Analyzing The Film 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner'

Week 7: Controversial Art and Censorship Patrick Multidor HUMN303N-61612 Chamberlain College of Nursing Professor John Isenhour Date: 04/21/2024.

P. S. Good afternoon, Professor. Goodbye, Professor. Consider this message as a reminder to remove the penalty for late submission. Thank you for the opportunity! Although the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution abolished slavery and proclaimed freedom for African Americans, they continued to endure discrimination and social injustice. Against this backdrop, Stanley Kramer directed, and William Rose wrote the film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which premiered on December 11, 1967. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" highlighted society's duplicity concerning racism, pinpointing this social

The Oxford dictionary defines racism as "the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent behavior towards them." The concept of one race being genetically, morphologically, or physiologically superior to another is baseless; blood types are not categorized by race. As an African American, it is deeply troubling to witness, even in the knowledge-rich year of 2024, that some still hold onto the idea of racial superiority. On a daily basis, I encounter racism from some patients directed at my ethnicity and race. Fortunately, the film faced no restrictions from state or federal authorities. However, it encountered severe criticism from racists while receiving enthusiastic praise from audiences and film critics. It's important to note that the film debuted in 1967, just six months before the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Up until July 1967, seventeen out of fifty-two states still prohibited interracial marriage, especially between black and white individuals (Harris, 2007). Additionally, the film's release coincided with the enforcement of the Hays Code. The Hays Code, or the Motion Picture Production Code, was a set of guidelines that dictated the content of American films from 1930 to 1968 (Kirshner, 2012). The impact of this film

However, as a guarantor of society's morals and vices, the government is responsible for protecting society from hate speech, incitement to violence, and so on. The film captured precisely what was on everyone's mind. It is considered a trailblazer in Hollywood's interracial movement. The movie was a tremendous success, even in southern states where discrimination was more pronounced. Even the message was conveyed, acknowledging that Sidney Poitier's portrayal did not reflect the majority of African Americans who faced educational struggles. The producer presents us with a black man who is, foremost, a doctor—an esteemed, well-educated, and impeccably dressed doctor—not the stereotypical black man from the ghetto selling drugs on the corner and speaking in slang. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner created an ideal environment for us to discuss art. One of the requirements for it to be art is originality, followed by decor, makeup, dialog, and, lastly, outstanding performance by the actors. The viewer must feel empathy and be imprinted in the film.