ipl-logo

Essay On Race Disparity In Film

1711 Words7 Pages

The United States of America, a country known as the “melting pot”, has a population of citizens that make up a plethora of ethnicities and races. Despite the fact that nearly half of Americans are— in fact— minorities, it does not translate into past or modern-American film. Race—both now and in the past—has been controversial in Hollywood films and screenwriting. There is a great disparity of minorities in all areas of Hollywood from acting to producing, directing, editing, and critiquing. From the very beginning, Hollywood’s depiction of race has been extremely controversial. Most actors, actress, directors, producers, critics, and composers are still white, with only a very minute amount of minorities being represented. There is a severe …show more content…

Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show, which depicts the antiquated American (and international) entertainment practice of minstrel shows, is evidence that there has been a race discrepancy in films/screenplays for centuries. The use of blackface back then and the underrepresentation of minorities in film nowadays are both evidences of the overall misrepresentation of all minorities in Hollywood. Outright satirical films (Bamboozled) strive to mock the disparity, but oftentimes fall short and enter a territory where they [the satirical films], themselves, become marginalizing and racist. Other popular films like Pulp Fiction unintentionally fall victim to racist elements throughout the characters and plotlines. The underrepresentation of minorities in Hollywood can clearly be seen throughout films and screenplays. And while Pulp Fiction is said to be set in a post-racism society, there are racist undertones which leads audiences to question whether a “post-racist” society will ever truly exist. While two vastly different films, Bamboozled and Pulp Fiction both serve to remind audiences of the racism that still stands both in America and in

Open Document