Shattered Illusions

A new exhibit at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton showcases the efforts of actors, directors, writers and producers to change stereotypes represented on the silver screen.

By: Jim Boyle
   For years, the general public harbored misguided opinions about Native Americans and African-Americans. Hollywood supported those harmful presumptions with movies like The Birth of a Nation, the 1915 D.W. Griffith opus about the Reconstruction-era South.
   Although it was blatantly racist, it was lauded as one of the first great American films. It took a few decades, but eventually filmmakers inside and outside the system wanted to make things right.

Films such as Little Big Man, starring Dustin Hoffman (above), helped change the public’s perceptions about Native Americans. The message was slightly undermined by using Caucasian stars as Indians.

   A new exhibit at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton showcases some of those efforts. Running through April 20, Images of Americans on the Silver Screen highlights landmark films that tried to change minds.
   "It’s a long-term interest of the museum," says Karen Flinn, assistant curator in the Archeology/ Ethnology Bureau. "We want to show the development of Native Americans on film and the realistic portrayal of African-Americans."
   The museum is displaying promotional posters and lobby cards from nearly 20 films. With each item is a description of the movie’s role in denting the nation’s psyche.
   "We’ve collected them over the past 20 years," says Ms. Flinn, who oversaw the exhibit. "We purchased them and are presenting them together with a history and study of them."
   Upon entering the exhibit, it’s clear right away what Native Americans were up against.
   One of the first posters is for They Died with Their Boots On. Made in 1941, it is a depiction of Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn starring Errol Flynn. Like most films at the time, it represented American Indians as bloodthirsty savages.
   Further along, it’s obvious Hollywood was trying to evolve. Broken Arrow, starring James Stewart in 1950, was one of the first films that showed Native Americans as peaceful people living off the land. Other films followed, such as Cheyenne Autumn in 1964 and Ulzana’s Raid in 1971.
   "People were becoming more exposed to Native Americans," Ms. Flinn says. "There was more of an awareness to have accurate portrayals."
   Despite the attempts, there were still flaws. Many filmmakers didn’t bother checking for accuracy in the costumes and customs.
   "They had Apache wearing what Plains Indians wore," Ms. Flinn says. "They might not have thought it was an important detail."

The film Swing!, above, provided opportunities for African-American actors and actresses to have starring roles, instead of appearing in Hollywood movies as servants and maids.

   The films undermined themselves a little by having Caucasians play the Native Americans, such as Dustin Hoffman in 1970’s Little Big Man.
   On the other hand, African-Americans found plenty of roles available in mainstream Hollywood films during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Unfortunately, the majority of them were cast as chauffeurs, maids and servants. Hattie McDaniel even won an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind.
   Rightfully, African-Americans wanted more. They wanted their own experiences and culture represented on screen. Many filmmakers found the funds they needed to make those movies.
   "Some were supported by Hollywood studios," Ms. Flinn says. "In some cases, African-American businessmen gave directors money because they wanted to make a better image for the black audience."
   Harlem on the Prairie, made in 1937, is the first African-American Western. It depicts the black experience in moving out West. Swing! follows the efforts of a man trying to be the first African-American producer on Broadway. Similar films in the exhibit show how African-Americans were capable of having leading roles.
   Near the end of the exhibit is a small section dedicated to Sidney Poitier. He became a crossover star in films like Raisin in the Sun and For Love of Ivy and began to make it acceptable to have African-Americans as the main characters in mainstream films.
   Giant steps have been taken toward destroying the stereotypes associated with African-Americans and Native Americans. Recent films like Bamboozled and even Dances with Wolves continued to help set things straight.
   "Portrayals are more balanced," Ms. Flinn says. "Some, such as Middle Eastern people, still can’t escape from stereotyping. We’re trying to keep people more aware of the problems caused by that."
Images of Americans on the Silver Screen is on display at the New Jersey
State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, through April 14. Museum hours: Tues.-Sat.
9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sun. noon-5 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (609)
292-6464. On the Web: www.njstatemuseum.org