School Daze By Spike Lee And Julie Dash

The classical Hollywood musical can be characterized by elaborate song and dance numbers. In the past famous musicals only featured a white and wealthy cast which led to racist and sexist stereotypes. Filmmakers, Spike Lee and Julie Dash both use elements of the classical Hollywood musical in their films to critique black representation in Hollywood Films. Lee’s film School Daze features a range of musical styles, like Hip Hop, R&B and her uses this music as well as the musical performances as a means of exploring the diverse perspectives and experiences of black people. Similarly, in Illusions Julie Dash decided to replace the classic element of Hollywood musical with her choice of sound to create a dreamlike atmosphere. For example, the dubbing scene had multiple gazes with Esther as the real singer, the other woman lip-synching and the dubbing process happening at the same time. Dash is illustrating

This film critiques the Hollywood system for its limited representation of people of color as well as the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. In the dubbing sequence, Dash calls to attention the technique of dubbing where a white woman is dubbed by a black woman. This stylistic choice uses dubbing as a metaphor to represent black invisibility. Furthermore, the film shows how Mignon’s experiences are shaped by both her race and gender. Even though she is forced to hide her true identity and pass as a white woman in order to succeed in the film industry, illustrates the complexity of navigating her racial identity in a society that values whiteness above everything else. There is an overwhelming pressure to conform to white beauty standards. It is also clear that not only was she black, but she was a woman, and the Hollywood industry is often shaped by the perspectives of white men, with little to no regard to the perspectives of women and women of