Select a film from the M3 Race Performances Movie Selections page and describe how the actor’s performance reveals aspects of the character’s confrontation with racial prejudice. There are some classic movies on the list, but I’ve added a few new films including three biopics: Hidden Figures, showing the issues facing three African-American female engineers at NASA in the early days of the space program, and two movies about the development of gangsta rap in the 80s and 90s, Straight Outta Compton and All Eyez on Me. Jason Mitchell gives a tremendous performance as Easy-E in SOC and O’Shea Jackson, the son of the rapper Ice Cube, plays his own father. Demetrius Shipp Jr. had never acted before he was cast to play the iconic star Tupac Shakur in All Eyez on Me. The pressure must have been tremendous, but his acting and performance on the concert stage and in the studio is astonishing. What do the characters and the story tell us about culture, race, law enforcement and violence? These issues resonate today. District 9, another option, is a unique film that portrays aliens treated with bigotry and hostility by all races in 1980s South Africa. You may not review the required film Fruitvale Station for this assignment since it is covered in the quiz. Please avoid extensively summarizing the plot at the expense of analyzing the actor’s performance. (200 words) Please place your name and the word count on the top left of your essay.
Please remember the peer review policy and wait for your peers to be assigned. Your peers will be assigned no later than 9 am after the deadline, then I will run the tool to assign peers randomly during the two-day grace period. Therefore, there will be no peer assignments upon request. There will be no peers assigned within two hours of the expiration of the grace period. You must keep checking if you submit late in order to find your peers. You will have the two-day grace period to complete your peer reviews. You should be able to see your peers when you click on the assignment after they have been assigned.
film list
Here is your first set of videos to choose from for your Film Response assignment. You will select one of the following videos from this page to watch.
Currently most of the movies default to the YouTube links. However many of them are also available on one or more of the following platforms:
Dr. Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.
In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, defies major league baseball’s notorious color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team. The heroic act puts both Rickey and Robinson in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. Facing open racism from all sides, Robinson demonstrates true courage and admirable restraint by not reacting in kind and lets his undeniable talent silence the critics for him.
In this satirical take on Westerns, crafty railroad worker Bart (Cleavon Little) becomes the first black sheriff of Rock Ridge, a frontier town about to be destroyed in order to make way for a new railroad. Initially, the people of Rock Ridge harbor a racial bias toward their new leader. However, they warm to him after realizing that Bart and his perpetually drunk gunfighter friend (Gene Wilder) are the only defense against a wave of thugs sent to rid the town of its population.
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon’s life forever.
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth — not to conquer or give aid, but — to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens’ welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent (Sharlto Copley) contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
Pregnant by her own father for the second time, 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) can neither read nor write and suffers constant abuse at the hands of her vicious mother (Mo’Nique). Precious instinctively sees a chance to turn her life around when she is offered the opportunity to transfer to an alternative school. Under the patient, firm guidance of her new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins the journey from oppression to self-determination.
Retrieved from IMDB with instructor’s comments added. (Available on iTunes, Google Play, YouTube)
An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids’ point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. This film features three actors who were nominated for awards in 2017: Emma Stone (La La Land), Viola Davis (Fences) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures). Read why Viola Davis regrets playing the part for which she was nominated for an Oscar: Viola Davis regrets acting in The Help (Links to an external site.).
Retrieved from IMDB with instructor’s comments added. (Available on Amazon Prime)
Hidden Figures features outstanding performances as three African-American women working for NASA in the early days of the space program confront prejudice. Based on a true story of a mathematician, computer programmer and aeronautical engineer.
Available on iTunes, Amazon Video
In 1988, a groundbreaking new group revolutionizes music and pop culture, changing and influencing hip-hop forever. N.W.A’s first studio album, “Straight Outta Compton,” stirs controversy with its brutally honest depiction of life in Southern Los Angeles. With guidance from veteran manager Jerry Heller, band members Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren navigate their way through the industry, acquiring fame, fortune and a place in history.
Available on iTunes and Amazon Video. Netflix on DVD. Available soon on HBO.
The true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur (Demetrius Shipp Jr.), from his early days in New York to his status as one of the world’s most recognized and influential voices. Against all odds, Shakur’s raw talent, powerful lyrics and revolutionary mindset establish him as a cultural icon whose legacy continues to grow long after his death.
Available on iTunes and Amazon Video.
Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) makes his living as a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when the major leagues began admitting black athletes. Bitter over his missed opportunity, Troy creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son’s (Jovan Adepo) chance to meet a college football recruiter.
Available on iTunes and Amazon Video.
When Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn) are wealthy liberals who must confront the latent racism the coming marriage arouses. Also attending the Draytons’ dinner are Prentice’s parents (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)
When traveling African-American handyman Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) stops by a farm in rural Arizona, he is welcomed by a group of Roman Catholic nuns who have emigrated from Germany. Realizing that the farm needs a lot of work, Homer takes on a number of repair projects for the women, who are led by the headstrong Mother Maria (Lilia Skala). Impressed by Homer’s kindness and strong work ethic, the nuns come to believe that he has been sent by God to help build them a chapel.
