Analysis of “Racism: The History
As stated in the title, “Racism: The History” documents racism dating from the introduction of slavery in the United States to present evidence of racial discrimination world-wide. The film was produced with several physical qualities that enabled viewers to follow the content easily without losing attention. The narration was clearly understood, varying between males and females and one of the males had an African accent. Live action was accomplished with the use of clips from movies and other documentaries. The three episodes all included sections of “talking heads, most instructors at institutions of higher learning specializing in history and black studies and some statements by individuals with experience in racism. Photographs and art depicted the events of that time, many times graphically. Re-enactments were produced to fill gaps left by still pictures.
There was no innovative camera angles and other directing techniques above normal, but there was an interesting use of double-imaging with frequent panning along a landscape superimposed with the art and photographs previously mentioned. This created a sense of confusion and melding of the events. This created a mildly tense feeling in the documentary aside from the well-lighted spots with the speakers.
“Racism: The History” appeals more to emotion than reason, but historical information is also presented. It you reconsider your information about historical racism. Our understanding of other races as ethnic branches of homo sapiens is in conflict with a time period attempting to answer unprecedented scientific and religious questions. I am stunned at the violence; even if they were considered animals, the treatment of blacks during periods of slavery was atrocious.
The message of the film was the documented onset of racism and its effects on society from that time to today. By blending information with emotion, the documentary was very effective. That was its strength. It shows repeatedly man’s inhumanity to man. The film focused on images of savagery and oppression. The narration relied on facts partnered with these impressions to guide the viewer through both an emotional and educational experience. In terms of weaknesses, the method of superimposing one image over another in an attempt to keep the presentation visually interesting was a distraction for me. And in terms of a sociological chronicle we were not told about the impact of racism on individuals until the end of the documentary. We were told about the impact on groups of people, but little on individual consequences other than mutilations, death, and other crimes.
It is obvious the filmmakers wanted a response of anger and dismay at the treatment of people in the name of racism. By showing the history of racism, they were able to create an awareness that this type of behavior is continuing to happen in a world where racism remains an ugly reality.
If I were to read the information contained in “Racism: The History, I would only be able to visualize the events shown in the film. If my experience does not allow me to accurately do so, the intended experience is lot. Reading about a child having his hand chopped off for inadequate production gathering latex on a plantation falls far short of watching a re-enactment of it with the growing pile of hands and seeing actual photographs of the workers with only one hand. Reading about events makes them much more intellectual with emotion in the background. Viewing photos and art, watching the expressions on the face of the people, and seeing the areas where the actions occurred bring emotion much more into the experience.
It’s important for films to be made dealing with topics like racism. Unless a person is a victim of present-day discrimination it is easy to become distracted by other societal issues. It is the responsibility of each and every person in any country to learn from the time they can comprehend that racism has consequences reaching much further than one person. Rates of crime, lack of literacy, impact on entire populations of health, economic stability and more are affected by racism.
