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A review by oliviak07
The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry by Maryann Erigha
4.0
Stimulating, empowering, and incredible (even in the frustration of the deliberate racism and double standards that have existed far too long in the entertainment and film industries), Maryann Erigha's, "The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry" is one of the best cinema related texts I have had the pleasure of experiencing inside or outside of film school.
As Erigha points out, and we the audience must take notice to be truly literate of our society and the arts, "Movies and images are symbolic vehicles that shape audience perceptions and exert influence beyond the screen," (29). We must ask ourselves, what authenticity and passion is there in the mainstream cinema for anyone who is not a white, heterosexual, male of means? What if this was not the film the director wanted to make, but HAD to make in order to create anything at all? Once we ask those questions, and discuss them, we must then open ourselves to a filmography and cannon that has been under the radar for too long, and challenge the current powers that be to demolish the systems that keep viewers from genuine gems of life and culture.
We must see past what Christopher Winship calls the "veneer of consensus, a mere surface appearance that differs from the true reflection that lies beneath the surface." when it comes to who green lights, produces, and distributes in the film industry and their motives (49). As Erigha clarifies, "Despite the growing presence of Black Americans in film directing, systemic racial inequality remains embedded within the organizational practices of the film industry." (51). This means above all we must demand representation beyond the numbers, and that it apply to who signs off on a production.
By doing this we will see the essential diversifying of the American cultural cannon, with the film industry truly representing the nation's multicultural citizens (185). No longer will anyone of color or gender have to prove their appeal to mass audiences, and essentially, be called to prove their humanity (147).
This book, and more of the work of Erigha and of scholars and critics like her, must be part of the readings of any and all film students and buffs. If you love cinema, you must read and discuss this book and others that shine a light on the marginalized groups that the industry disposes of so freely.
Now that the spotlight is on these insiders, with persistence and collaboration we will make sure that they cannot turn it off again and return to their systematic biases against anyone who is deemed not "bankable" due to their demographic.
As Erigha points out, and we the audience must take notice to be truly literate of our society and the arts, "Movies and images are symbolic vehicles that shape audience perceptions and exert influence beyond the screen," (29). We must ask ourselves, what authenticity and passion is there in the mainstream cinema for anyone who is not a white, heterosexual, male of means? What if this was not the film the director wanted to make, but HAD to make in order to create anything at all? Once we ask those questions, and discuss them, we must then open ourselves to a filmography and cannon that has been under the radar for too long, and challenge the current powers that be to demolish the systems that keep viewers from genuine gems of life and culture.
We must see past what Christopher Winship calls the "veneer of consensus, a mere surface appearance that differs from the true reflection that lies beneath the surface." when it comes to who green lights, produces, and distributes in the film industry and their motives (49). As Erigha clarifies, "Despite the growing presence of Black Americans in film directing, systemic racial inequality remains embedded within the organizational practices of the film industry." (51). This means above all we must demand representation beyond the numbers, and that it apply to who signs off on a production.
By doing this we will see the essential diversifying of the American cultural cannon, with the film industry truly representing the nation's multicultural citizens (185). No longer will anyone of color or gender have to prove their appeal to mass audiences, and essentially, be called to prove their humanity (147).
This book, and more of the work of Erigha and of scholars and critics like her, must be part of the readings of any and all film students and buffs. If you love cinema, you must read and discuss this book and others that shine a light on the marginalized groups that the industry disposes of so freely.
Now that the spotlight is on these insiders, with persistence and collaboration we will make sure that they cannot turn it off again and return to their systematic biases against anyone who is deemed not "bankable" due to their demographic.