Bogle describes Dorothy Dandridge as unfulfilled despite her success in the 1950s because she never truly stepped outside the bounds of the one-dimensional, tragic mulatto trope. Her success and fame unfortunately stemmed from how well she was able to portray the stereotype, especially in her breakout film, Carmen Jones. Although Dandridge played a tragic Carmen that was ultimately murdered by her lover, the film still showcased her independence and sexual freedom, which was something uncommon within film of that period. Unfortunately due to the mulatto figure becoming outdated in the 60’s, her luck finding work diminished. After experiencing the hardships of divorce, bankruptcy, and the fall from fame, she struggled with addiction and was found dead at 42 from an overdose. She, as well as many others, fell victim to a growing industry that viewed black talent as disposable.
Original Topic Reaction:
Something else that I found interesting was the film Home of the Brave. Originally an anti-semitic play, Stanley Kramer made the bold choice of recasting the Jewish protagonist as a black man. The film follows Peter Moss, a young black private, whose experience with racially motivated vitriol inevitably leads to his emotional and mental breakdown. I think this is interesting because it speaks on the concept of fighting for a country that doesn’t view you as human. It’s ironic because the presumed sense of togetherness that comes with being in the military has exceptions. The film ends with a sympathetic white soldier named Mingo offering to partner with Moss in opening a bar and while it does the job of providing a sense of emotional relief, it also created this idealized solution to racism being black and white people just “joining hands”. The simplicity of this appeased white audiences because it absolved them of having to do actual work to end systemic racism.
Something else that I found interesting was the film Home of the Brave. Originally an anti-semitic play, Stanley Kramer made the bold choice of recasting the Jewish protagonist as a black man. The film follows Peter Moss, a young black private, whose experience with racially motivated vitriol inevitably leads to his emotional and mental breakdown. I think this is interesting because it speaks on the concept of fighting for a country that doesn’t view you as human. It’s ironic because the presumed sense of togetherness that comes with being in the military has exceptions. The film ends with a sympathetic white soldier named Mingo offering to partner with Moss in opening a bar and while it does the job of providing a sense of emotional relief, it also created this idealized solution to racism being black and white people just “joining hands”. The simplicity of this appeased white audiences because it absolved them of having to do actual work to end systemic racism.
Thanks for adding this. Yes this is an interesting movie to think about. Seems like its timing in the late 1940s made an impact.