Hollywood reflected the changing times of the 60's and 70's, opening up new avenues for black film makers.  Television and film saw new stars and fresh stories that reflected African American culture, the issue of racism as a current problem was explored in greater detail.   It seemed however, that they forgot to tell the Academy that.  

 


After Sounder had scored four nominations in 1972, it was thought that African American's had finally arrived.  The following year, Diahann Carroll was nominated for Best Actress for Claudine, losing to Ellen Burstyn for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.  That would be the last nomination for a black actor until 1982.

In 1975, Diana Ross appeared in the box office failure, Mahogany, a second attempt at the Best Actress Oscar.  Her supporters  cried racism when the Academy failed to nominate her for her role, or the theme from Mahogany, Do You Know Where You're Going To, in the Best Song category.  The issue brought some bad press to the Song category, citing unfair practices, and referring to it as a 'member's only' club, and the Academy's music branch was forced to throw out the original line up, and re-vote.  The second time around, Mahogany made the final cut, but it eventually lost to 'I'm Easy', from Robert Altman's Nashville.

1982 saw the first black actor to win an Oscar in twenty years, when Louis Gossett Jr. won for An Soldier's Story.  By this time, the NAACP and other black groups seemed to have given up on the Academy truly recognizing African American film makers, and more so, on Hollywood breaking through the color barrier.  When The Color Purple garnered 11 Oscar nominations in 1985, these same groups were up in arms over the fact that the film didn't present positive perspectives on black men.  The controversial film, based on the book by Alice Walker, and directed by Steven Spielberg, was popular with audiences, going on to win big box office, even beating the Best Picture winner, Out of Africa, but it also lost out in all the categories it was nominated in.  Some blamed the Spielberg backlash, while others thought that the controversy turned voters away.

When Eddie Murphy presented the Best Picture award to the 1987 film, The Last Emperor, he took a moment to joke about the issue.  After saying that he was tired of black actors riding the caboose of Hollywood, he said he was instructed by his white agent to show up for the ceremony late, as the Best Picture was usually presented at the end of the night.  He then said he probably wouldn't have to worry about an Oscar backlash for his statement, as it seemed that black actors only won Oscar's about once every twenty years.  By that rate, the next one wouldn't be due until 2004.  

The 1989 Oscar's saw the issue of race brought into a brand new light, when Best Picture favorite, and ultimate winner, Driving Miss Daisy received criticism from black groups and members of the Academy.  The film looked at a relationship between an elderly Jewish woman and her black driver in the south.  A well intentioned story, the film didn't have the impact nor the relevance of a film that failed to get a nod, Spike Lee's controversial, Do the Right Thing.  As Roger Ebert said, it was a 'daring movie, that made no compromises, and left it up to the audience to determine what the right thing was'.

The Academy members were sent cassette copies of the film prior to nominations, a campaign strategy that was pretty new at the time.  It's unknown why the film failed to garner a Best Picture nod, nor a Best Director nod, other than to suggest that its content was considered to controversial for the voters.  

Not only was there outcry from the critics about this oversight, but even Academy members were outraged.  During that year's ceremony, a nervous Kim Basinger broke from her script while presenting a clip of Best Picture contender, Dead Poet's Society, to applaud the work of Do The Right Thing, and to slap the Academy on the hand for failing to mention it in the list of nominations.  Ironically, Danny Aiello received one of two nominations that the film got, for Best Supporting Actor.  He lost out to Denzel Washington, who was nominated for playing a black soldier in the civil war epic, Glory.

 

 

 

Spike Lee's dangerous view of the black on white issue!
Samuel L. Jackson cools off the heat weary Brooklyn,  as the DJ.
Oscar nominee, Danny Aiello instructs his dopey son, played by John Turturro about sweeping the sidewalk.
The great Ruby Dee plays nosey neighbor, Mother Sister.
Aiello warns his employee, Mookie, played by Spike Lee, to keep his friends out of the pizza parlor.
A gang gives a white neighbor a hard time.
John Turturro as Pino, attempts to exert his authority over Spike.
Ossie Davis is the poor misunderstood, neighborhood drunk.
Do the Right Thing explores the many diverse racial issues that exist in Brooklyn, one hot summer day.
 
Pino tells his father that he is sick of working in a black neighborhood.
 
ML, played by Paul Benjamin, wants to boycott Sal's Pizzaria when he is kicked out.
Even the Korean grocers are given a hard time.
 
Fly girl, Rosie Perez, plays Spike's girlfriend, Tina.
 
Spike cools off the heated Perez with some ice to the body.
Aiello's pizzeria is the center of the riot that takes place after tensions rise throughout the day.
 

Here is a selection of  films that can be purchased on DVD or VHS!

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