Table Of ContentShaping the Future of
African American Film
Shaping the Future of
African American Film
Color- Coded Economics and the
Story Behind the Numbers
MoNiCA Whit E Ndou Nou
RutgERS uNivERSity PRESS
NEW BRuNSWiCk, NEW JERSEy, ANd LoNdoN
LiBRARy oF CoNgRESS CAtALogiNg- iN- PuBLiCAtioN dAtA
Ndounou, Monica White, 1976–
Shaping the future of African American film : color- coded economics and the
story behind the numbers / Monica White Ndounou.
pages cm
Includes filmography.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978– 0– 8135–6 256–8 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978– 0– 8135– 6255– 1
(pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978– 0– 8135– 6257–5 (e- book)
1. African Americans in the motion picture industry. 2. Motion pictures—
Economic aspects—U nited States. 3. Motion picture industry— Finance—U nited
States. 4. African American motion picture producers and directors. 5. African
Americans in motion pictures. I. Title.
PN1995.9.N4N36 2013
791.43'652996073— dc23 2013021946
A British Cataloging-i n- Publication record for this book is available from the British
Library.
Copyright © 2014 by Monica White Ndounou
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 106
Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. The only exception to this prohibition is
“fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law.
Visit our website: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu
Manufactured in the United States of America
For my family, ancestors and descendants
CoNtENtS
Acknowledgments ix
introduction: the Color of
hollywood— Black, White, or green? 1
part one:
Finding Freedom
on Stage and Screen
1 the Plantation Lives! 29
2 insurrection! African American Film’s
Revolutionary Potential through Black theater 57
part two:
Black Pathology
Sells [Books and Films]?
3 Playing with Fire: Black Women’s
Literature/White Box office 95
4 Breaking the Chains of history and genre 131
part three:
it’s Not Just Business:
Color- Coded Economics and original Films
5 the Paradox of Branding, Black Star Power,
and Box office Politics 169
vii
viii CoNtENtS
6 Big Business: hip- hop gangsta Films and
Black Comedies 201
Conclusion: the Story Behind the Numbers 239
Appendix: Ulmer Ratings of Selected Actors 251
Notes 255
Selected Filmography 279
Index 283
ACkNoWLEdgMENtS
Studios don’t give a damn how they make their money. it’s business. his-
tory has said that African American movies don’t translate. they have on
occasion, but it’s the exception rather than the rule.
— Casey Silver, chairman and CEo of universal Pictures, 1998
A
s a scholar and as an artist with experience in directing, acting, and writ-
ing, as well as an avid film viewer who also happens to be an African American
woman, I set out to determine if the above statement is true. What I discovered
in the process has altered my approach to every aspect of my work. It has been
an inspiring and at times overwhelming journey that continues in spite of the
publication of this text. I am grateful for so much and so many, especially my
family, friends, mentors, and students. My husband, Victorien, has been a con-
sistent source of encouragement and inspiration, providing technical and emo-
tional support through every incarnation of this project. Our fabulous children,
Joshua and Jazmyne, have displayed the patience of saints throughout this pro-
cess. My mother and role model, Esther Robinson Dixon, has also consistently
reminded me to continue to stand and walk tall, regardless. Without all of you,
and my siblings, I would be truly lost. To my grandmother, Jesse Mae White, your
strength and courage inspire me. To my great-g randmother, Ella Mae Patterson,
and grandfather, Bishop William White Jr., who joined the ancestors early on in
this project: I miss you dearly and treasure your legacy.
This project had a number of inspirations but Sankofa, Haile Gerima’s
classic film and an oft-c ited example in many preceding studies about African
American film, is especially important. “Sankofa” is also an Akan proverb that
means, “It is not forbidden to go back and reclaim what you have forgotten.”
The film and proverb have inspired this work, as have Beloved (1998), Jonathan
Demme’s cinematic adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel, and Spike Lee’s Bam-
boozled (2000).
Although I began this project long before I started teaching film and the-
ater courses at Tufts University, I would still like to acknowledge my students
and colleagues. Your interest in this study and appreciation for its revelations
ix
x ACkNoWLEdgMENtS
has contributed to its current form. My teachers and mentors have been
invaluable at every stage of development, especially Dr. Stratos Constantini-
dis, who has been honest and supportive every step of the way. I also want to
thank Dr. Anthony Hill and Dr. Linda James Myers for their very helpful sug-
gestions and support of early incarnations of the project. Dr. Mark A. Reid, Dr.
Debra Walker King, Dr. Mikell Pinkney, Dr. Leah Rosenberg, Dr. Apollo Amoko,
Dr. James Upton, Dr. Alamin Mazrui, Dr. Pam Monteleone, Dr. Sam Kimball,
and Dr. James Smethurst, my teachers at various points in time, exposed me to
the material that would later shape my scholarly and creative development. I
would like to thank all the scholars, artists, and allies who helped inform this
work, including those listed above and the many cited throughout this text.
Special thanks to those scholars who have offered support and encourage-
ment, including members of the Black Performance Theory Working Group,
the ASTR Diasporic Imaginations Working Group, and the New England Black
Scholars Collective (Soyica Diggs Colbert, Aliyyah Abdur- Rahman, Sandy Alex-
andre, Nicole Aljoe, Alisa Brathwaite, Kimberly Juanita Brown, Régine Jean-
Charles, Stéphanie Larrieux, and Sam Vasquéz).
Most importantly, I would like to thank my editor, Leslie Mitchner, the staff
of Rutgers University Press, copyeditors Adi Hovav and Eric Schramm, my assis-
tant indexer, Katherine J. Swimm, and anonymous reviewers of this book, all of
whom have guided my extraction of the fundamental elements from the origi-
nal 876- page text. Creation is truly a collaborative effort, and I am in awe of the
support the universe has provided throughout this process. This also includes
the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship and The Ohio State University Presidential Fel-
lowship. I sincerely appreciate the countless others who have provided familial
support and encouragement.
