Analyzing Critiques Of Hollywood Article Review Sample

In the essay “Face of an Angel”, author David Sheritt overviews the progress of black actors in Hollywood through critiques of leading black filmmakers and critiques. These people, like filmmaker and director Spike Lee, are so invested in the progress that their critiques come across as harsh such as when Lee said that a character from The Green Mile merely filled the role of a modern day helpful slave. When used by itself, the quote gives the article a negative connotation. However, the article does look at some of the positive developments in Hollywood in terms of career progression of black actors. For example, Sheritt points out the increased salary of actors Hattie McDaniel, Hallie Berry, Will Smith, Whoopi Goldberg and others, as well as the honoring of some of these performers with the Academy Award. These two examples mark a large amount of progress in the industry. However, the accolades often come in less troubling roles such as angels and helpmates.
In contrast, actor Samuel L. Jackson looks at the progression of racism in Hollywood through an actor’s point of view in his essay “In Character”. While he does admit that there still is racism and sexism in Hollywood, he posits that it is due to reasons of demand and money. True, there are many ethnic or racial actors gaining notoriety in the industry, but the range of stories containing these types are often limited to what sells. Jackson then goes further than Sheritt by offering a possible solution to the problem through the increased involvement of ethnic figures in the producing and distribution areas of film. While this proposition only places more responsibility on the group at a disadvantage, it does create a feasible plan for increasing the exposure of ignored ethnic actors.