March 8, 2011
The Politics of Difference in Films
 Race
 Gender
 Sexual Preference
 Religion
The issue here is whether Hollywood-made or
other types of films can directly confront these
types of issues -- and, if so, under what conditions.
Race Relations in Films
 How are the different races portrayed on film?
 Roles played by actors of different races
 Types of scripts selected for films about race relations
(or seemingly unrelated topics)
 Directors and producers of different races?
 How has Hollywood tried to make amends for its
history of reinforcing racism?
Examples of Films about AfricanAmericans
 Roots (1977)
 The Color Purple (1985)
 Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
 Do the Right Thing (1989)
 Boyz N the Hood (1991)
 New Jack City (1991)
 Malcolm X (1992)
 Amistad (1997)
Contrast
these films
with earlier
films that
contained
basically racist
ideas:
e.g. Step ‘n Fetchit
or Amos and Andy
characters
Films about Racism
 Gentlemen’s








Agreement
Chocolat
World of Suzie Wong
The Hurricane
Men of Honor
Jungle Fever
Mississippi Masala
American History X
Crash
Major African-American Actors/Actresses
 Paul Robeson
 Dorothy Dandridge
 Sidney Poitier
 Denzel Washington
 Lawrence Fishburn
 Halle Berry
 Morgan Freeman
 Jamie Foxx
 Forest Whitaker
African-American Directors
 Spike Lee
 Melvin Van Peebles
 Mario Van Peebles
 Gordon Parks
 John Singleton
 Robert Townsend
 Reginald Hudlin
 Oz Scott
Gender Issues
 How are women portrayed (as opposed to men)?
 Types of roles played by actresses
 Types of scripts selected which deal with gender-related
issues
 How has Hollywood tried to atone for past misdeeds in
this area?
Key Ideas of Liberal Feminism in
Film Studies
 Symbolic annihilation through the under-
representation of women in films and other popular
culture media.
 Use of content analysis techniques to demonstrate the
above.
 In particular, under-representation of working and
professional women in TV shows and movies.
Female Directors
 Leni Riefenstahl
 Elaine May
 Lina Wertmuller
 Kathryn Bigelow
 Diane Kurys
 Jodie Foster
 Barbara Streisand
 Nora Ephron
 Kathryn Bigelow
So far, there are no
female directors with
a record of multiple
blockbuster films -mainly because most
female directors have
not been allowed to
direct more than a
few films.
Definition of Patriarchy
“…a set of social relations between
men, which have a material base,
and which, though hierarchical,
establish or create interdependence
and solidarity among men that
enable them to dominate women…”
Source: H. Baehr as quoted in Strinati, p. 198
Feminist Films?
 Woman of the Year (1942)
 Nine to Five (1980)
 The World According to Garp (1982)
 Fatal Attraction (1987)
 Blue Steel (1990)
 Thelma and Louise (1991)
 G.I. Jane (1997)
Happy Hooker Movies
 Never on Sunday
 Klute
 Risky Business
 Private Lessons
 The Gift
 Pretty Woman
One of the last bastions of patriarchy: the idea that
prostitutes like their jobs and are happy individuals.
Female Envy and Role Reversal
Films
 Some Like It Hot
 Tootsie
 Mrs. Doubtfire
 Mr. Mom
 The Bird Cage (La Cage aux Folles)
What these films have in common is the representation
of males in traditional female roles and (in some of them)
males masquerading as females.
Selfish Mother Movies
 Kramer vs. Kramer
 Ordinary People
 The World According to Garp
 One True Thing
Here the main question is how films portray motherhood
in an age of increased visibility of feminism.
Families: Functional or Dysfunctional?
 Prevalence of divorce in U.S. society
 Changing gender roles
 Dealing with mental illness and disability inside the
family
 Teenage rebellion
 Child abuse
How do Hollywood films deal with these issues?