Which of the films that James Baldwin mentions are you familiar with? How has your opinion of these movies changed since reading The Devil Finds Work?
In the Heat of the Night
Birth of a Nation
The Defiant Ones
Raisin in the Sun
Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner
Superfly
Gown With the Wind
Imitation of Life
Lawrence of Arabia
High Noon
Lady Sings the Blues
The Exorcist
The Godfather
Donât know if my opinion has changed on any of these since itâs been so long since I saw them. However I did feel a bit disappointed with Lady Sings the Blues if Baldwinâs perspective is more accurate. I now feel motivated to rewatch it as well as Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner
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I was familiar with most of the movies mentioned in the book, but like Joyce, I watched them years ago and have no idea how Iâd react to them now. Hopefully, I would be much more reflective and questioning. I think this essay would be a great companion piece to a film class and would make for great discussions.
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I felt most familiar with Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner, and Lawrence of Arabia, and in both cases, Baldwin made me see it in a different light, especially Guess Who. This line about that film made me laugh and see how much was wrong-headed about the plot: ââŚwe can conclude that people have the right to marry whom they choose, especially if we know that they are leaving town as soon as dinner is over.â And for Lawrence: ânothingâŚreally conveyes the fact that the British were deliberately using, and backing an Arab rebelllion in order to complete the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire.â The overlay of our national myths and fictionsâand prejudices and hatredsâatop Hollywoodâs presentation of reality is not news, but Baldwin made it specific and clear.
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Gone With the Wind, which is one of my favorite movies.
The Exorcist, I was young when I seen it and was creeped out by it.
The Godfather, excellent movie.
I would say the only thing that has changed for me is I would probably not watch The Exorcist again. My taste for movies like that has changed.
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I have seen many of these films decades ago, and like others here, I would love to revisit some of them with the fresh perspective of history and my own maturity. As a retired teacher, I couldnât help thinking that an entire course could be built around this book with a book to film study.
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I am curious how many people have seen these movies, and if you have, how many years ago? And do you imagine that whatever you thought then has been influenced now by Baldwinâs book, The Devil Finds Work, or if you are white (talk about a funny color to be designated by), what do you remember feeling when you saw the movies Guess Whoâs Coming To Dinner and In The Heat of the Night thatâs nearly sixty years old?
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I realized, for thinking I was an educated person, how naive and out of touch I was. Growing up in Minnesota, middle class, I didnât really meet or know any Black people and the first Black person I met was an African exchange student from Tanzania. So when I saw Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner I imagined that as a society we would âgetâ it and maybe in my lifetime become more color blind. When I saw In the Heat of the Night, I realized how systemic racism was in the South and it might be longer than I thought before we would begin to treat each other equally with respect.
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A lot of those movies mentioned I did not see. The only one I saw in the theater was Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner. I felt uncomfortable for Sidney Poiter, knowing right off that the rich white parents would not like him. Mine would not have! They evolved over a day, but I felt the ending contrived and unrealistic. And at the time in my life, I had never met a black person so my experience was based on what others told me. And I was surprised that Sidneyâs parents werenât happy either,
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I remember Guess Whoâs Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night. I probably saw both of them after the original release date but no longer recall too much about my first reactions to them. They both seemed to reflect the work of the Civil Rights Movement, and I felt some hope seeing racism confronted in those films. Youâve made want to see each of them again to ponder how theyâve stood the test of time, and the decades of new BIPOC authors revealing how little may have changed.
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Thanks for the list, @Joyce_Montague, that was super helpful.
I think the only one of the films he mentions that Iâve seen is Lady Sings the Blues, and I donât remember it well. I recall the experience vividly, though, because it was my first R-rated movie. We went as a family - I was 11 and my sister was 9, w-a-a-a-y to young for the content. I donât think my mother knew much about the film before taking us to see it.
Iâm certainly aware of Sidney Portierâs performances, even if Iâm not familiar with the movies. At first I was really surprised by Baldwinâs views on them, but after reading the book I can see his point.
I have seen:
Gown With the Wind
Lawrence of Arabia
The Exorcist
The Godfather
Reading this book did not change my opinions of these movies.
The only movie I have seen from the list is the The Exorcist. That being said, it would be interesting to watch some of them with Baldwinâs insight on them.
I have seen most of these movies, but it has been so many years, and I was quite young. I did rewatch the Defiant Ones and Guess Who is Coming to Dinner with my husband, and discussed it with a friend. I had shared some of the opinions that James Baldwin especially the in the Defiant Ones, Lawrence of Arabia, and Whoâs Coming to Dinner. I donât enjoy films, such as the Exorcist and his opinion was too deep for me; just went over my head when I saw the movie, I wouldnât rewatch any of the other movies. I just wanted to understand his opinions better, My opinion has not really changed since reading The Devil Finds Work.
I would take this class!
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The only ones I didnât see were Birth of a Nation, The Defiant Ones, Superflyand Lady Sings the Blues.
My opinions of these movies really didnât change and I agree with Tonyia that his opinions of the Exorcist âwas too deep for meâ too. It was still a scary movie and at age 72 I donât want to see it again.
All of them. Im White but i agreed with Baldwin in yhem all.especially the ending of Guess Whos Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night. Baldwin was my hero when i was in college in the late 60âs early 70âs. Baldwin taught me to look at the Black world through a Black lens. Its 100% impossible but i felt he changed my already liberal opinions for the better.
Iâve seen most of them. Yes, my opinions have definitely changed on all of them and my naive thoughts when I watched. Gone with the Wind was a favorite book and movie, I first saw it when I was a teenager with my mom in the mid 1960âs. I took it very much at face value but now I understand the way of life being defended was on the back of slave labor and depriving millions of people if liberty and choice. I remember a scene when Scarlett was going to the jail to try and con Rhett in her curtain dress and as she walked Blacks were shown as lazy- playing music and dancing and forcing ârespectableâ women off the sidewalks. Or the scene leaving the lumber mill. I never questioned those portrayals. I never was taught Black history in any depth. I still remember a cartoon in a history text showing Black politicians after the civil war as overdressed, cigar smoking monkeys. All I can say is âwowâ and we should be ashamed.
The Heat of the Nightâ was a movie that showed such injustice and it was moving but I see now how Whites were shown as saving and protecting Blacks or being evil racists and Blacks were recipients of Whites actions, not people of action.