Representations in film of black African-American masculinity at the end of the twentieth century

"Seeing the Nicholas Brothers perform in their first Hollywood film, Kid Millions (1934), also involves a mixture of exhilaration and pain. The mesmerizing spell of the two fine young Black men smoothly gliding in white tails and top hats is spoiled by the entrance of the film's marquee White star, Eddie Cantor, who appears in identical evening wear, but in blackface" (McHenry, 2001, p. 156). Cantor's blackface is in essence a mocking image and it exemplifies early silver screen representations of African-American males. These misrepresentations became synonymous with the negative black male stereotypes, often associated with racism. Stereotypes are resistant to change for two reasons. Firstly, because they have an affective component-consisting of emotional reactions towards the stereotyped object (Aronson, 1997, p. 229), and secondly, because they create a sense of social solidarity (Abercrombie et al, 1994, p. 412). Generally cultural misrepresentation involves stereotyping, which Abercrombie et al define as: "a one-sided, exaggerated and normally prejudicial view of a group, tribe or class of people". While time has moved on, notably punctuated by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, it is worthwhile to examine whether the Hollywood film industry, which has been largely inaccessible to the African-American male has made any significant improvements in its representations of him. In response to this issue this thesis will examine filmic representations of black masculinity at the end of the twentieth century.