Race & Representation Revision
Here are some useful links on this topic:
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/09/movies/do-the-right-thing-issues-and-images.html
http://www.filmreference.com/Films-De-Dr/Do-the-Right-Thing.html
http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jul/10/spikelee-race
Questions to consider from the reading:
1. Much work on racism in the cinema has stressed the issue of the ‘positive image’ –
discuss with reference to your film.
2. How is the idea of positive images an example of ‘reductionism’?
3. What are the dangers of ‘positive’ images in films?
4. ‘A Cinema dominated by a bending over backwards not to be racist attitude, might
ultimately betray a lack of confidence in the group portrayed...’ do you agree?
5. What is naive integrationism?
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6. What is the danger of inserting new heroes or heroines into old functional roles? Is
there evidence of this in your chosen film?
7. Shaft (1971) ‘…substitutes black heroes into the actantial slot normally filled by
white ones, in order to flatter the fantasies of a certain (largely male) sector of the
black audience’ - does DTRT do this? Any other films?
8. Do you agree that the exposure of negative images and stereotypes has problems?
Why?
9. Do agree with Stam and Spence that the positing and recognition of stereotypes has
been useful to detect structural patterns of prejudice?
10. Stam and Spence say that there’s been a ‘preoccupation with images’ both positive
and negative when looking at race in film. They think that this can lead to just a focus
on characters rather than other important elements of the film - do you agree?
11. They say that because of the above - the critic reduces portrayals down to
stereotypes which can actually reproduce the racism! Do you agree with this?
12. Stam and Spence say that a comprehensive methodology needs to pay attention to
the ‘mediations which intervene between reality and representation’ - what does
this mean?
13. They say an emphasis should be on narrative structure, genre conventions and
cinematic style rather than on perfect correctness of representation or fidelity to an
original ‘real’ model or prototype - do you agree? Can you discuss this with reference
to your film?
14. They say a comprehensive analysis of character status must address the instances
through which the film speaks using the following:

Composition

Framing

Scale
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
On and off screen sound

Music

Plot

Character
Can you link these to your film and characters? Do any issues of race representation
appear? What can you learn from analysing these elements with regards to race? Do agree
with the focus on these elements?
15. What about questions of image scale and duration - do you agree that these are
related to the respect afforded a character and the potential for audience sympathy
understanding and identification.
16. Which characters in your film are afforded close ups and which are relegated to the
background? Does a character look and act? Or do they merely appear to be looked
and acted upon? With whom is the audience permitted intimacy? Do you think this
kind of analysis is useful when analysing films?
DON’T FORGET to use the website for help too:
http://criticalapproachescavc.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/representation-of-race-in-film/
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