Final Paper

Characteristics and Social Significance of Black Female Characters in Films Directed by African American Directors from the 1960s to the Mid-1980s 

 

Introduction

In the United States from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, racial issues were on the verge of struggle and innovation due to unprecedented tensions. The black community's pursuit of freedom and rights was expressed and appealed to in various forms, and under such a social foundation, films and television productions with the theme of racial issues caused great repercussions because of the visual effects and sound effects. Among them, there are many black female characters with their excellent characterization and charisma in the film works to attract the audience's attention. They may serve as important guides in the plot, or reflect the real experiences of real black women. These creations and characters were born in a time of inequality and were tinged with politics. While there was sadness, chaos and riots in those times, there was also an awakening of people's minds and a wellspring of artistic creativity. Using the classic characters as part of the record to study and research the experiences and contributions of black women in this history and culture, the group's goals and struggles are better understood in the context of the strong emotions of the story.

 

As people often say, art comes from life but is higher than life, and the characters that appear on the screen, as part of the artistic product, are naturally related to the real prototypes, but are more typical and dramatic, existing as representatives of a universal phenomenon or a combination of multiple identities. Therefore, a comparison of the differences and commonalities between similar characters can help to provide a more precise direction for the study of people in a certain period. Although there may be artistic exaggerations in film and television productions, both in terms of interpretation and editing. However, a comparison from the perspective of history and culture can still serve as an important and perspective historical reference material.

 

The unique expressive power and focus of female characters

Due to their biological makeup and social environment, women usually think and feel differently than men, regardless of race and age, and only from a gender perspective. This difference is such that even when faced with the same social issues, women may think in different details and perspectives than men. However, in the male-dominated mainstream culture, women's ideas and feelings have been buried in the public eye for a long time, or have only been shown in a way that is limited by the conventional ideas. Because of this, in films or artworks, under the influence of the gender needs division of patriarchal society, men tend to need to focus more on social status, employment environment and self-actualization, while women are more sensitive to family atmosphere, neighborhood relations and marital emotions. Such dominant areas allow female characters in artworks to be frequently used to express themes such as family reunion and delicate emotions, which, while different from the grand social topics men usually represent, are equally integral ways of understanding culture and history at different levels. But even under this style and tendency, the female characters and their expressions in the film do not lose their passionate indictment of reality and their strong pursuit of the ideal of freedom, they are also the existence that shows the unyielding and resistance of human nature, and also have the same unique and subtle understanding of this grand world and social issues. In Spike Lee's comedy film, She's Gotta Have It, the heroine Nola enjoys the freedom to choose her own sexuality, highlighting women's sense of independence in their relationships, by differentiating from the traditional concept of love and sex. The same plot would not be shocking if it were applied to a male character, as it is a common phenomenon. It is because it has never been recognized that women can also have more freedom and self-choice in such relationships and emotions, without having to follow society's established behavioral or moral codes for women. And by awakening to this awareness, they will bring a richer and more unique set of emotions to the community.

 

Racial issues coexist with gender issues

Racial discrimination and related intolerance in American society, and the injustices suffered by its victims, are well known. Particularly during the 1960s to mid-1980s, a period of tumultuous and anxious transition for the Black community, a groundbreaking awakening of Black consciousness pushed racial issues to the forefront of social attention. But it was during this period of racial anxiety and change that the more disadvantaged conditions faced by women around the world could not be ignored. While race is one cause of inequality and gender is another, they are not mutually exclusive forms of discrimination. In fact, they often intersect, leading to compound or double discrimination. For even without taking race into account, statistics based on the state of the world's women show that women still have a long way to go to achieve equality with men. This leaves women who have race issues in the mix who often suffer more harm and injustice. For many women, multiple factors related to their social identity, such as race, color, ethnicity and national origin, become "disparities that make a difference. These factors may create problems that are specific to particular groups of women or may affect some women disproportionately compared to others. The double burden of gender and racial discrimination and the associated discrimination becomes even more pronounced when a woman's race is also counted as an attribute in her society. In Daughters of the Dust, the first feature film directed by an African-American woman, Julie Dash creates a soft, languid cinematic pace while investing unique detail and ingenuity in the images and plot. The plot uses a circular narrative structure to represent the past, present and future of three generations of Gullah women. The central focus of the plot is on these women living in a backward environment, who are prevented from pursuing a better and free future by the pressures and burdens of tradition. It is not only the racial issues that bring about the difficulties with the new world, such as the employment environment at the bottom of the labor market, which is reflected in the more serious poverty problems of women. There is also the issue of family and emotional issues and choices.

 

Realistic portrayal of women in film and television

Even during difficult times in history and in the face of multiple and intersecting dilemmas, a large number of outstanding black women artists have emerged with an inclusive and unique perspective on humanity, politics and art. They have distinguished themselves from and even surpassed the conventional creations of some male artists by reflecting their own experiences and delicate perceptions into their works. The resulting artworks also provide new perspectives and viewpoints for the historical record and innovative research contributions to the social and cultural environment, including aesthetics, sociology and anthropology. The black female characters that appear in film and television are partly created by these black female artists, directors and screenwriters as an outlet for their personal perspectives, as an expression of their choices and pursuits in such multiple identities. The other part exists as a work of art with original image design, using more vivid and infectious dramatic characters to tell stories that reflect reality, in order to touch and reflect everyone who sees them. In the romantic comedy Watermelon Woman, filmmaker Cheryl Dunye plays the female lead herself and says much of the character she plays in the film comes from her own story and experiences. This milestone in American history of queer cinema takes the protagonist's persistence and ideals and explores her need to cross the triple barriers of race, sexual orientation and gender simultaneously, as well as the bold intersection of race, class and sexuality, in a light-hearted and enjoyable drama. And ultimately Dunye expresses her never-say-die and wisdom in the face of these dilemmas that she will actually encounter in reality, and is a voice on behalf of black lesbian awareness.

 

Conclusion

In the decades following this particular period, the foundation laid by these excellent and groundbreaking works led to the emergence of more and more black female characters in films from all over the world today. They show their rich personalities and unique talents in different settings, and show their choices and persistence in different fields and plots. The representation of these characters is a reflection of the reality of black women from a particular perspective, and a positive and active way to promote the reality of race and gender issues, greatly enhancing people's acceptance of the diversity of these characters. Although there are still unavoidable stereotypes in the mainstream public scripts, I believe that with the continuous attention and correction of audiences and creators, the role of black women in films will definitely be more in the center of public attention. In the meantime, it will help to showcase and promote the plot, and at the same time, make a positive impact on improving the intersectional social problems faced by black women in reality.

 

References

Godfrey, M.& Biswas, A. (2021). The Soul of a Nation Reader. Gregory R. Miller. ISBN: 9781941366325

 

Du, S. Ye, A. & Wang, J. (2014). The Relationship between Female Anger Expression and Self-esteem, Interpersonal Intimacy and Depression Relationships.Journal of Educational Psychology. Retrieved from http://epbulletin.epc.ntnu.edu.tw/upload/journal/prog/d1d3b3b9_20180330.pdf

 

World Conference Against Racism. (2001). At the Crossroads of Gender and Racial Discrimination. Racism against Indigenous peoples

Multi-ethnic States & the Protection of Minority Rights. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/WCAR/e-kit/gender.htm

 

Valentine, V. L. (2021). Black Female Artists Who Got Their Start in 1960s and 70s are Focus of Two Group Exhibitions in New York. Retrieved from https://www.culturetype.com/2021/07/31/black-female-artists-who-got-their-start-in-1960s-and-70s-are-focus-of-two-group-exhibitions-in-new-york/

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