“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Death of a Poster…

Posted on April 25, 2019 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`Released in 1915, D. W. Griffith​’s The Birth of a Nation was the blockbuster film about the Civil War and Reconstruction. This controversial movie has been widely criticized for its use of blackface, celebration of white supremacy and its romanticizing of the Ku Klux Klan. President Woodrow Wilson screened the production for guests at the White House.

“`The flick has been analyzed for years for its reflection of certain ideas at the time, and the use of pioneering film techniques such as fade-outs. Many cinematic experts have called it a technically amazing work of horrifically bigoted ideas. The American Film Institute placed the film among the hundred greatest American movies of all time.

“`Chapman University has just removed The Birth of a Nation posters from visible places in its film school after students objected to the centrality of a work littered with racism.  They organized a rally in which they talked about the impact of walking by posters that celebrate a notoriously racist work of art. The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts faculty voted for the posters removal, which officially occurred on Monday. The posters have been returned to the estate of Cecil B. DeMille.

“`The silent film influenced the creation of Jim Crow, encouraged voting disenfranchisement of African Americans, and popularized lynchings. A Chapman spokesperson announced the work would continue to be analyzed in a classroom environment. Motion pictures first blockbuster is cinema that intersects with American History’s sordid past. It is often screened at film schools because of the impact it had on the movie industry when it premiered.

“`Student protests and social media activity became a teachable moment within the confines of Chapman University, and the removal decision made by faculty should be categorized as a profile in courage.

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“`Ken Kercheval played Cliff Barnes to Larry Hagman’s scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing on the hit television series Dallas. He was in for the full run, from 1978 to 1991, and returned for a revival of the prime-time drama that aired from 2012-2014.

“`He made frequent guest appearances on the small screen, stretching from Naked City and The Defenders in the 1960s to ER and Diagnosis: Murder in the 1990s and 2000s. He also had a role in the movie classic, Network.

“`Ken Kercheval (above) was eighty-three.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 25th, 2019 at 1:33 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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