 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | Author Eileen Moore, a California Appellate Court Justice brings a decade-by-decade comparison of Hollywood films and Supreme Court decisions, and then shows how this affected our lives. Beginning with The Birth of a Nation in 1915 and continuing on through the new millennium, a surprising fact is that the United States Supreme Court, often perceived as out-of-touch and stuffy, is often far more fair and liberal in their treatment of blacks than is Hollywood. Offset beautifully by more than twenty black and white photos, this in-depth study is sometimes shocking, often surprising, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of film, law, race relations, pop culture . . . even our country. |
Average Customer Rating:   A Century-long Race Between the Supreme Court and Hollywood Author Eileen Commerford Moore, a Justice in the California Courts of Appeal, originally wrote Race Results (a double-entendre) as a Masters Degree thesis at the University of Virginia. For this project, Justice Moore chose a project daunting in scope. Noting the dramatic evolution in race relations in America over the last one hundred years, she set out to detect whether it was the United States Supreme Court, through its decisions, or the motion picture industry, through its depictions, which provided the greater influence in the transformation toward equitable treatment of America's black citizenry.
Justice Moore's analytic format is to examine the US Supreme Court's decisions for each of the nineteenth century's ten decades, then to examine Hollywood films of the same decade, then to summarize her findings for each decade. She tests the hypothesis that the motion picture industry, with its traditionally liberal denizens, would likely be out ahead of a Supreme Court renowned for its conservatism. What she found was the opposite. Justice Moore reads into her conclusions that the ideals of equality and fairness upon which America was founded have guided the Supreme Court more consistently than they have Hollywood. While the Supreme Court's record has not always been consistent with those ideals, e.g., Chief Justice Taney's decision in Dred Scott, the movie industry has been much worse, e.g. Birth of a Nation.
"Throughout the twentieth century, the Supreme Court was at least as equally advanced - and usually more advanced - than Hollywood in recognizing and acting upon the achievements and advancements of African Americans." As comforting as Justice Moore's conclusion is, it is somewhat disconcerting that that conclusion was not intuitive to a racially sensitive and historically perceptive state justice. After all, the Supreme Court's mandate is the interpretation the constitution, which specifically prohibits the differential treatment of races, whereas the movie industry has as its mandate the provision of a profitable return on its investors' equity. Justice Moore concludes her book with an admonition to the movie industry that, in the age of a black president, this just might be a good time to catch up.
Justice Moore makes a compelling case for her interpretation of history, and the juxtaposition of movie lore and case law enlivens the story of America's evolution from a country in which blacks were not even considered citizens, to a country now led by a black president.
Race Results: Hollywood vs. the Supreme Court; Ten Decades of Racial Decisions and Film In //Race Results//, Eileen C. Moore tackles the stereotypes of the Supreme Court and Hollywood: the former as a moribund body of elites lagging behind the times, and the latter as a progressive and liberal pusher of society's envelope. Moore, a Justice on the California Courts of Appeal and a former judge on the California Superior Court, compares the two bodies decade by decade, starting in 1915 (the year //Birth of a Nation// was released) and moving through 2009. In truth, as Moore argues, the reputations could well be reversed. While initially upholding the country's racist attitudes, the Supreme Court gradually became a major mover in racial relations, often taking the lead in changing racial attitudes, while Hollywood, constantly concerned about public opinion, crept along cautiously, regularly attempting to hide from the issue by ignoring or minimizing the existence of African Americans in its films.
The work reads a little too much like a thesis, ordered for the facility of the professor rather than the pleasure of the lay reader, and Moore focuses more on painstakingly presenting evidence rather than providing in-depth analysis. Nevertheless, Moore's comparison is damning, and should force a rethinking of Hollywood's role in racial progress.
Reviewed by Ariel Berg Comparatively speaking Comparative studies are always more difficult than a straight-out study of one thing. First of all, obviously you have to know about two subjects or two aspects of one subject. Secondly, the organization of such a study becomes problematic. How to discuss both things, compare them, and present your conclusions at the same time ? Once I wanted to run a course comparing cultures, society, and education in India and China. I knew enough about India to do that part, but I finally solved the problem by teaming up with a colleague who knew about China. I think we offered a better course in that way, but organizing it was no joke.
RACE RESULTS contains a splendid idea, a really original one, which deserves wide attention. It is a comparative study with all the skating on thin ice that that entails. Still, the writing style is mostly accessible and the aim of the book is laudable. For much of its existence, the USA was hardly the land of the free (though maybe a home of the brave---including Eileen C. Moore !) Slavery marked its first 250 years, then rabid racism and discrimination against the former African-descended slaves (and we're not getting into the treatment of Native Americans here). Of course, this is not exactly news to most people by now. But studying the evolution of race relations, culminating in an African-American president, is still a very useful topic because it is important to know how certain attitudes spread and were maintained. We may still question whether, despite said President, racism has at all disappeared in America. To whit, Moore, a judge herself, decided to study the history of Supreme Court decisions vis a vis the depiction of race relations (or absence of such) in Hollywood movies. She points out from the start that the nine, conservative, almost always white men acted in advance of the so-called "liberal" Hollywood studios and movie producers. She shows how from the earliest films, racism of the worst kind marked many Hollywood products, only ameliorated over many decades, far behind the decisions made by the Supreme Court.
I think that while RACE RESULTS is based on a great idea, and the whole theme is extremely interesting, comparative studies do present sometimes-overwhelmingly difficult obstacles. For example, in reading the book, it becomes obvious that the author was far more familiar with court decisions and the implementation of them than with films and academic writing about films. The sections on the court are professional and sometimes a little more sophisticated than the average reader can cope with, while the film sections are a bit under par. I was sometimes left wondering how she chose the films she talked about. While films like "Birth of a Nation", "Gone with the Wind", "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "In the Heat of the Night" are obvious choices to criticize, she never mentions "Putney Swope", "Sounder" or many of the films made by black directors for black audiences in recent years. Of course, she couldn't mention EVERY film, but it would have been interesting to learn the selection process. There is (gasp !) no index, making it difficult to find her comments on any particular film. There is not even a full list of films analyzed, a `filmography'--the reader must remember all of them. The author takes the two subjects decade by decade from 1901 to the first decade of the 21st century. She then divided each decade's work into four parts--a) the racial framework, b) the Supreme Court, c) Hollywood, and d) a wrapup. There are a few extra sections as well. Moore's pattern of organization, while methodical, tends to encourage repetition. As an idea, this is a five star book, but I would say that the execution deserves only three stars. Perhaps she should have done what I did---get help from someone in the field further away. The subject deserves national attention, no doubt. And if you are not American and think that racism is just an American problem, this book might help you to think again.
Race Results is an unique book about the history of the movies and the legal system Race Results is a fascinating book about United States history. It is an unique book that traces the history of African Americans in the movies and the history of legal cases involving race. Race Results is Eileen Moore's thesis for her masters degree. She does not specify the field her masters degree is in, but I think it must be in American studies or something similar.
Eileen Moore makes very sharp observations about movies where black people are either ignored or portrayed as criminals or simple minded people. I have not seen an Alfred Hitchcock film before. Eileen Moore makes many sharp observations about how black people are portrayed in his movies. This book has spurred my interest in his work. Moore also talks about movies where black people are shown as equals to white people. An early example of showing blacks and whites as equal is the movie On The Waterfront from the fifties.
I did not go to law school, but I enjoyed reading the diversity of cases in this book. Certain legal cases were the inspiration for some famous movies. A case giving black people the freedom to live in white neighborhoods is the inspration for the movie A Raisin In The Sun with Sidney Poitier. There are numerous cases involving education and employment with regard to race. There is a case involving a black woman illegally marrying a white man in the sixties. There is a case involving a Chinese girl not being allowed to go to school with black students in the twenties.
There are many interesting photographs in this book. My favorite photo is a picture of black opera singer Marian Anderson performing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. This photo is interesting to me, because I did not know that black opera singers existed at that time. Another interesting picture in this book is a photo still from the movie Imitation Of Life from the thirties. This picture shows a white woman having compassion for a black woman. I have never seen this movie, but it seems very interesting just by looking at this photo.
Race Results is the only book I have ever read that combines the history of the movies and the history of United States legal system. Race Results is a very entertaining and informative book. A look at man's inhumanity to man.
I am the first Canadian to post a review on this excellent book about Race Relations.You might wonder why a Canadian would be interested in this book at all;isn't the problem of Racial discrimination only an American problem? From how the rest of the world reports on and talks about Racism,you would think that the problem is much greater in America and virtually non existing throughout the rest of the world.Nothing could be farther from the truth.Maybe the reason for this misconception ,or at least impression,is that no other country has tried so hard to deal with the problem and correct the injustices that result from Racism.
Racism and all forms of hatred for one group towards another has been widespread throughout the history of the world,and was brought to America by Europeans.The one thing different was that ,ever since America's founding,America tried to eliminate it.No other country on earth has tried to deal with the problem to the extent that America has.It has been difficult,no doubt,but in no other country has the effort been greater nor have the results .
Although this book concerns itself with Racism towards the Blacks in America;the problem has also been with numerous other groups;Native Americans,Irish,Mexicans,Italians,Germans,Japanese,Religious Denominations of every stripe,City folks vs Rural,Northerners,Southerners,Westerners,Easterners,Newly arriving immigrants,both legal and illegal,,the elite vs the common people,the Liberals vs Conservatives,and on and on.
This Racism has taken every form imaginable ,but this book addersses Black Racism and the impact made mainly in the 20th century by the Supreme Court and the Hollywood Movie industry.Although anyone who follows history and current events will not find too many surprises in the book,they will be reminded as to how great an impact these two institutions have been.
Although Americans are completely familiar with this issue at home;they may not be aware how similar things were and still are with Canada.
Americans generally know about the "Underground Railroad" and how and why so many Blacks fled to Canada in search of freedom.
However;few are aware that Slavery was also instituted ,well before that ,particularly in Nova Scotia,where 1/3 of the Blacks in Canada lived.Yes,and even the KKK was active in Canada ,with demonstrations and cross burnings right here in Ontario in the 1920's.
Canada doesn't have a Declaration of Independence,A Constitution,and a Republic form of government as does the U.S.,gained through a Revolution;and founded on the principles of Life,Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness;but a Parliamentary form of government directed by Great Brition and with the guiding principles of Peace,Order and Good Government.This was a form of government for a country to administer her colony.But make no mistake about it,as one of our Prime Ministers once put it ; being so close and affected by the US is like sleeping next to an elemhant,you can't but help feel every move it makes.
As to a movie industry,like Hollywood,Canada's movie industry is miniscule by comparison,much of it government controlled and supported.Hence most Movies and television programming in Canada originates in the U.S.;hence the impact on Racism has been identical.
This book will bring back remembrances of the many Racial confrontations and legal decisions over the years;and without doubt ,once reading this book the reader will certainly look at movies,and television from a totally different perspective. As we watched these presentations,many of us have maybe not been fully aware of the messages,both obvious and hidden within them.
If you are from another country than America,you should not take solace ,and be smug in thinking that Raceism is an American issue;but be thankful that America has worked so hard and sacrificed so much in confronting it,and that those efforts have benefited people all over the world who have felt the sting and humilation of Racism--regardless of its form.
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