An analysis and response to the "racial cycle film"

Includes bibliographical references (pages 68-71)During the thirties, a period that witnessed a\ud great social American upheaval, the social commentary\ud film emerged. Though these films did not fully address\ud the nation at that time, their innate\ud messages were evident. The following decade brought\ud forth a group of racially aware films which dealt with\ud the problems facing people of color in the United States.\ud This thesis examines the complexities of adapting\ud racially complex themes in the original sources for the\ud screen. The focus of this paper is the adaptation\ud process which resulted in the making of Home of the\ud Brave, Lost Boundaries, Pinky and Intruder in the Dust.\ud To clarify the problems that attended each of these\ud Adaptations, these ???problem films??? are first set in the\ud broader context of the history of the Black film. An\ud analysis of each film indicates that social pressures\ud were present that may have significantly compromised the\ud intentions of the original text.\ud The first part of this thesis, then, is an academic\ud analysis of key films which dealt with racial issues.\ud The second part of the thesis is related to the first in\ud that it is a screenplay which deals with many of the\ud same issues and concerns in a creative format. Entitled,\ud An American Paradise, this screenplay will examine the\ud problems facing people of color in the United States\ud Virgin Islands, much in the same tradition as did the\ud "racial cycle" films of the forties. While the primary\ud objective of a thesis is to write an academically\ud satisfying paper, the screenplay is an art form that in\ud many cases can be topical, exotic, regional and\ud colloquial. In a sense, when both sections are read\ud together, they present two ways in which a student of\ud film can respond to sensitive topics; both try to come\ud to terms with the results of racial bias