Black Magic - White Hollywood and African American Culture (Paperback, New)

Why do many African American film characters seem to have magical powers? And why do they use them only to help white people. When the actors are white, why is the soundtrack so commonly performed by African Americans? And why do so many white actors imitate black people when they wish to express strong emotion? As Krin Gabbard reveals in this book, we duly recognize the cultural heritage of African Americans in literature, music and art, but there is a disturbing pattern in the roles that blacks are asked to play - particularly in the movies. Whites have long admired blacks for their perceived spontaneity, earthiness and joie de vivre, while still refusing to grant them the full weight of their humanity. Many recent films, including ""The Matrix"", ""Fargo"", ""The Green Mile"", ""Ghost"", ""The Talented Mr. Ripley"", ""Pleasantville"", ""The Bridges of Madison County"" and ""Crumb"" reveal a fascination with black music and sexuality even as they preserve the old racial hierarchies. Quite often the dependence on African American culture remains hidden - although it is almost perversely pervasive. In the final chapters of ""Black Magic"", Gabbard looks at films by Robert Altman and Spike Lee that attempt to reverse many of these widespread trends.

General

Imprint:	Rutgers University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	March 2004
First published:	March 2004
Authors:	Krin Gabbard
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 19mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	344
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-8135-3384-1
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Performing arts > Films, cinema > Film theory & criticism Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Ethnic studies > Black studies
LSN:	0-8135-3384-8
Barcode:	9780813533841

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