For my paper, I would like to research the rise and somewhat plateau of the “hood film” genre. It saw it’s peak in the 90s in the USA, however the genre is still present in many countries across the world. I will research the key contributors to the rise of this genre, as well as the sociopolitical aspects of the time that allowed for these movies to be made and distributed. The contrast between the popularity of these films in certain demographics versus the oblivion in others also always intrigued me. Of course I will explore the impact that these films have made on popular culture and Hollywood.
4 Replies to “Research Paper Proposal Option B”
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A really interesting topic, Vlad, and not one I’ve seen explored at great length. As you mention (and as Sklar discusses in Ch. 20) this genre enjoyed a renaissance in the 90s, but it did indeed become less prominent at least as a critical and industrial category. As you think about what “happened” to this genre, you might want to consider not only what factors inspired its rise (including the prominence and attention paid to Lee’s films) but where the themes and concerns associated with the genre went, or in what ways they were/have been transformed since. Have you identified any sources yet?
I am actually using a passage from the Sklar (ch.20) that formed sort of a chain of events that lead to films such as Juice and Menace to Society to be made. Previously I always believed that it all lead back to Scarface, but now I truly think that it goes back to Do the Right Thing. I am going to use passages from Spike Lee’s Journal that he kept during the making of Do the Right Thing. Also I’m going to explore reviews of notable hood films. And of course I will discuss the violent and misogynistic themes of most of these films which might have lead to the decline of the genre. But while there is much violence present, I believe that it is not glorified, rather normalized, just to attempt to show outsiders what it might feel to live in a certain area at a certain time.
This is a great topic! There are a lot of highly praised movies like Juice that were extremely popular in the 90s, but were a blip on the radar to many. Roger Ebert’s review of Meance 2 Society has some quoteable lines that could open up the discussion as to why: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/menace-ii-society-1993
Any interviews with the Hughes Brothers would be great sources as well.
Thank you so much Marcia. I found the sources very helpful!