African American Women in Film
The way in which the reality of African American women is portrayed in Hollywood has consistently presented that reality in a negative and untruthful manner. The film industry tends to have limited roles for African American women. There are very few black women in films being shown as intelligent, sexy and independent, for instance in the film Jackie Brown. ... The only roles that were available throughout the history of film were the stereotypical slave, mammy or whore characters. The Carol Swain essay, Double Standard Double Bind, touches on black women belonging not only to the subordinate race, but of the subordinate gender as well. This essay affirms the view of the film industry and their settings of stereotypical standards of black female roles in film. ... It also seems that another goal is to show black women in a way in which is subservient to white domination. A film that exemplifies this is Imitation of Life, directed by Douglas Sirk in 1959. This film focuses on the construction of an ideal mother within the context of racial and social issues of America in 1959. There are numerous films that exemplify the stereotyping of black American actors as well: Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and Raisin In The Sun. I chose Imitation of Life because it demonstrates the inaccurate portrayal of black women in film and it makes me think about my relationship with my mother. ... This film is about a famous actress named Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) and her daughter, Susie (Sandra Dee), who have a faithful African American maid, Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), and her mulatto daughter, Sara Jane (Susan Kohner). ... Sara Jane as a child in this film is constantly ignoring the fact that she is both black and white. ... ” This scene in the film really disturbed me. ... In the film, Sara Jane continued to reject her racial identity into adulthood, which was dealt with unrealistically at times. ... On the contrary, when a black filmmaker or any other person of color makes a film focusing on a non-white subject matter they come under fire and are questioned. This is shown in Spike Lee’s film Jungle Fever. ... I believe this to be why Sirk gets away with constructing stereotypical and inaccurate images of African American women in Imitation of Life. ... This scene reflected America’s attitude, and how mulattos and black women would be dealt with when they step out of their place, but its weak depiction took away from the powerful message. There’s an underlying message in the film regarding a mother’s neglect of her child, opposite a mother who takes care of not only her own daughter who rejects her, but another woman’s child as her own. ... There were several stereotypes presented in this film that I have a problem with. ... This portrayal perpetuated the stigma that black women were capable of doing little else, but take care of the house and the children. ... Bell Hooks talks about going to see this film with her sisters and her reaction to Sara Jane and her mother. ... This theme in the film is what moved me and disturbed me the most. ... Although there are many inaccuracies in the film, this depiction comes closest to a true reflection due to the fact that certain members of the black community did make efforts to disown their blackness.