From humiliation black-faced minstrelsy and racist representations in the Birth of a Nation Silent Era To the blockbuster Heroism of Black Panther in the Marvel era, the MGM+ documentary series Hollywood Black (inspired by cinema historyrian Donald Bogle’s book) is a haunting, fascinating and provocative Cultural criticism. “I want us to work towards the reconquest of our country in the so-called entertainment industry,” says moderatorDirector Justin Simien (Dear White).
In four jam-packed episodes full of science and opinion, he is both professor and superfan. We see Simien screening classic and contemporary clips with filmmakers including PantherRyan Coogler and SelmaAva DuVernay celebrates breakthroughs and laments the challenges of meaningful continuation when black people are excluded from the tools of production and distribution. (Example: Halle Berry’s career after her historic Oscar win in 2001 as Best Actress in Monster Ball.)
No icon is ignored, whether as current as Denzel Washington and Viola Davis or as legendary as the groundbreaking legacy of Sidney “They call me Mr. Tibbs” Poitier. “He won an Oscar (for 1963 Lilies in the fieldthe first black actor to win in this category). He should have won a Nobel Peace Prize “He changed the perception of black people on a global level,” enthuses director Reginald Hudlin, adding: “He changed the perception of black people on a global level.” Attention is also being paid to Hattie McDaniel, the first black actress to win an Oscar, as Mammy in the problematic Gone with the wind, a triumph marred by the humiliation of not being able to sit with her co-stars because the ceremony’s ballroom was racially segregated and reserved for whites only.
The series traces the arc of black films, starting from a time when the scenes of the glamorous singer and actress Lena Horne for southern audiences in the 1940s, and she was cast as biracial Julie in MGM’s 1951 remake of Show boat in favor of the decidedly non-biracial Ava Gardner. “It’s easier to put makeup on someone than to actually let them be in their skin,” muses Evil Star Cynthia Erivo. In the 1970s Pam Grier rose to fame as an action heroine and was praised for “bigger than life at once when black women were considered invisible,” says Lena Waithe.
The series brings context to popular genres such as blaxploitation from the 1970s, Hip-hop influenced “hood movies” and hit films aimed at a female audience, epitomized by the 1995 all-star hit Waiting to exhaleIn appreciation of the entire work of filmmaker Spike Lee, Simien Lees Do the right thing as “the first time I really realized that cinema is our heritage.”
With this exciting overview he complements this rich history.
Hollywood BlackDocumentary Sseries Premere, Sunday, 11 August 10/9c, MGM+
