Synopses & Reviews
In Hollywood, we hear, itandrsquo;s all about the money. Itandrsquo;s a ready explanation for why so few black films get madeandmdash;no crossover appeal, no promise of a big payoff.and#160; But what if the money itself is color-coded?and#160; What if the economics that governs film production is so skewed that no film by, about, or for people of color will ever look like a worthy investment unless it follows specific racial or gender patterns?and#160; This, Monica Ndounou shows us, is precisely the case.and#160; In a work as revealing about the culture of filmmaking as it is about the distorted economics of African American film, Ndounou clearly traces the insidious connections between history, content, and cash in black films.
How does history come into it?and#160; Hollywoodandrsquo;s reliance on past performance as a measure of potential success virtually guarantees that historically underrepresented, underfunded, and undersold African American films devalue the future prospects of black films.and#160; So the cycle continues as it has for nearly a century.and#160; Behind the scenes, the numbers are far from neutral.and#160; Analyzing the onscreen narratives and off-screen circumstances behind nearly two thousand films featuring African Americans in leading and supporting roles, including such recent productions as Bamboozled, Beloved, and Tyler Perryandrsquo;s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Ndounou exposes the cultural and racial constraints that limit not just the production but also the expression and creative freedom of black films. Her wide-ranging analysis reaches into questions of literature, language, speech and dialect, film images and narrative, acting, theater and film business practices, production history and financing, and organizational history.
By uncovering the ideology behind profit-driven industry practices that reshape narratives by, about, and for people of color, this provocative work brings to light existing limitationsandmdash;and possibilities for reworking stories and business practices in theater, literature, and film.
Review
andquot;Anyone hoping to accelerate the current momentum in black cinema, develop new models of production and distribution, or simply gain a better understanding of how race impacts business decisions in Hollywood, should consult Ndounouandrsquo;s well-researched book.andquot;
Review
andquot;Ndounou compiles a phenomenal archive to diagnose and guide possibilities for the development of un-segregated, internationally viable Black film liberated from structural restraints that endorse racism and curtail creative freedom.andquot;
Review
andquot;Ndounou provides a comprehensive examination of African American filmmakersand#39; experience in producing, distributing, and marketing economically profitable films in the Hollywood cinema industry. and#160;Most compelling is her demonstration of how industry standards make it difficult for black films to generate profits. This thorough, well-researched book is a must read. Highly recommended.andquot;
Synopsis
Why do so many African American film characters seem to have magical powers? And why do they use them only to help white people? When the actors are white, why is the sound track so commonly performed by African Americans? And why do so many white actors imitate black people when they wish to express strong emotion?
As Krin Gabbard brilliantly reveals in Black Magic, we duly recognize the cultural heritage of African Americans in literature, music, and art, but there is a disturbing pattern in the roles that blacks are asked to play-particularly in the movies. Many recent films, including The Matrix, Fargo, The Green Mile, Ghost, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Pleasantville, The Bridges of Madison County, and Crumb, reveal a fascination with black music and sexuality even as they preserve the old racial hierarchies. Quite often the dependence on African American culture remains hidden-although it is almost perversely pervasive. In the final chapters of Black Magic, Gabbard looks at films by Robert Altman and Spike Lee that attempt to reverse many of these widespread trends.
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Synopsis
and#160;Through analysis of the production, funding, and content of thousands of films featuring African Americans in leading and supporting roles, Monica White Ndounou reveals the process of history and film development where race-based economics and the politics of distribution hamstring the making, the expression, and the creative freedom of films about, by, or for people of color.
About the Author
MONICA WHITE NDOUNOU is an associate professor of drama, and affiliate faculty in American Studies and International Literary and Visual Studies at Tufts University.and#160;