Still, Bride and Prejudice (Gurinder Chadha, 2004)
From your reading of the first half of the Sturken and Cartwright chapter, "The Global Flow of Visual Culture," provide a brief definition of globalization. What conditions, in terms of the sovereign nation-state, communication and transportation technologies, the movement of peoples and media "flow", does globalization entail? According to Sturken and Cartwright, how is the Bollywood industry since the 1990s illustrative of how our understanding of a "national" cinema is transformed in our current era of globalization?
Describe the “greaser” and the “Latin Lover” stereotypes. When did these stereotypes emerge and how were they represented on screen? How does the concept of “whiteness” inform their circulation in U.S. cinema? What is the “Good Neighbor Policy” and what impact did it have on the representation of Latinos/as? How does the concept of “whiteness” inform the ways Latino/a actors were promoted within the U.S. film industry (provide at least one example)? What shifts occur in Latino/a media representation after the Civil Rights movement? Discuss at least one Latino/a actor and/or director (one from the immediate post-Civil Rights era and one contemporary) and briefly explain how their careers are influenced by the history of Latinas/os in American film.
Very briefly address the following questions based on the Takaki and Benshoff and Griffin readings:
What is Orientalism? What purpose does it serve? What are the images associated with this idea/ideology? Dr. Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan were two recurring characters in Hollywood film. How would you describe these characters? What was unusual about the casting of the characters? Describe the “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood cinema? What actress was typically associated with these sorts of roles?
What economic, political and social circumstances led to the "Great Migration" of African-Americans to U.S. northern urban centers in the early 20th century? What impact did the Production Code of 1934 have on the use of African-American stereotypes and actors in Hollywood films? What were the economic and social challenges faced by African-American independent filmmakers emerging in the 1970s and 1980s? How is Spike Lee's career an example of the negotiation of critical and socially relevant filmmaking and the Hollywood industry?
Briefly respond to the following questions based on Richard Dyer's "On the Matter of Whiteness." Post your response in the "Comments" section directly below this post. Remember to write your name in your response post.
According to Richard Dyer, why is it important to study race and images of race?
How are whites typically seen or spoken about?
What are the problems associated with examining whiteness?
What role does non-white have in defining white? Why is it difficult to make a criticism of this role?
Welcome to Film 150: Multicultural America! This semester, we will complete our service learning component at Loyola Academy High School, part of the Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc. (Click on image to get Google Map information).
As a public-private partnership between Milwaukee Public Schools and The Council for the Spanish Speaking., Loyola Academy is an alternative high school that provides approximately 100 "at risk" youths an opportunity to obtain their high school diploma and prepare for their college education. The student population at Loyola is predominantly Latino, including many English Language Learners, but Loyola also serves students of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, and instruction in the classroom is conducted in English.
This semester, you and Loyola Academy students will conduct research and collect visual materials (original and found) to create an online media archive that documents your mutual interactions, the history of Loyola Academy and the south side Milwaukee community in which it is located. You will attend classes with Loyola students and conduct learning activities based on our class discussions on the representations of racial and ethnic identities in U.S. media.
Still, Bride and Prejudice (Gurinder Chadha, 2004)
