The Evolution of African American Artists’ Music in American Cinema
Open Access
Author:
Spence, Carson
Area of Honors:
Film-Video
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Kevin J Hagopian, Thesis Supervisor Kevin J Hagopian, Thesis Honors Advisor Matthew Frank Jordan, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Cultural Appropriation Film Studies Reappropriation Film
Abstract:
Throughout the history of the American cinema, African American artists’ music has been used in thousands of films. There are many purposes to choose to score a film with African American artists’ music and in this thesis, I will examine how the role of this music has evolved over time. Starting from a place of cultural appropriation, black artists’ music in film has turned towards a state of reappropriation. Through various films such as, Nothing But a Man, Killer of Sheep, The Big Chill, Waves and more, and selected scholarship by Claudia Gorbman, James O. Young, Ray Black, and others, I will analyze the relationship between film and the use of black artists’ music over time through theories of cultural appropriation, reappropriation, and neorealism.