Films and books Flashcards
(41 cards)
who wrote gone with the wind and when
Margaret Mitchell, 1936
background to gone with the wind
set clayton county and Atlanta, Georgia during American civil war and reconstruction
southern plantation fiction / ‘Anti-tom’ literature
published during the depression and new deal
background to Margaret mitchell
born in Atlanta and grew up with stories of the civil war from her suffragist mother
plot of gone with the wind
1861 - southern belle, scarlett, lives on tara a large plantation in Georgia
several love stories
civil war begins, Yankees capture tara
after civil war scarlett takes charge of rebuilding tara (against high taxation by northerners)
becomes a shrewd business woman
is attacked by a free a/a and his white companions (is avenged by the kk)
scarlett then returns to tara after Rhett leaves her (daughter dies) and is comforted by her childhood nurse mammy)
how many copies of gone with the wind were printed world wide
30 million
outcry from a/a over gone with the wind
criticised
NAACP attempted to boycott the film
Walter White helped with the director Selznik to play down some of the racism in the film
how does gone with the wind portray the institution of slavery
a benevolent institution
pre-emancipation south is beautiful and idyllic, society functions and slaves are happy
chaos by evil northerners during civil war and reconstruction
slavery quote in gone with the wind
chapter 42
‘slaves were neither miserable nor unfortunate. T he negroes were far better off under slavery than they were now under freedom’
names of the two slaves in gone with the wind
mammy and prissy
how is mammy portrayed in gone with the wind
scarletts a/a nurse close motherly relationship with scarlett never given name / own identity content in her position belongs to the white family uneducated
how is prissy portrayed in gone with the wind
domestic slave stupid squeamish a liar hysterical written as comic relief caricature which reinforces slave owners claims a/a need to be slaves as they cant function on their own
Birth of the nation 1
The Birth of a Nation is widely known as the most controversial film in American history. At the time of the first premiere in 1915 in LA, it was originally called “The Clansmen”. Soon after the first premiere this changed to Birth of a Nation to reflect Griffith’s belief that the US emerged from the American Civil War and Reconstruction as a unified nation. The film portrayed the Civil War with both dramatic and battle scenes and tells the story of two families on either side of the Mason-Dixon line.
Birth of the nation 2
This film was considered a “revolution in American movie going” because it was the first of its kind in many ways. Other American films during the early 1900s were only 1 reel, about 15 minutes long, and only cost a few hundred dollars to make. The Birth of a Nation is 12 reels long, 3 hours long, and it cost $100,000 to produce. Various uses lighting, camera movement, and parallel editing led to multiple breakthroughs in the field of cinematography making it the most profitable film of its time. The film was such a huge deal at the time it was the first film to be shown at the White House.
Birth of the nation why it controversial
As I mentioned before, this film was widely controversial. This film portrayed African Americans as menacing and cruel, while it depicted KKK members as honorable, heroic figures. Civil Rights organization at the time condemned it as racist, and even activists today continue to campaign against the film’s prestigious status. The NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) campaigned to suppress the film heavily and for a period of time after the initial release of the film it was censored in Ohio and Kansas.
Birth of the nation 4
Thomas Dixon Jr. and David Warth Griffith are two men who are credited for the production of the film. The screenplay is adapted from the novel, “The Clansmen” as well as “The Leopards Spots” both written by Dixon. Dixon saw Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a stage adaptation in 1901 during a lecture tour and this was the catalyst for Dixon wanting to tell the “true story” of the South. He hoped to convince Americans generally that the view of the South and of race relations were completely ill founded in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Birth of the nation 5
Dixon’s novel, The Leopard’s Spots, is a sequel to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Tim Shelby reemerges as a leader of the Union League. He is chosen as majority leader of the house of representatives. Alec Haley reappears as a Republican machine. Other characters in the novel are clearly identified as the children of characters created by Stowe.
Birth of the nation 6
D.W Griffith, the director of this play had his own personal bias toward the Southern perspective. He was incredibly upset by the immediate controversy and defended his film as an accurate representation of the events of the civil war. He put in months and months of his time into researching the Civil War period as the film was in production. Griffith was super offended by those who wanted to censor the film that the following year he produced a film called Intolerance that was a huge commercial failure. To wrap up, the whole purpose of this film was to recreate the “master narrative” of Southern history that would challenge Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
To Kill a Mockingbird published
1960; it won a Pulitzer Prize
in 1961. The film was released
in 1962, winning three Golden Globes and three Oscars
Who wrote and/or directed the source?
Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: William Heinemann
What were the main events (and when) in race relations in the USA in the 10 years prior to publication/release?
Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955-6, Montgomery, Alabama
Brown v. Board 1954
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1958
What were the main events during and following the release/publication of the source?
Sit-ins, USA, 1960 Albany, Georgia, 1961 Freedom Rides 1960-1 James Meredith Birmingham, Alabama 1962 March on Washington, D.C., 1963
What is the background and relevant opinions of the source’s author? Why do you think they wrote/made this book/film?
Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father, like Atticus Finch, was a lawyer -and like the plot of the novel, during her childhood a similar trial occurred.
What is it about
Maycomb, Alabama, is struggling during the Great Depression. Jem and Scout Finch are the children of lawyer Atticus, who agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson in a highly publicized rape case. This draws abuse from the racist community. Their cook, Calpurnia, takes Jem and Scout to her black church, a warmer and welcoming group.
A mob tries to lynch Tom, and Atticus faces them down. When the trial begins, Jem and Scout sit with the reverend of the church.
The evidence is clear that the case is false and the accuser is lying; the young woman involved, Mayella, had kissed Tom and lied to her father when caught. Despite this, the all-white jury finds Tom guilty, and when Tom tries to escape from prison he is shot dead.
Throughout the book, Jem and Scout have been trying to investigate their neighbour in the “Radley Place”, who has not been seen for years. When they are attacked as a result of Atticus’ defence of Tom Robinson, Boo Radley – their silent and unseen neighbour – rescues them.
Which scenes/extracts from the source’s content are of specific use to someone studying race relations 1850-2009 and why?
The court case is a clear reference to the injustice of the legal system in the 1930s. Although it is obvious that Tom is innocent, the all-white jury finds him guilty.
“I ain’t never seen any jury decide in favour of a coloured man over a white man…”
A great variety of Southern views are referenced throughout the book – many are outright opposed to equal rights, but others such as Atticus disagree.
“…but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.”
“Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro.” “I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right…”
“Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too.”
Atticus’ frankness about race relations and his liberal stance give an idea of the white moderate view of the time, though in the minority in the community:
“Atticus says cheatin’ a coloured man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man.”
