Filmography

9 Pages 2170 Words

This essay will compare race, gender and relationship views from two different decades, the 80’s and 90’s, as seen in typical American college settings. The first movie, Higher Learning, looks at romance, drama and social relationships in a multi-cultural university in the mid 90’s. The second movie, School Daze, deals with college life at an all black university in the late 80’s. We will compare how issues of race, class, and gender are dealt with in a racially diverse university in contrast to the predominately black university. We will analyze how sexist, racist and violent attitudes need to be addressed on American college campuses before real learning can take place.

Higher Learning, starring Omar Epps, was produced by John Singleton and released in 1996. Throughout the movie the Singleton looks primarily at the college life of three individuals. The first, Malik (played by Epps), is a young black male from the inner city who made his way to college on an athletic scholarship for his outstanding abilities in track and field. The second character is Christine, played by Kristy Swanson, a young white female from the suburbs of Los Angeles. Finally, Remi played by Michael Rapaport, a young white male who comes from a low-income white family from the mid-west. The director, John Singleton, takes the viewers through the lives of these characters by given us an in-depth look at the social problems each face in this multi-cultural university.

In School Daze, released in 1988, the director, Spike Lee, brings to light issues faced by African-Americans in the black college during the 1980’s. Viewers are introduced to students who participate in fraternities, sororities and others who are concerned with political issues. The main character Dap, played by Larry Fishburne, is an advocate for the growing problems in South Africa. Throughout the movie, he leads political rallies to get school officials to aid in the ...