African American Film Class

  The film Boyz in the Hood came out in 1991 by the director John Singleton who explored and displayed the lives of Black men born and raised in the hood. This film was set in South Central Los Angeles, California and we are introduced to first Tre Styles. Tre Styles  lives with his divorced mother Reva Styles  played by Angela Bassett. One day Tre begins acting up in school and his mother makes a decision for him to go live with his father in Crenshaw. Tre’s father is played by Laurence Fishburne and he is now the main caregiver to tre. He moved to live with his dad at a young age around elementary school. When he first moves into the neighborhood he befriends two other kids that are his neighbors being Ricky and Doughboy. They begin to spend time together around the neighborhood and play with one another. One day Doughboy gets in trouble for stealing and goes away to juvenile detention with another friend.  The film then fast forwards to several years later when Tr...

  The Color Purple is a very good movie that focuses on the life journey of Celie, who has to learn how to overcome abuse and constant mistreatment. The film opens up with Celie narrating her life and talking to God. While narrating Celie talks about her relationship with her father, Alphonso, who has been abusing her and raping her making her pregnant twice. While Celie is giving birth for the second time in the movie after giving birth Alphonso takes the child away, as he did with her first baby. Celie believes that her kids are dead because of this. Celie’s mother soon dies and then her dad ends up marrying a woman who is the same as Celie. Later on, in the film we are introduced to “Mister” who goes to the same churches Celie and her father.  Mister approaches Alphonso and one day proposes marriage to Celie’s younger sister, Nettie, Alphonso pushes him to take Celie instead, forcing her into an abusive marriage. Nettie follows Celie to her new home with Mister. This new m...