AFR 185/SOC 214: Prof. Bruno's Classes: Film

In this article, the authors look into the inspirational movie, "Akeelah and the Bee," a film about an African-American who goes against all odds to achieve success in grand proportions. Described as an "inspirational family film" and a "successful feel-good movie" (Turan, 2006), "Akeelah and the Bee" proved inspirational to many viewers, as it highlighted Akeelah's intellect, tenacity, and determination to ultimately win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. While this movie seems innocent enough, the authors perform a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Huckin, 1995) of this movie to expose what they perceive as numerous racial overtones, undertones, and more particularly, several racist discourses that underpin and permeate the entire storyline to construct African-Americans in terms of deficiencies, abnormalities, and disfunctionalities.

The article discusses the biographical film "42" about African American professional baseball player Jackie Robinson which is scheduled to debut in theaters on April 12, 2013, and it also examines a reported decline in the number of blacks who play baseball. Professional baseball outfielder Curtis Granderson states that the costs associated with youth baseball are keeping many inner-city kids from participating in the sport. Chicago White Sox baseball team owner Jerry Reinsdorf is mentioned.

Charles Burnett, award-winning filmmaker and scriptwriter, creates images on film that reflect African American culture. Burnett's films celebrate the Black familiar and confirm that African American life is symbolically rich with tradition, yet unique and colorful. His films, Killer of Sheep (1977), My Brother's Wedding (1983), To Sleep With Anger (1990), and The Glass Shield (1994), were critically analyzed to determine how his use of creative plots, verbal imagery, and African American cultural traditions serve to depict realistic pictures of African American life on screen. It is clear the images he creates emanate from his experiences, not those created and supported by the Hollywood studio system. He is a gifted narratist and remains true to the tenets of the independent film movement, "The L.A. Rebellion."

The article discusses the social aspects of "The Princess and the Frog," a 2009 Disney animated film, the first to feature an African American princess. The tradition of Disney princesses and the history of racial and social stereotyping in Disney films is discussed, as are popular and critical reactions to the film. The lead character, Tiana, is compared to First Lady Michelle Obama, and every aspect of her characterization, appearance, and behavior in the film are analyzed in light of issues of racial identity in U.S. culture.

e article profiles African American married couple actress Pauletta Washington and actor Denzel Washington, who have been married for 30 years as of 2013. The couple's families, children, and meeting while working on a biographical film about runner Wilma Randolph are discussed, as well as each actor's fame, Christianity, and Denzel's Academy Awards for acting. Pauletta's role in the play "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" and Denzel's film "2 Guns" are also mentioned.