Containing the Wonder Doctor: Sidney Poitier, the Cold War, and Liberal Reformation

Q3 Arts and Humanities
Luke Sayers
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract:This article examines Sidney Poitier's role as a black male cultural icon during the Cold War, arguing that his Cold War context both restricted and enabled Poitier's career as a black American actor. By analyzing four of his films, All the Young Men (dir. Hall Bartlett, 1960), Lilies of the Field (dir. Ralph Nelson, 1963), The Bedford Incident (dir. James B. Harris, 1965), and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1967), the article concludes that Poitier was an American cultural symbol whose films were a form of soft propaganda that simultaneously upheld a positive international image of American democracy while also challenging American domestic racial discrimination in the film industry. Poitier's role as an image-builder for American liberalism is testified to by the aesthetic choices of the films and the history of their being screened among international audiences. The article also contextualizes these films within Cold War cultural discourse by looking at their production and reception histories and by examining Poitier's own reflections on his acting career.
包含神奇博士:西德尼·波蒂埃、冷战和自由主义改革
摘要:本文考察了西德尼·波蒂埃在冷战时期作为黑人男性文化偶像的角色,认为他的冷战背景既限制又促进了波蒂埃作为美国黑人演员的职业生涯。通过分析他的四部电影,所有的年轻人(导演)。霍尔·巴特利特,1960),《田野里的百合花》。拉尔夫·纳尔逊,1963),贝德福德事件(导演)。詹姆斯·b·哈里斯,1965),以及《猜猜谁来吃晚餐》(导演)。Stanley Kramer, 1967),文章认为波蒂埃是一种美国文化符号,他的电影是一种软宣传形式,在维护美国民主的积极国际形象的同时,也挑战美国国内电影工业中的种族歧视。波蒂埃作为美国自由主义形象缔造者的角色,可以从电影的美学选择和在国际观众中放映的历史中得到证明。本文还通过考察这些电影的制作和接受历史,以及考察波蒂埃自己对其演艺生涯的反思,将这些电影置于冷战文化话语的背景下。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Black Camera
Black Camera FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION-
CiteScore
0.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
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