Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI)

The Cold War in Color: A Study of Race and Racism in Five American Films

Course Number

FILM2-5a-Thu2

Study Group Leader (SGL)

Ashley Dun

Location

This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

5-Week Course

March 13  -  April 10

Description

Do films of the Cold War period reinforce racial stereotypes by portraying people of color in a stereotypical way, unlike their white counterparts? Throughout American film history, Black, Asian, and Indigenous peoples have been portrayed through offensive stereotypes and caricatures that communicate negative ideas about an entire race, often by white actors or actresses donning face paint and prosthetics. 

Common racist tropes depict qualities that reflect backwardness, savagery, or the potential for contaminating white society. Portrayal of marginalized groups in films during the Cold War Period are the subject of critique for how they potentially serve ideological means and express harmful biases. How did these portrayals in the films perpetuate or sustain anxieties about communist influences at home and abroad?  How do we determine what constitutes a stereotype and what constitutes an authentic, accurate, or well-rounded representation? Why does this matter, and how is it relevant to larger global issues and racial politics?

In this course we will watch five culturally significant American films across different genres: a Western, two war films, a sci-fi/horror movie, and a political thriller. Through guided class discussion aided by additional reading or watching materials, we will consider how people of color are treated on the silver screen during the Cold War period and the legacies of such representations in our current political moment.

Group Leadership Style

More facilitated discussion than lecture.

Course Materials

 Films:Broken Arrow (1950), The Steel Helmet (1951), Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956), The Manchurian Candidate(1962), Apocalypse Now (1979).

All the films are readily accessible on a streaming service, YouTube, or a library network for free.



Preparation Time

1.5-3 hours per week. Each film is approximately 80-153 minutes long.

Biography

Ashley grew up in southern Missouri. She went to college in Missouri before moving to the east coast for graduate education. She holds a PhD in English from Brown University and specializes in Asian American literature and culture. Her current manuscript analyzes issues of authoritarianism and authenticity in the literature of the diaspora of Burma/Myanmar.