Progressive Representation in Film History

The essay on ethnic ambiguity, as well as the class discussion today forces one to consider how various ethnicities have been represented over time--as well as who has performed those instances of representation. I was thinking of the career of D.W. Griffith, and how a short progression of his filmmaking  seems to mirror the progression of racial representation in Hollywood, both playing into the worst of filmic misrepresentation of race, as well as downright celebration of racism, and underlining certain genuine positive attempts at social progress and ethnic visibility in Hollywood, be those attempts ill-conceived or still even retaining elements of regression on their own. In Birth of a Nation, Griffith undoubtedly glorifies the Ku Klux Klan as seemingly important heroes of America's history. There are also many outlandish instances of black face in the film. In an attempt to rectify the racist message which he had perhaps inadvertently perpetuated with his film, or perhaps in response to backlash against the film directed towards him by more progressive individuals or groups within society and within Hollywood, ostensibly to prove he was not a racist, the next major film he made was Intolerance, with which he sought to tackle the film's namesake issue by examining multiple forms of intolerance throughout history and the negative effects of that intolerance.

Even more significantly, however--at least socially, is Griffith's Broken Blossoms, in which--in 1919--Griffith depicts, for the first time ever in film history, the blossoming of an interracial relationship. And while the film does much in the way of promoting common facets of Orientalism (the actor playing the character (credited as The Yellow Man) is in fact a caucasian actor in "yellow face," and the film plays upon common misconceptions, or wide-spread images of Asian culture, such as Buddhism, exotic Asian clothing and opium dens), the fact that an interracial relationship was being portrayed at all in Hollywood in 1919--and what's more in a intentionally positive light, with the couple achieving happiness which is ultimately ruined by the prejudice still rampant in society at that time. It seems to me that Hollywood as a whole has, more or less, undergone a similar progression to these three films in Griffith, and perhaps it is a necessary progression- from cartoonish racial depictions which are incredibly offensive and even overtly racist, to narratives which seem to be more progressively leaning yet still skirt around instances of actual portrayal or representation of minorities, to active attempts to promote ideas of racial equality and grant representation to minorities on film--and yet still propagate, if unintentionally prejudiced ways of thinking. Perhaps ethnic ambiguity is the next phase in this progression.

The third phase seems to be analogous today to recent depictions of transgendered peoples in mainstream film. This sudden influx of trans character visibility in Hollywood has simultaneously been praised for bringing awareness to issues which have hitherto been largely ignored, or depicted in cartoonish or negative ways, and condemned for being what many consider to be a modern-day version of Blackface, in which cisgender actors are frequently chosen to portray transgender people instead of actual transgender people. Dallas Buyers Club comes to mind as a recent example, as well as the recent announcement that Eddie Redmayne will play a transgender woman in another upcoming hollywood films:

http://roygbiv.jezebel.com/eddie-redmayne-takes-on-role-as-first-trans-woman-to-h-1654303162?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Instances like Broken Blossoms, Dallas Buyers Club, and this new film are both regressive and progressive. Perhaps this is a necessary dichotomy- even the most progressive of texts will always exhibit strains which are indicative of the prejudice that remains in society in which is exists. The moment instances of such progressive texts are truly devoid without prejudice is the moment at which society has achieved total tolerance--which will never happen, as tolerance, rather than being an absolute quality to be achieved, is something that can only be worked towards, and improved. Media texts, and the ways in which they tackle representation of various members of society, will always be reflective of the society in which they are constructed.