African American Stereotypes in Film

            It is hard to believe what a powerful effect Hollywood and movies in general can have on the way people view or perceive things. A simple movie can pretty much embed any kind of message they want into a persons’ perception of the way things are. If that person watching the movie has little or no knowledge of the subject at hand, they can be tricked into believing whatever is presented in the movie. Because of this simple way of causing the viewer to believe whatever is presented, comes the use of stereotyping in film. Stereotypes have probably been around since the beginning of time, but film has used it as a powerful tool to create ideas about a certain race based on the characteristics they display within the movie. We can date these stereotypes about a certain race all the way back to the earliest films. There are many different stereotypes about everything you can possibly think of. However, the stereotypes that I am going to focus on are the African American stereotypes presented in American films.

            Even before the earliest films, there were Blackface montages that over exaggerated certain traits and characteristics of some African Americans. When I say some, I don’t mean that all African Americans acted the way they were presented in the Blackface montages. On the contrary, the majority of African Americans during that time did not even act at all the way they were portrayed. In fact, these shows made an emphasis on making African Americans look ridiculous. They contained white people that painted their faces black and attempted to emulate the way African Americans acted during that time.  Many of the same stereotypes that were used in the Blackface montages carried on into film. Just like the Blackface montages, the early films still used white people dressed in Blackface makeup to play the parts of African Americans. One of the best examples from one of films biggest Pioneers, was displayed in the movie “Birth of a Nation” by no other then DW Griffith. There is one scene in particular where African Americans are in the courtroom and one of the leaders is obnoxiously eating a piece of chicken like a wild animal. Some of the stereotypes that came out of early cinema were the “coon”, a child-like, uneducated and harmless person, “Black Buck, a black man who loved to have sex with white women, “Uncle Tom,” who was primarily a doorman, butler or shoe shine boy and “Mammy,” a help-mate or helper to white women and children. Later on in the 70s during the “Blaxpoitation era,” many other stereotypes arose. These stereotypes included “drug dealers, gangsters, pimps, prostitutes, sexual studs” and “cop killers.” One of the other stereotypes that have made an appearance in film throughout the years is the “magical negro.” The “magical negro” is a re-packaged version of the “Mammy” and “Uncle Tom” of cinema past. This stereotypical character uses their “mystical powers” to help white people in distress.

            Now that I have listed all the different stereotypes of African Americans in film, it is easy to see how someone who doesn’t know much about African Americans or doesn’t come into contact with one very often, can believe what they see as reality. Not only do they believe what they see as reality, they tend to believe that every African American acts that way. I personally, found myself believing certain stereotypes in films like, every black person listens to hip hop, can dance, sing and is really athletic. I know these aren’t necessarily negative stereotypes, but are still stereotypes nonetheless.

There have been many people like the NAACP and directors like Spike Lee, who have fought hard against movies that portray negative stereotypes in film. There have even been films made by African Americans, who have made a satire of these stereotypes. Unfortunately, until there are more African American filmmakers making movies that don’t utilize these negative stereotypes, and people stop supporting the white filmmakers that do, these stereotypes will continue to thrive in film.