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racial motif of the movie Devil in a blue dress

The Race Motif in Devil in a Blue Dress

Although Devil in a Blue Dress (1995 , directed by Carl Franklin and starring Denzel Washington and Jennifer Beals , is clearly a film noir with all the entertainment appeals of that genre , mystery , murder , and suspense , the film goes beyond that genre appeals and reveals certain contemporary social implication , in particular , that the film is as much about the relations of blacks and whites in the 90 's as in the 40 's , the time in which the film is set and an understanding of

this racial motif , especially as it deals with White police power and corruption over Blacks , the Black image of the American

Dream , and miscegenation /interracial dating give a fillip understanding and appreciation of the film

The movie , adapted from the book written by Walter Mosley , began the trend of using race and racial issues as a theme . With Devil in a Blue Dress , the first of six Easy Rawlins mysteries he showed the history of black life in Los Angeles from the perspective of the 40 's to the 60 's and can be easily paralleled to the 90 's . Mosley says "When people like my books , they say I transcended the genre . A broad audience gives the mystery writer a chance to address social issues like race , not just preach to the converted " Today 's crime , black and white alike are tackling the subject of race and that is definitely lacking in mainstream fiction and movies . Many don 't look at racial issues as problems to resolve . They write the clues on how society works or how it doesn 't work . And leave the reader with a stark reality of racial injustices to ponder

When looking at the first racial motif , authoritarian racism , the interrogation scene was very powerful . This scene has been commonly played out in the news and media and is still present in today 's society . In the movie , Easy was taken in for questioning when , after a women he had questioned and stayed with the night before was found beaten to death . It was during this interrogation that Easy experienced insults and beatings to try and get information or a confession from him . In a review by Ed Guerro he stated , The routine insults and violence the police inflict on Rawlins , including a cop punching him during interrogation , is directed by Franklin with a world-weary sense of realism . The scene shows the detailed touch of someone who is familiar with the workings of authoritarian racism (419 . Another character in the movie was named Mouse , a trusting and loyal friend of Easy , that clearly had mental issues and was explosive to say the least Leon Lewis describes him as , a cautionary symbol of the unleashed anger that centuries of indignity and oppression can produce (137 This , could be said , is a direct result of authoritarian racism and a powerful picture of the effects this has on human behavior

Another theme portrayed...

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