Critics in the black community, including the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) complained that the blaxploitation films gave unrealistic and negative representations of the black community. But yet the young people involved with the black power movements found them to be highly entertaining and fully enjoyed watching the lead take violence against any and all.

Now we come to the figure of Malcolm X (originally Malcolm Little, removed his last name when he joined the Nation of Islam, Black Muslims). He had a major influence on black militancy, such as Black Power and the Black Panther party. He was an incredibly intelligent man and was a great public speaker.



As the film for this week is Malcolm X directed by Spike Lee, remember the idea behind revisionist films and the idea of masculanity in film. Does this film give an accurate depiction of Malcolm X? Do you find yourself identify Denzel Washington (who plays Malcolm X) as the true and real Malcolm X? How is man supposed to act or be portrayed in this film and also how are relationships with women portrayed?

Assignment
Please find a person who was active during the civil rights movement, whether they were for or against the civil rights movement. Please link to a credible website or journal article. Please give a brief summary of this person and what major contributions they made towards or against the movement. Please do not repeat people and do not use Malcolm X or Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quiz 7
In American Cinema, American Culture, what is counterculture and how was it represented in film? Please use specific examples and send it to Jennifer Armston, jmarmston@gmail.com

Both the assignment and quiz are due by Midnight, Friday October 26th.

Extra Credit Assignment 1

Since this week we are not introducing any new information, I thought it would be a good time for an extra credit opportunity. The assignment will potentially be worth 2% of your final grade. So if you have missed some posts or quizzes, this is a good way to make up some points. Assignments will be due Sunday 21st by 11:59pm (That's this coming Sunday). You will post your assignment as a comment to this blog post.

The Assignment

Find a concept discussed in the first half of the course that interested you. Your chosen concept should include some social issue that we have addressed, rather than just a film history or theory idea. (So, instead of the use of light and shadow in film noir, the representation of women in film noir. OR instead of discussing the work of John Ford, you might discuss film's use of binary opposition to approach societal issues). You will want to choose a topic that is interesting to you, because otherwise, you will find the assignment to be very boring.

Next, go to the Strozier library or get on the FSU Library website and start a search for scholarly articles on your topic. (You will see on the page "Find articles, journals, and databases.") You can search by subject (like "film" or "women's studies") or keyword ("femme fatale" or "binary opposition"). If you need assistance with finding an article, visit the library and speak with the people at the Reference desk. Believe me, this will be worth your time--knowing how to find scholarly articles is something that will absolutely benefit you during your college education.

Once you have found an article that you feel is interesting, you will review it for the class. Your review should include a summary of the article, including an explanation of the articles main arguments. (What is the article's thesis? its conclusions?.) Then you will briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article. Please be thoughtful in stating your opinions--this is an academic assignment, so you should maintain some respect for the author's effort and you should make sure that you can support your opinions with examples.

Also, please do not evaluate the article as being "too dense or difficult to understand." You are undergraduates reading above your level (these papers are written for a community of scholars). So, of course, the first article you read may be challenging. Do your best.

Your review (summary and evaluation combined) should be 400-500 words. Post it as a comment on our blog. Be sure to begin your post stating the author, article title, journal title (, and database used (like JSTOR, etc).

If you have any questions, please contact me as soon as possible.

the war film

This is a nice introduction to this week's subject. This is from the film Patton.


Review

So, last week we learned about some of the history and conventions of the western film. The genre is as old as the American frontier itself. Frontier literature and even some of the earliest narrative films dealt with conventional western subjects. These texts, and the classical westerns that followed them, often used binary oppositions (East/West, community/individual, etc) to address the civilization of the American west. Among these oppositions is the assignment of gender roles. Men in westerns display traditional masculinity--aggressive, not particularly intelligent, authoritarian--while women are divided between the civilized, domestic servant and the wild, sexualized (often non-white) savage. And while revisionist westerns have since questioned these conventions, the ideological perspectives that inform these representations of the west still have an influence on American culture today.

Introduction to the War Film

So, physical conflict among humans is as old as Cain and Abel. Homer told the stories of the Trojan War. The Old Testament is full of warring between peoples. It seems like most cultures' mythologies include wars between gods and men, gods and gods, men and men (and women). The traditional narrative structure requires that the protagonist encounter "conflict" which is resolved during the "climax." So, given that physical conflict is such a part of history and culture, it's no surprise that the stories of war were adapted for the cinema.

Here's a clip from Charlie Chaplin's 1918 film Shoulder Arms. It's definitely a primitive manifestation of the genre, but it does include some elements used in the classical genre.


D.W. Griffith's incredibly successful (and controversial) film Birth of a Nation is recognized as the first feature-length film released in the U.S. And while the film's narrative does not exactly resemble a classical war film, the film's Civil War setting and its fantastic battle scenes definitely establish it as a strong influence on the classical genre.

The Classical Stage

Classical war films, like the genres that we've discussed previously, often followed archetypal characters in a familiar narrative. A new recruit begins his military service, encounters an authoritarian senior officer, bonds with his fellow soldiers, and eventually successfully transitions from civilian to soldier. The new recruit is young and inexperienced, may not exactly exemplify traditional masculinity, and often will need to learn the principles valued among soldiers (those of patriotism, obedience to his superior officers, loyalty to his fellow soldiers, self-sacrifice, etc). The senior officer, oftentimes a drill sergeant, must prepare the young recruit for battle. Oftentimes their interactions resemble a type of father-son relationship in which discipline and oppression is blended with compassion and instruction. The senior officer may be depicted as antagonistic towards the new recruit, that is, until the recruit realizes the benefit of his experiences during combat.

At the end of the film, the recruit will have learned his lesson and will either return home victorious or courageously sacrifice himself in battle. Either way, the soldier's development is complete.

I also want to address war films' depiction of women and enemy soldiers. While I do not think that these characters are easily organized into archetypes, the depictions of women and enemy soldiers are still worth noting. Women are marginalized to supporting roles as romantic interests of the soldiers or nurses serving the soldiers. Despite the prominent role women began to play in society during wartime, women were depicted as subservient in the classical war film. Often, a soldier's romantic relationship with a woman would indicate weakness and determine his ultimate defeat in battle.

While the films were set during different military conflicts, a commonality can be identified in the representations of enemy soldiers. Whether the conflict was contemporary or historical, set in Europe or the South Pacific, the enemies were usually objectified. Rather than depicting the soldiers as individual, living, agentive human beings, the films often represented the enemy forces as a collective, inhuman, other. Not only are the viewers not encouraged to identify with the soldiers, but they are not even encouraged to identify them as human.

In Birth of a Nation, this tactic is used to designate the newly freed African American slaves as enemies of the Confederate sympathizers.

Notice how in the clip, the shots of the rioters are wide, while the KKK members are afforded close-ups. The KKK ride horses, while the rioters are on foot. The cameras follow the motion of the clansmen, and the music (recognize Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries"?) seek to encourage identification with the clansmen). The "enemy soldiers" are given no subjectivity whatsoever.

During the war film narrative, certain conventional themes were often illustrated. First, the training sequences demonstrate the transitions required for new recruits. In order to adequately function as soldiers, the new recruits must be stripped of any individuality and femininity. A soldier's individuality is a threat to the military objective because of the necessity of military forces to work together as a community. This objectives of this small military community were often tied to the greater national community. So, individuality needed to be abandoned in order to foster patriotism and nationalism. And a soldier's femininity is a threat because of association of physical combat with traditional masculinity. I think that this clip from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket pretty powerfully demonstrates this point.


So, the uniformity of the troops suggests the emphasis of community over individual. The frequent references to the male's anatomy indicates the association between traditional masculinity and military success. And finally, the issue of race is introduced.

While the American troops were not generally racially integrated until the Vietnam War, classical war films often depict the military platoon (etc) as a place of cultural unification and exchange. The military unit would be typically composed of soldiers from a diverse range of ethnic and racial backgrounds. And as the recruits learned to abandon their individuality and cooperate as a unit, cultural division was transcended. (But remember, the protagonists were always white, and this racial integration was not a reality in the military organization during those years).

Revising War

Now, probably since the beginning of American military involvement in the Vietnam War, revisionist war films have become more common. While the cinema functioned as a reflection of the government and mainstream America's pro-war sentiments during the World Wars and Korean War, the depictions of combat became more ideologically complicated with the controversy over the conflict in Vietnam. As American society questioned their assumptions about war, American cinema challenged the conventions of the war film genre.

While the classical genre emphasized the abandonment of femininity and individuality in preparation for battle, revisionist war films often address the difficulties faced by soldiers when they return home. The soldiers' post-war re-individualization, demasculinization, and reintegration into society is depicted as problematic. Here's a quote from Sam Mendes' 2005 film Jarhead (adapted from the book by Anthony Swofford) that I think illustrates this point.

"A story. A man fires a rifle for many years. and he goes to war. And afterwards he comes home, and he sees that whatever else he may do with his life - build a house, love a woman, change his son's diaper - he will always remain a jarhead. And all the jarheads killing and dying, they will always be me. We are still in the desert."

So, while the films do not challenge the military's ability to transform the recruits into soldiers, they do attempt to acknowledge some of the consequences of this transformation.

Not only are these values of brotherhood and masculinity questioned, but greater issues of patriotism and violence are challenged as well. Watch this clip from Oliver Stone's film Born on the Fourth of July, and see if you can identify some of the revisionist themes.

Notice how the film shows some previously unvoiced opinions on war--the characters protest military involvement in Vietnam but maintain a (new) patriotic perspective. While patriotism is often linked to support of American involvement in war, the film seeks to counter that (I think) harmful association. The injuries of the veterans also gives voice to a previously voiceless people. Soldiers in classical war films returned home and received medals or valiantly gave their life in battle. The disabilities faced by these characters exhibit some not-so-often addressed consequences of war.

But, while Born of the Fourth of July and other protest films explicitly question the motives of the government and the problematic nature of certain nationalistic perspectives, other war films question these same principles in more subtle ways. Increasingly, soldiers are depicted not as patriotically serving their nation in combat, but rather fighting for the survival of their military unit. This "neo-patriotism" implicitly questions the motives of the government's participation in war, avoiding depictions of soldiers motivated by patriotic idealism. Consider the miniseries "Band of Brothers" and film Saving Private Ryan--even their titles suggest this emphasis of loyalty to fellow soldiers over loyalty to the nation. In the film A Few Good Men, the marines recite their "code" of loyalty, in order of importance: "unit, core, God, country." And even in the film The Patriot, our "patriot" protagonist is motivated to fight for his country's independence not because of patriotic principle, but in order to protect and avenge his family. The films avoid patriotic rhetoric and thereby question this concept of patriotic warfare.

Here's a clip from Black Hawk Down that I think illustrates this clip pretty clearly.

I also think that the graphic representations of violence, common to today's revisionist war films, show the violent consequences of war. Like the injuries of the characters in Born on the Fourth of July, the gruesome depictions in today's war films could be interpreted as questioning involvement in warfare.

Some revisionist war films challenge the conventional representations of women and enemy soldiers. As female involvement in the military increases, and association of military participation and traditional masculinity is slowly challenged, more women are seen as more prominent, positive characters in war films. Some more recent war films like Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Thin Red Line, Saints and Soldiers, and (probably most effectively) Letters from Iwo Jima include the perspectives of enemy soldiers. Here's a clip from Clint Eastwood's film that, I think, needs to be viewed side-by-side with Flags of our Fathers.


Finally, some films seem to challenge conventional representations of war through the use of satire. The ridiculously over-the-top use of profanity by Gny. Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket seems to me to be satirizing the conventional depiction of the drill sergeant. And another of Kubrick's films, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a perfect example of a satirical commentary on war. It goes beyond simple genre parody (like the Hot Shots movies, for example) and challenges the conventional themes of the war film and the concept of war in general.

Here's the conclusion of the film. A U.S. military commander gone insane has launched nuclear missiles at Russia without the consent of the president. Russia has recently developed a defense program that basically destroys the planet if it is attacked. Enjoy!


Conclusion

So, how is this discussion relevant to our lives. Well, I think that first, we must acknowledge that, like depictions of gender in screwball comedy and of westward expansion in the western film, the war film both reflects and informs our society's perception of war. There's a great scene in Jarhead where the marines prepare for deployment by watching Apocalypse Now. Even though the film is ultimately critical of the Vietnam War, the soldiers "get off" on the violent depictions. While this is an extreme example, I think that the depictions of war, and even more common depictions of violence have the potential to shape our society's perception of and even participation in violence. And that's some serious stuff.

Assignment

This week's assignment is a little easier than last week's.

This week I'd like you to find a news article that discusses any intersection between media and the current war in the Middle East. (As long as its specifically talking about the relationship between the war and the media, it'll be good.) Post a link. Briefly summarize the article. Do not repeat a previously posted article.

This assignment's purpose is to get you to learn and share your learning about the media's involvement in the current conflict.

Quiz

From the American Cinema, American Culture reading: In war (and war films) what elements of traditional American morality are abandoned? Retained?

Reminder

While the Assignment and Quiz will both be due Sunday by 11:59 pm. The first Film Analysis Paper will still be due this Friday by 11:59 pm.

Email the Assignment and Quiz to Jennifer (like always) and email the paper to me (as an attachment).