Black History in Film

By ALYSON KAUFMAN

There are many different forms of craft to be appreciated during Black History Month. Between literature, poetry and art, the African American community has introduced audiences to black culture. This includes film as well. A good portion of African American characters in movies are often slaves, criminals or victims of racism. But in recent years, portrayal of African Americans in movies has improved. While Hollywood doesn’t always get it right, there are many films that deserve to appreciate during Black History Month.

The Essentials

It’s impossible to discuss movies celebrating African culture without talking about “Black Panther.” The movie tells the story of newly crowned King T’Challa, of the fictional and technologically advanced African Kingdom of Wakanda, preventing his nation from going into war. The film has been specifically praised for its design of the fictional nation, and the brand new culture that the filmmakers were able to create around it.

The 2018 Marvel superhero film impressed audiences worldwide, and even broke some records. According to Box Office Mojo, “Black Panther” is the fourth highest grossing movie of all time domestically, grossing over $700,000 in the United States, and over $1 billion worldwide. Though it’s rare for a comic book movie to receive Academy Awards, “Black Panther” received four wins, and was even nominated for Best Picture in its respective year. The film introduced African culture to wide audience that may not have been exposed to it in a positive light like this before.

You can say tchalla’s character as the black Panther is overhyped, but it will be very shallow of you to say that the Movie ‘Black Panther’ is trash. The movie portrayed the overall sensibilities of the black culture.. Buh as usual, blacks will always look down on blacks.

— Son of the greatest (@FALLOP_G) February 12, 2020

Another widely popular black history movie is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Though today it may be seen as a “white savior” movie, for 1962, it was ahead of its time, and still considered a classic, along with the 1962 novel that it’s based off of. The film won three Academy Awards, and the novel is still in school curriculums to this day. The story has also been adapted into a highly successful Broadway play, as audiences still want to hear this story, even more than 50 years later.

The story is told from the perspective of Scout, the young daughter of Atticus Finch, who is currently defending a black man on trial for false rape allegation. Lisa Kaufman, 50, of River Edge, said, “It’s still relevant today because people are falsely accused of crimes based on their color.”

Another story that continues to be told is the story of Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and also freed hundreds of other. Most recently, the 2019 film, “Harriet,” was released. The film not only made a profit, but received two Oscar nominations for Cynthia Erivo’s performance as Harriet Tubman, as well as Erivo’s original song, “Stand Up,” which was written for the film.

Both new and old, there are films that have told proper stories of African Americans, such as the 1985 critically acclaimed “The Color Purple.” The Stephen Spielberg directed drama stars Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, and Oprah Winfrey. The film tells the story of black woman who is a victim of abuse, and struggles to find her identity. The film was nominated for 11 Oscars and grossed nearly $100,000,000 at the box office.

Representation is important, and as many more African American filmmakers are gaining opportunities in the industry, more stories will be told. Ava DuVernay, an African American writer, director, and producer, is a perfect example of how the film industry is changing for the better. DuVernay has written and produced award winning shows such as When They See Us and Queen Sugar, as well as directed the successful Martin Luther King Jr. drama, “Selma,” along with Oscar nominated documentary, “13th.”

For now, it is important to look at the African American representation that we have. “I think it is important for the stories to be told for those it happened to, for the kids and grandkids and great grandkids of those who were mistreated, and the mistreated themselves,” Elita Goyer, 20, a film student said.