Lights, Camera, Friction: Racism in Film

Perhaps the most racist film ever made, The Birth of a Nation, was released in 1915. The film recounted the events that created the Ku Klux Klan, and did so through a horrifyingly warped view of history. While it was praised by some audiences at the time, The Birth of a Nation has sunk into obscurity due to its blatant and disgusting levels of racism. Less controversial was 1939's Gone With the Wind, which despite popularity at the time has since been acknowledged by many to glorify slavery. In the 1970's with the rise of the exploitation film genre, the African American community began producing their own films. While many enjoyed these "blaxploitation" films like Super Fly, Black Caesar, or Coffy, others disliked the films for their often stereotypical portrayal of African Americans. The Academy Award winning film, The Deer Hunter, released in 1978, sparked controversy for portraying Vietnamese people as being sadistic, showing Vietnamese soldiers forcing American prisoners to play russian roulette. Throughout their history, Disney has released many films that contained racially insensitive material. Their 1946 film, Song of the South, was and continues to be denounced for its negative portrayal of African Americans. In 1992, many Muslims denounced the film Aladdin for its stereotypical portrayal of people of the Islamic faith. The latest controversy has come only last year with complaints about stereotyping in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. In 2004, Crash became one of the first films to deal with racial issues without sparking any sort of controversy. Crash hopefully will lead a stride of new films to deal with race fairly and honestly instead of hiding behind stereotypes.