Blackface: Reflections on African-Americans in the Movies - Softcover

George, Nelson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815411944 ISBN 13: 9780815411949

Publisher: Cooper Square Pub, 2002

Synopsis

In a year that has seen African-American actors receive more top honors than ever, Blackface revisits the efforts of black filmmakers and the portrayal of African-Americans in cinema. As a film critic for the Village Voice, Nelson George has analyzed films and reported on the careers of black directors and actors; as the screenplay writer for Strictly Business and the co-author and executive producer for CB4, George experienced Hollywood from the inside, meeting with studio execs and creating movies that didn't turn out as he hoped. George shares a candid and personal perspective on 30 years of African-American cinema in Blackface-both the films he saw and the films he made. Blackface includes essays on 2002's honorary Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier, the Black Filmmaker Foundation, Spike Lee, and George's CB4 partner Chris Rock. George also discusses the impact of African-American independent films since the 60s, the blaxploitation craze, and the influence of white money on black artists. New to this edition are pieces on the Hughes brothers, Richard Pryor, and African-American cinema at the beginning of the 21st century, as well as George's own encounters with Hollywood.

About this title

Review:

By his admission, 'more a memoir than a critique,' George's account is filled with keen observations and sharp analyses of the development of black cinema. Booklist In the past decade, African-American- inspired or produced films have gone from sporadic oddities to regular features of our cinematic landscape. Nelson George's behind-the-scenes look at the people and films that prompted this transformation is what makes his Blackface... so fascinating. Los Angeles Times

About the Author:

Nelson George is the pre-eminent African-American pop journalist of his generation. He has written for the New York Times, the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and Billboard, and is the author of several books, including Hip Hop America, and screenplays. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cooper Square Pub
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0815411944
• ISBN 13: 9780815411949
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 238