Black Masculinity on Film [electronic resource] : Native Sons and White Lies /
O'Brien, Daniel.author.
This book provides wide-ranging commentary on depictions of the black male in mainstream cinema. O'Brien explores the extent to which counter-representations of black masculinity have been achieved within a predominately white industry, with an emphasis on agency, the negotiation and malleability of racial status, and the inherent instability of imposed racial categories. Focusing on American and European cinema, the chapters  highlight actors (Woody Strode, Noble Johnson, Eddie Anderson, Will Smith), genres (jungle pictures, westerns, science fiction) and franchises (Tarzan, James Bond) underrepresented in previous critical and scholarly commentary in the field. The author argues that although the characters and performances generated in these areas invoke popular genre types, they display complexity, diversity and ambiguity, exhibiting aspects that are positive, progressive and subversive. This book will appeal to both the academic and the general reader interested in film, race, gender and colonial issues. Daniel O'Brien is Lecturer at the University of Southampton. He is a writer and historian in film studies and a film tutor in Medical Humanities. His recent publications include Classical Masculinity and the Spectacular Body on Film: The Mighty Sons of Hercules (Palgrave Macmillan 2014).
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
This book provides wide-ranging commentary on depictions of the black male in mainstream cinema. O'Brien explores the extent to which counter-representations of black masculinity have been achieved within a predominately white industry, with an emphasis on agency, the negotiation and malleability of racial status, and the inherent instability of imposed racial categories. Focusing on American and European cinema, the chapters  highlight actors (Woody Strode, Noble Johnson, Eddie Anderson, Will Smith), genres (jungle pictures, westerns, science fiction) and franchises (Tarzan, James Bond) underrepresented in previous critical and scholarly commentary in the field. The author argues that although the characters and performances generated in these areas invoke popular genre types, they display complexity, diversity and ambiguity, exhibiting aspects that are positive, progressive and subversive. This book will appeal to both the academic and the general reader interested in film, race, gender and colonial issues. Daniel O'Brien is Lecturer at the University of Southampton. He is a writer and historian in film studies and a film tutor in Medical Humanities. His recent publications include Classical Masculinity and the Spectacular Body on Film: The Mighty Sons of Hercules (Palgrave Macmillan 2014).
Introduction -- The Natives Are Still Restless : Black Representation in Whitened Africa from Tarzan to Mandela -- A King Among Bit Players : Noble Johnson and the Art of Racial Ambiguity -- Also Known as Rochester : Eddie Anderson, Black Stardom and World War II -- Tall and Black in the Saddle : How African-American Cowboys Rode Out of the Shadows and into the Sunset -- Due Afro-Americani a Roma : John Kitzmiller, Woody Strode and Remoulding Stereotypes in Italian Popular Cinema -- Bond and Blackness : Challenging Racial Schism in the 007 Universe -- Leaving the Overlook : Black heroism and white nightmare in The Shining -- Saving the World for White Folks? : Will Smith Racialises Science Fiction as Black Man and Man in Black -- Bibliography -- Index of Names -- Index of Titles.
African Americans.
Motion pictures-United States.
Motion pictures-European influences.
Racism in the social sciences.
Culture.
Gender.
African American Culture.
American Cinema and TV.
European Cinema and TV.
Sociology of Racism.
Culture and Gender.