Manthia Diawara’s “Black Spectatorship: Problems of Identification and Resistance”, discuss the problematic issue on the way Afro-American characters specifically male roles are portrayed to film audience. Diawara focuses on the lack of theoretical perspectives addressing the way stereotypical black roles and traits were encouraged through early Hollywood cinema. These roles provided a negative and offensive portrayal of the African American while also encouraging and glorifying racism such as obvious films like D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation”. Diawara examines the film's ability to successfully deliver through mis-en-scene which becomes a representation of the white supremacist militia group the Ku-Klux-Klan as heroes who were
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What becomes interesting when discussing Spike Lee’s “School Daze” is his capability to create a representation of different personalities that are accustomed to tropes that were common in most 80’s historical black colleges. Lee provides a fresh representation of the educated black man that does not play into the cliché images that viewers were accustomed to are constantly repeated during this period of black film making. School Daze raised a newly found perspective on a pivotal issue with intertwining difference point of views of an environment. The film shows us positive and disagreeable representation while remaining relatable and acceptable and possessing a jarring yet genuine perspective. The movie becomes diegetic when determining who is the most positive influential figure of the well-rounded black man, what he should look, act and feel. There are several aspects of cinema the director relies on to deliver his message to the audience. In the opening scene the viewers are introduced to the lead male actor Laurence Fishburne who plays Dap. The first longshot captures from overhead, …show more content…
Lee uses this powerful camera shot technique to narrate the knowledge and charisma the political figure possess that can be compared to late African American influential and powerful figures such as Malcolm X who is more aggressive with action and Martin Luther King Jr. who is passive but extremely influential verbally. Dap opens the film explaining the college population through a megaphone the importance of the other historical colleges who financially help support the fight against the Apartheid epidemic in South, Africa, as well as learning more about the severity of the people who are suffering and dying during this worthy cause. This scene becomes specifically important when a popular fraternity Greek called Gamma Phi Gamma are introduced. What Lee does is uses Mise-en-scene by literally making the actors become props, they verbally and physically start to display the issues that Dap spoke about through their oblivious actions. Viewers are given an opposing representation that may not appear accepting. Lee is capable of creating a character who is not your stereotypical 80’s role, such as the gang member or drug dealer and still addresses societal issues that are relatable to the viewer in a digestive manner where there still a sense of respect and understanding the antagonist character. The Gamma pledges are on chains and
What becomes interesting when discussing Spike Lee’s “School Daze” is his capability to create a representation of different personalities that are accustomed to tropes that were common in most 80’s historical black colleges. Lee provides a fresh representation of the educated black man that does not play into the cliché images that viewers were accustomed to are constantly repeated during this period of black film making. School Daze raised a newly found perspective on a pivotal issue with intertwining difference point of views of an environment. The film shows us positive and disagreeable representation while remaining relatable and acceptable and possessing a jarring yet genuine perspective. The movie becomes diegetic when determining who is the most positive influential figure of the well-rounded black man, what he should look, act and feel. There are several aspects of cinema the director relies on to deliver his message to the audience. In the opening scene the viewers are introduced to the lead male actor Laurence Fishburne who plays Dap. The first longshot captures from overhead, …show more content…
Lee uses this powerful camera shot technique to narrate the knowledge and charisma the political figure possess that can be compared to late African American influential and powerful figures such as Malcolm X who is more aggressive with action and Martin Luther King Jr. who is passive but extremely influential verbally. Dap opens the film explaining the college population through a megaphone the importance of the other historical colleges who financially help support the fight against the Apartheid epidemic in South, Africa, as well as learning more about the severity of the people who are suffering and dying during this worthy cause. This scene becomes specifically important when a popular fraternity Greek called Gamma Phi Gamma are introduced. What Lee does is uses Mise-en-scene by literally making the actors become props, they verbally and physically start to display the issues that Dap spoke about through their oblivious actions. Viewers are given an opposing representation that may not appear accepting. Lee is capable of creating a character who is not your stereotypical 80’s role, such as the gang member or drug dealer and still addresses societal issues that are relatable to the viewer in a digestive manner where there still a sense of respect and understanding the antagonist character. The Gamma pledges are on chains and