Introduction
Audiovisual input and output devices and movies and films are widely available today, with some people preferring the latest ones and others going for those produced decades ago. Everybody watches videos on television, social media, or in theaters today. As a result, the film business has significantly influenced the current culture.
People laugh while watching sitcoms and comic programs, gain a new perspective on the world while watching psychological thrillers, and learn about their history while watching historical dramas. Every movie or television show reflects society and modifies perceptions. The analysis focuses on exploring how the context of cinema portrays the facet of racism, especially in the Black communities.
Films and TV shows also surprisingly have a negative side. While everyone likes watching films and TV shows, and most promote equality and acceptance for all in society, studies indicate that the history of American cinema has been filled with negative stereotypes and contributes significantly to systematic racism (Edwards 9). From stereotyping to blatant discrimination, American cinema has portrayed minority groups negatively.
This paper focuses on racism in American cinema history, specifically anti-Black racism in the film “Birth of a Nation” directed by D.W. Griffith. The paper will analyze the use of blackface in the movie, discussing the history of blackface performance and how it reinforces negative racial stereotypes. Furthermore, the essay will explore how anti-Black racism in cinema has evolved and how it continues to manifest itself in modern cinema.
Anti-Black Racism in American Cinema
Anti-Black racism in American cinema has a long and complex history dating back to when the film industry was in its infancy. From the use of blackface in silent films to the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes in contemporary movies, the representation of Black people in American cinema has often been problematic and damaging.
One of the first examples of anti-Black racism in American cinema is the usage of blackface (Jiaxi and Changsong). Blackface is the term used to describe the practice of white actors portraying Black characters on stage or in movies by painting their faces black and enhancing stereotypical African American features. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this tactic was widespread in American entertainment and was employed to maintain unfavorable stereotypes about African people (Jiaxi and Changsong). Blackface performances were often used for comedic effect, but they also dehumanized and demeaned Black people, perpetuating the idea that they were inferior. A perfect example of a film that used blackface was “The Birth of a Nation” by D.W Griffith.
“Birth of a Nation,” directed by D.W. Griffith
“Birth of a Nation,” directed by D.W. Griffith, is a highly controversial film that exhibits harmful stereotypes of Black people. The film tells the story of two families, the Stonemans from the North and the Camerons from the South, before, during, and after the American Civil War. Griffith’s work glorifies the Ku Klux Klan and portrays Black individuals as unintelligent, lazy, and sexually aggressive. It was wildly successful upon its release, and its influence on the film industry was profound. Many racist tropes perpetuated in “Birth of a Nation” would continue to be used in Hollywood for decades (Khalbrae).
The importance of “Birth of a Nation” in American film history cannot be overestimated, despite the temptation to write it off as a relic of a bygone period. The employment of racial stereotypes in the movie set a standard for subsequent films and contributed to Hollywood’s domination in the world film market. The impact of “Birth of a Nation” on systemic racism in American film history cannot be overstated. One of the most notable aspects of the film is its use of blackface, which has been widely criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes and promoting white supremacy.
The Use of Blackface in “The Birth of a Nation” by D.W. Griffith
“The Birth of a Nation” by Griffith is one of the films that has significantly utilized blackface to depict African Americans and their perceived harmful stereotypical features. The use of blackface in this film has been one of its controversial components over the years. This film uses blackface to depict African Americans as people who are more violent, engage in criminal activities, and are sexually aggressive. Additionally, it uses blackface to portray Black men as a threat to white women and society and the Ku Klux Klan as the saviors who protect white people from Black people. The use of blackface in the film reinforces the racist stereotype that Black people are inferior to white people and reinforces the idea of white supremacy.
The use of blackface in “Birth of a Nation” is particularly troubling because it perpetuates the same negative stereotypes present in minstrel shows and racist theatrical entertainment in America that developed in the early 19th century. By using white actors in blackface, Griffith was able to exaggerate African Americans’ physical features and mannerisms, creating a caricature that dehumanized them. This portrayal of African Americans in “Birth of a Nation” perpetuated anti-Black racism by reinforcing negative stereotypes and portraying Black people as a threat to white society.
Gus’ portrayal in “The Birth of a Nation” marks one of the most controversial scenes in the film. Gus is a character in Griffith’s work depicted in a racist and stereotypical manner. Griffith’s use of blackface on this character is a perfect example of anti-Black racism that portrays African Americans as inferior and reinforces negative stereotypes. The director used a white actor called Walter Long to play the character Gus in blackface. In the film, Griffith depicts Gus as a formerly enslaved person who is sexually aggressive and attempts to pursue a white woman called Flora Cameron. However, since Gus was an African American, Flora chose to jump off a cliff than submit to him, which led to his lynching by the Ku Klux Klan (Khalbrae). This shows how low society viewed African Americans and the perceived threat Whites thought they were causing.
The portrayal of Gus in the film is one of the most controversial aspects of “The Birth of a Nation.” Firstly, it reinforces this stereotype by presenting Gus as an exact depiction of a Black man with exaggerated features, dark skin, and thick lips. The scene is alarming because it portrays Black men as violent sexual predators who pose a threat to white women. On the other hand, the scene also uses Flora to represent that white women are helpless victims who need protection from Black men. This aspect of the stereotype of Black people becomes common over the centuries where the males are mostly framed in the US (Brooms and Clark 133). Overall, the use of blackface in this scene reinforces the stereotype that Black men are sexually aggressive and enhances the idea that white women must be protected from Black men.
The use of blackface on Gus in the film is an example of the broader history of anti-Black racism in American popular culture. According to Lockhart, blackface became common in the US in the early 19th century as entertainment. It involved white actors perming while painting their faces Black and performing, exhibiting exaggerated features of African Americans (Lockhart). The entertainment industry significantly utilized blackface to reinforce negative stereotypes about Blacks.
Additionally, blackface was often associated with racist minstrel shows depicting African American people as lazy, stupid, and inferior. Minstrel shows were popular in the United States until the mid-20th century and had a significant long-term effect as they played a significant role in shaping how white Americans viewed African Americans. Fredrick Douglass, an abolitionist, argued that blackface performers were “the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied to them by nature…” (Grosvenor and Troll 1). These seemed to hate the African Americans, without significant reason but the difference in skin and their wrong perception.
Generally, the portrayal of African Americans in “The Birth of a Nation” contributed significantly to racial attitudes and beliefs among White Americans. Additionally, it has also helped reinforce segregation and discrimination in American society. The use of blackface on Gus in “The Birth of a Nation” portrays racism in several ways, such as reinforcing negative stereotypes about African American men, using a white actor in blackface, and portraying Blacks as inferior and threatening to white society, the film perpetuates racist attitudes and beliefs. The use of blackface in “The Birth of a Nation” played a significant role in the development of racist attitudes in America and helped to reinforce segregation and discrimination.
Evolution of anti-Black Racism in American Cinema History
Even though the consistent display of anti-Black racism has significantly reduced over the years in American cinema history, studies show that systemic racism continues to be perpetuated in the industry. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s brought increased attention to issues of racial inequality, which was reflected in the films of the time. Movies like “In the Heat of the Night” (1967) and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967) tackled issues of race head-on, portraying Black characters as complex, three-dimensional individuals rather than one-dimensional stereotypes.
However, as films began to portray Black people in a more positive light, many still perpetuated harmful stereotypes and relied on white savior narratives to tell Black stories. Even though the law has clarified that using blackface is prohibited, Black individuals are still often relegated to stereotypical roles. Most directors often give Black actors “Gang member” and “thug” roles in films (Reid 565). Black performers and filmmakers had a comeback in the 1980s and 1990s, with directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton introducing fresh viewpoints and voices to American cinema.
Nonetheless, despite the increased representation of Black filmmakers, they still had to overcome considerable barriers to production and distribution. Hollywood moguls frequently saw Black films as dangerous ventures and were reluctant to support them, which resulted in a dearth of possibilities for Black filmmakers and a continued reliance on white filmmakers to tell Black tales (Grosvenor and Troll, 2). Additionally, the fact that the film industry continues to be dominated by white individuals perpetuates the idea that only white individuals are qualified to tell stories on screen. This not only limits the perspectives represented in the film but also perpetuates the idea that stories about people of color are not as valuable or important as stories about white individuals.
Conclusion
American cinema history has been filled with the perpetuation of racial stereotypes and systemic racism. Most of these incidents began in the early 19th century when minstrel shows that used blackface to exaggerate Black people’s features, dark skin, and thick lips were used for entertainment. Even though the negative depiction of African Americans and incidences of racial discrimination have significantly lessened, numerous studies in this paper indicate that the film industry continues to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Black individuals and limit their representation on screen and their opportunities to be awarded as top directors in America.
Based on Griffith’s work analysis and how Blacks are treated in the film industry, it is clear that systemic racism continues to be perpetuated in American cinema history despite many efforts to address it. Today, Black actors are still offered diminishing roles like “gang members” and “thug,” this comes after racism grew to be a sensitive issue and using blackface in films was banned. Additionally, it is essential for individuals in the film industry to recognize the harm that has been done and work to rectify the ongoing perpetuation of systemic bias. This aspect will ensure the perception of the industry is significantly changed.
Work Cited
“The Birth of a Nation – Full Movie – (1915) HD – The Masterpiece of Racist Cinema.” YouTube, upoloaded by Khalbrae, 2015. Web.
Brooms, Derrick R., and Jelisa S. Clark. “Black Misandry and The Killing of Black Boys and Men.” Sociological Focus vol. 53, no. 2, 2020, pp. 125-140. Web.
Edwards, Blake. “Acting Black: An Analysis of Blackness and Criminality in Film.” Master’s Theses 2019, pp. 661. Web.
Grosvenor, Edwin S. and and Robert C. Troll. “Blackface: The Sad History of Minstrel Shows.” American Heritage, vol. 64, no. 1, 2019. Web.
Jiaxi, Wang and Wang Changsong. “Representation of Anti-Racism and Reconstruction of Black Identity in Black Panther.” Media Watch, vol. 14, no. 1, 2023, pp. 77-99.
Lockhart, P.R. “Blackface isn’t Just about the Racism in America’s Past. It’s also about the Racism in America’s Present.” 2019. Vox. Web.
Reid, Mark A. “33. The Black Gangster Film.” Film Genre Reader IV. University of Texas Press, 2021, pp. 558-575. Web.