An Essay Answer on Each Question
1. The George Stevens, Jr.
production of Separate But Equal
tells the compelling story of the transition from the segregation of African
Americans through the eyes of its children to the Brown v. Board of Education
case that struck down segregation in America by the unanimous vote of 9-0.
How did you feel about the struggle facing Thurgood Marshall (Sidney
Poitier) and Earl Warren (Richard Kiley) in achieving what noted historian and
author David Halberstam considered the most important U.S. Supreme Court case
of the 20th Century?
2. What makes a classic
film? We’ve seen Baby Face, It Happened
One Night, The Grapes of Wrath, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Best Years of Our
Lives, Out of the Past, and others while you’re working on this exam. Describe and illustrate with scenes from the
films you choose (at least two).
3. The Hollywood Ten were producers, writers, and directors who
challenged the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the late 1940s
and lost. They ended up in jail because
they refused to cooperate and answer questions or “name names” of others they
associated with who were thought to be communists. What is your impression of these men and this
era that led to the notorious Blacklist.
We’ll be studying all of this material in class soon.
