Slavery in Films: from "Gone With the Wind" to the Age of Obama

Since its earliest days, cinema has been a strong medium able to influence the masses and consolidate (as well as challenge) popular beliefs. This elaborate aims to explain how the representation of Blackness has evolved from its earliest depictions of the twentieth century up to the Age of Obama. The Obama Administration undoubtedly brought much attention to African American history and its representations on screen, leading to the production of major motion pictures even nominated to the Academy Awards. Focusing primarily on the portrayals of African American slaves, I will expose how recent films such as Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (2013) or Gary Ross’ Free State of Jones (2016) have challenged the stereotypical representations of slaves and the institution itself, compared to Hollywood cults like Victor Fleming’s Gone With the Wind (1939). Finally moving past magnolia scented settings, white households, happy slaves and Confederate propaganda, audiences are now presented with a much accurate - but crude - account of slavery and its brutality. Through the work, we understand how the display of pure violence and abuse has become a necessary tool for the audience to understand the actual horrors perpetrated by the hands of white supremacists, and to revoke the said “privilege of forgetting”. Nowadays, we must admit that the victories of the Civil Rights and the first Black President were not enough to eradicate systemic racism, but surely a step forward towards the acknowledgement of the United States’ disturbing past. Barack Obama is a fundamental historical figure that had the power not to let problematic assumptions on “race” influence his administration, as well as to inspire millions of African Americans. He did encourage the production of the films analysed in this thesis, but eventually also the development of many other race-related films up to these days.