Sunday, September 14, 2014

Three Questions

1.At the very end of the chapter 3 of William's book, she concludes that the film The Birth of A Nation reshaped the popular entertainment. As she writes that " the negrophilia of the Tom melodrama was overturned by the negrophobia of anti-Tom" and "these tow traditions, so antithetical in their racial sympathies, are deeply implicated in one another" (William, 17). How would you response (or give another example of Tom and anti-Tom) to this claim using detailed explanation or examples.

2.On page 40, Williams mentions that" Titanic can be seen to observe much the same deployment of realism in the interest of melodrama". Can you analyze the film Titanic that if it has the "five main features of melodrama" (27) concluded by Williams? And how would you response to the claim that" melodrama has been classified in film studies as a sentimental genre for women" consider the film Titanic?

3. In the video Mickey's Mellerdrammer cow uses a special bottle of liquid to make its face dark and one Mickey uses a fire cracker to dye his face. William also mentioned that in the film The Birth of A Nation white actors use makeup to pretend be black. How would to response to this performing method?  

1 comment:

  1. Answer to Question 3:

    This is a form of theatrical makeup called the “blackface”. It is an important performance tradition that gained popularity during the 19th century. White performers in the past used burnt cork and later greasepaint or shoe polish to blacken their skin. They also dressed in wooly wigs or ragged clothes to complete the transformation. I think this performing method is more of less offensive because it magnifies the stereotypes for black people, starting from their appearance, and that the black people’s actions are displayed probably not entirely authentic through the eyes of white people. However, the blackface technique is crucial to the understanding of the class and race that are opposite to one’s own.

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