Films on Race Relations

eoe wrote:

In that case, so was "Superfly" and "Black Mama, White Mama".

No, the movie [/I]Baadasssss was good it is about the making of the very first movie of that kind and the sacrafice and fight it took one man to make. "Superfly and "Black Mama, White Mama" Exist only because the movie "Sweet sweet backs".

That movie is the root of "Blacksploitation". A term which did not exist yet.

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Amigo wrote:

eoe wrote:
In that case, so was "Superfly" and "Black Mama, White Mama".
No, the movie [/I]Baadasssss was good it is about the making of the very first movie of that kind and the sacrafice and fight it took one man to make. "Superfly and "Black Mama, White Mama" Exist only because the movie "Sweet sweet backs".

That movie is the root of "Blacksploitation". A term which did not exist yet.

sounds worth checking out, just based on the 'breaking in' to the industry in a role out of the majorly derogatory.

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An interesting aside on the Blued eyes documentary. The reason(s) that the teacher choose eye color is because you cannot control what your eye color is and it has no bearing on your intelligence, success, etc. Also, because in Germany, during Hilter's rein he, they would use eye color to determine who would be killed and who would not be killed.

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Well, Blaxploitation was nothing to celebrate really. Sure, "Sweet Sweetback" was the first but so what? A man named Richard Reed is considered the father of the Ku Klux Klan. The very first klansman. Do we have any reason to celebrate him?

Sweetback is basically about a guy who escapes unfair imprisonment and gets out of being captured one way or another, usually by ******* white women and bringing them to multiple orgasms with his enormous black schlong and they would protect him somehow and prevent him from being caught by THE MAN. For the first time in cinema, a black man was the "hero" and triumphant in the end. Sorry about the spoilers but, although it was groundbreaking for it's time, "Sweetback", to me, was nothing more than a macho spotlight on the myth of black male sexual prowess. As far as a benchmark concerning black and white relations, I'd guess if you searched long and hard enough, you could probably find some porn from that period with the same sexual storyline more or less.

And as a sidebar, Melvin Van Peebles, the writer, director and star of "Sweetback" supposedly caught a nasty case of the clap while filming that movie. So there. Laughing

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onyxelle wrote:

littlek wrote:
Wow, can HE come speak in my future classroom!?!?!

i can assure you that he would absolutely LOVE to. He would rather be a bullying prevention coordinator than a teacher.

What a good man you've got yourself, there!

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Eyes on the Prize

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jespah wrote:

Eyes on the Prize

Ah, i watched that. Eye opening. That's PBS series, isn't it?

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"Eyes on the Prize". Excellent choice.

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There are several you might consider regarding Native Ameicans:

Quote:

Teaching Indians to Be White

Series: Before Columbus
Rating: ****
Audience: Jr. High to Adult
Price: Public performance: $89.95
Date: Copyright 1993. Released 1993.
Descriptors: Indians of North America - Education. Education.

This brief but effective program chronicles the attempts to integrate native children into dominant society through educational means. As one episode in the ambitious six-part series Before Columbus, this program is told entirely from the perspective of the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. It is purposefully expressed as a "one-sided story" - the other side of the Columbus discovery saga not often revealed in textbooks. Suitable for junior high school through general adult audiences, Teaching Indians to Be White provides a new and much-needed perspective on a historically controversial subject.

The program surveys the earliest use of education as a tool to "turn Indians into a dull underclass of inferior whites." Archival black-and-white footage of missionary training films demonstrates the effects of mission schools on the Tukano of Colombia. Further archival footage and old black-and-white photographs show residential schools where many of the Cree children of Canada were stripped of much of their language and values. After historical examination, the program shifts to reveal the contemporary response to this educational process. A small group of independent Seminole of Florida resist contemporary public education while the nearby Miccosukee have embraced it. Many of the Cree people have reclaimed their schools and are actively teaching their ways and language. Despite their commercialization by mainstream society, the Zuni of New Mexico still maintain their "secret Indian universe" and have successfully integrated many Christian and Native American ways into their lives.

A few good ones here too:

http://www.chariotdist.com/native/history2.htm

Especially:

NATIVE AMERICANS: MYTHS AND REALITIES - STEREOTYPES

In this unique and personal program, young men and women from various Native American tribes are shown trying to change some of the stereotypes that have been attributed to them throughout the years. These young Native Americans talk about their struggle to maintain a balance between the achievement-oriented modern world and their traditional world. Although there aredifferences among their tirbes - they all seem to be fighting for one common goal - to bring something back to their people.
Grades 6-12, 16 min.
©1997 VHS $95

and

POSITIVELY NATIVE - STEREOTYPES

Martin, a young Native American child, is tired of being teased about his heritige. His best friend Sam, of Korean descent, encourages Martin to team up with him and make a video that portrays how Indians really live. Martin is disturbed by others' ideas about Native communities - ideas reinforced by the savage looking face on the community center's Tomahawks baseball team poster. In his video, Martin talks with his mother about her childhood, takes part in a drumming ceremony at the Native American Center, then visits relatives on the Six Nations Reserve. Martin and Sam are pleased with the video, which even convinces the community center director to take down the poster. Martin wonders whether he can continue to strive for change.
Grades 3-7 15 minutes
©1992, VHS $95

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A few more for your resource list:

http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/

More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned behind barbed wire during World War II...

...over half were children.

The Children of the Camps documentary captures the experiences of six Americans of Japanese ancestry who were confined as innocent children to internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II. The film vividly portrays their personal journey to heal the deep wounds they suffered from this experience.

and this is a list of documents, audio visuals and movies categorized by age-appropriateness regarding the internment of Japanese Americans.

http://www.sbac.edu/~media/japanese_internment.htm

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Great stuff Butrfly

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eoe wrote:

And as a sidebar, Melvin Van Peebles, the writer, director and star of "Sweetback" supposedly caught a nasty case of the clap while filming that movie. So there.

....

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Butrflynet wrote:

More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned behind barbed wire during World War II...

...over half were children.

... and one of which, if I remember correctly, was our cicerone imposter. Why don't you ask him if he'd like to speak to your class? He's always travelling somewhere anyway, it's only a matter of time until he hits Boston.

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dagmaraka wrote:

jespah wrote:
Eyes on the Prize

Ah, i watched that. Eye opening. That's PBS series, isn't it?

Yep, it was a miniseries. I have looked and looked and I believe it's only available on VHS and not on DVD. I recall seeing it in a theater, back in, man, probably 1986 or 1987 and it was hypnotic. The theater showed all of the episodes, back to back to back. Very, very powerful stuff.

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I love the eyes on the prize series. Watched them when I was just a wee thing. It was very very instructional, but not only that, I learned a lot too..

hahahah, that was ajoke lol

But really, that is a great set. Is there something like that for the Native American Population? They're plight makes me very very sad, because as a nation within a nation, they haven't been able to overcome the desperate wrong done to them. I won't get on my high horse, or pull out my step stool to stand on, but there is a great song, "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & the Raiders

You can listen to it here for free. This song always makes me sad, but i like it anyhow.

They took the whole Cherokee nation
Put us on this reservation
Took away our ways of life
The tomahawk and the bow and knife
Took away our native tongue
And taught their English to our young
And all the beads we made by hand
Are nowadays made in Japan
Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die
They took the whole Indian nation
Locked us on this reservation
Though I wear a shirt and tie
I'm still part redman deep inside
Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die
But maybe someday when we've learned
Cherokee nation will return, will return,
will return, will return, will return

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eoe wrote:

Well, Blaxploitation was nothing to celebrate really. Sure, "Sweet Sweetback" was the first but so what? A man named Richard Reed is considered the father of the Ku Klux Klan. The very first klansman. Do we have any reason to celebrate him?

Sweetback is basically about a guy who escapes unfair imprisonment and gets out of being captured one way or another, usually by **** white women and bringing them to multiple orgasms with his enormous black schlong and they would protect him somehow and prevent him from being caught by THE MAN. For the first time in cinema, a black man was the "hero" and triumphant in the end. Sorry about the spoilers but, although it was groundbreaking for it's time, "Sweetback", to me, was nothing more than a macho spotlight on the myth of black male sexual prowess. As far as a benchmark concerning black and white relations, I'd guess if you searched long and hard enough, you could probably find some porn from that period with the same sexual storyline more or less.

And as a sidebar, Melvin Van Peebles, the writer, director and star of "Sweetback" supposedly caught a nasty case of the clap while filming that movie. So there.

I'm white. When you are suppressed the first thing you are going to do is throw whatever you can in the face of those that have given you a hard time.

Black men have huge.........things.

Women love huge "things". White women included, ALL women.

At the time black men had less control of their enviroment and they were pissed. So naturally they used whatever they had to piss off "The Man" witch is their big things in a white woman.

Thats just reality.

I had a black girlfriend. I have a average size thing. All the black guys were mad. It's all about the same thing, Somebody from another race with "our" Wemon. F#@k'em it's happening.

Melvin Van Peebles clawed his way to the end of this mission against the odds. Thank god for this kind of artist.

He spoke in front of a university of filmakers on TV about what he went through and what young film makers black and white will have to face in society......

and you bring up that he got the clap!!!!!!!

As if that dicredits him???

Richard Reed is the same as Melvin Van Peebles yet he insisted on a multi racial crew?

F$#@ you.

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Amigo wrote:

Black men have huge.........things.

I just wanted to say that this, is a mythical generality (I speak from experience and comparison enough), But i understand the USEFULNESS of it as tool in that movie...which I haven't seen.

But, I wonder if there could be made at some time not long after that if there are any benchmark sort of films made that probably expressed that anger at oppression in a less physical manner. After all, we did start off this discussion by trying to help littlek find films for a classroom. Yes, for she herself to watch, but for classroom purposes as well.

And, I've noticed a few posts of Eoe, and I think that she knows "he had the clap" isn't a discredit to Mr. Van Peebles. Let's all try to stay above the 5th grade level here, otherwise we're really very little help to littlek.

(i am stepping off my stool now, and putting it away)

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I'm not good at being sophisticated and I can't very well argue with a black women on the size of "things".

But what I said don't change for me.

SEE BADAAAASS

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