In this paper, I will be comparing two films of such a topic. The first film is one we watched in class entitled Bamboozled by Spike Lee, and the second film is a film I watched on my own entitled Black and White, which was written and directed by James Toback. .
Bamboozled is a very well made film by Spike Lee that emphasizes on the television industry. It focuses on how corrupt and distorted mass media's image of black people is. This film makes a mockery of television by having Pierre Delaquox (played by Damon Waynes), a black writer for a major television network; write a show that is so demeaning and outrageously racist to prove his point that the only way white people want to see black people in television shows is as buffoons. He was right. The show, The Mantan Millennium Minstrel Show, focuses on two unlucky black males who live in an Alabama watermelon patch, Mantan and Sleepandeat (Sleep-and-Eat). The two characters are portrayed in the most racist way possible. What was the response to this show? The network, and television community loved it. Delaquox is in shock and outraged at first, but the show's success soon blinds him to even his own morals as a black male. The critics gave Delaquox numerous awards for his work in writing/creating the idea for the show. This just shows the lack of morals in the television industry. A group of underground rappers called the Mow Mows don't agree with the show and decide to kidnap Mantan and kill him. The main theme of this film is showing how racist the television industry really is and focuses on how society looks at black people as entertainment.
The film Black and White in comparison deals more with racism in the recording industry/club scene, but also focuses on white middle class teens looking at it being cool to be black. From the opening scene of the movie, I could tell that this would be an interesting movie. The film starts out with two white upper class school girls in the middle of the woods engaging in sexual activity with a black recording artist with the words "Daddy's little girl" being said over and over again in the background.
