Films racially-charged / with minority images?

[ono]

Alright, here's the deal.  I need to find a film in which a minority image is used, analyzed, critiqued, or featured and basically analyze the fuck out of it.  But I don't want to do something that's been done to death, so nope, no Do the Right Thing.  The more obscure yet rife with potential for intellectualizing, the better (hopefully it won't be loaded with pretentious BS unless I just totally get sick of the subject).  Older films would be good, too, though some racial stereotypes in older films are just painful to watch.  So yeah, no Breakfast at Tiffany's, and no D.W. Griffith films.  Here's some others that I've probably ruled out because they're too done (just so you won't suggest them):

Do the Right Thing
Breakfast at Tiffany's
American History X
West Side Story
Higher Learning (or Boyz 'n the Hood)
Anything by D.W. Griffith

If you've ever wanted to see a certain film studied but never seen anyone do it, it'd be a great chance for me, and I'd post the finished product here.  Thanks a bunch and stuff.

[SoNowThen]

Jackie Brown scene where Sam Jackson tries to get Tucker into the trunk by promising him delicious fried chicken & waffles, and by his reasoning that they can't trust Koreans.


Lots to dig in there...

[pete]

what?  Do the Right Thing was too done?  It has probably the best insights regarding racial tension in film history.
liberty heights had quite a few things to say about race too.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Any Next Generation movie with Wharf in it.

[Dottie_Hinkle]

How about Imitation of Life?  It's an oldie.

[cron]

There's a part in the begining of  Y Tu Mamá Tambien where  all the bodyguards are having lunch on the parking lot of the wedding-party plaza. Would that help?

[cine]

[ono]

I'm so jaded from all the work at this point that I actually considered doing something on the plight of the Melmackians.

[©brad]

How about Imitation of Life?  It's an oldie.

definitely. you could probably do a lot of douglas sirk's stuff.

also;

boyz in da hood
nothing but a man (excellent, but may be hard to find)
once were warriors

[grand theft sparrow]

You said no Do the Right Thing... what about Bamboozled?  Forget the whole "minstrel show" aspect of the movie, you can just focus on Mos Def's character, Big Blak Afrika, who was a stereotype himself.

And there apparently are Mammy-esque centaurs that have been cut from the Pastoral Symphony sequence of Fantasia.  If you look at the film now, there are several shots which are disturbingly cropped or panned-and-scanned.  It's really freaky to see if you know where to look for them.  I don't know if the fact that it's no longer in there will help you but maybe the fact that they were in there might help.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tell you where to find any stills of the cut footage.

[ono]

what about Bamboozled?  Forget the whole "minstrel show" aspect of the movie, you can just focus on Mos Def's character, Big Blak Afrika, who was a stereotype himself.

Thanks for the thought, but I forgot to mention my loathing of that film.  Goes along with Boyz 'n the Hood and Higher Learning as overrated, manipulative dreck.  My professor seems to love it, too, which doesn't help much either.  He's written articles on it, so I couldn't do it if I wanted to because he's too much of an expert on it.  Go figure.

Oh, and I actually like Do the Right Thing, but 25th Hour is better -- not that that has too much to do with race -- the problem with DTRT is it's become so watered down, so pervasive, that to talk about its impact or mention it in the context of race has pretty much lost all zing to it.  Besides, looking back on the film, some of the scenes in it are just pathetically acted.  There are some memorable ones, though, that make it hold up, but it's not as good on a second viewing (much like Goodfellas, which I only mention because it's from the same era and has the same problems).

And there apparently are Mammy-esque centaurs that have been cut from the Pastoral Symphony sequence of Fantasia.  If you look at the film now, there are several shots which are disturbingly cropped or panned-and-scanned.  It's really freaky to see if you know where to look for them.  I don't know if the fact that it's no longer in there will help you but maybe the fact that they were in there might help.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tell you where to find any stills of the cut footage.

That's a good idea in itself.  Thanks.  Don't know if I'm gonna do it, but I should probably just read up on it for the hell of it anyway.  Very intriguing.

[pete]

Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors.
trainspotting
any hollywood teen movies has white stereotypes good and bad.

[Stefen]

This thread just proves my point that xixax is one of the whitest places on the internet. Aside from that I don't have any suggestions. Continue.

EDIT: Okay, I lied. What about films about the holocaust? Like Shoah. Night and Fog?

Or if not. How about  Titticut Follies (never seen it, only hear)

George Washington?

Godardian is always owning racists (slavery pun?) so i'm sure Godardian would have some suggestions.

[ono]

This thread just proves my point that xixax is one of the whitest places on the internet.

What is that supposed to mean?

[godardian]

Fassbinder's Ali

Imitation of Life or Far from Heaven (especially the latter, if only for my Todd  )

Dirty Pretty Things (apologies if people have already mentioned it).

There's quite an inflammatory bit of racial defiance espoused briefly in Masculin/Feminin

Shock Corridor has some brilliant racial stuff.