DLM Final
QUIZLET: https://quizlet.com/910155580/dlm-midterm-2-flash-cards/?i=59fv2x&x=1jqt
Oliver Gruner, "You're Only as Good as Your Last Game: Remember the Titans Remembers Civil Rights" (pdf)
It is a review of Remember the Titans. It discusses it in a positive light and speaks highly of the film, referencing its “dialogic” and cyclical narrative.
Alexandria, Virginia
T.C. Williams High School
Herman Boone - head coach, experience with civil rights, protested with MLK
Bill Yoast - a white man who is highly respected both as a coach and member of the community
Sheryl - narrator
Gerry Bertier - team captain, originally mad and angry, but overcomes and becomes friends with them
Julius Campell - one of the incoming Black players who becomes close friends with Bertier
Directed by Boaz Yakins (2000)
Its set in 1971, against the backdrop of federal government sponsored civil rights legislation
Affirmative action policies and the desegregation program of public schools “busing”
It chronicles how a successful champion football season helped assuage the racial conflicts ignited by these forced integration programs.
It differed from other movies about the civil rights during this time period.
The focus of most movies produced during the 80s and 90s focuses on the early years, 1954-1965
The period of titans (mid 1960s-mid 1970s) with riots in northern cities, emergence of radical groups, and “unfair” government sponsored systems and legislation were put in place. It was viewed this way by conservatives and negatively viewed.
Depicts the struggle for civil rights in the south as an ongoing battle, which is still occurring today. Seen through the quote at the end.
It is shown to involve the active involvement of both sides and influenced the public's view through football.
Avoids the tail of “white redemption”
It differs as it allows for the cooperation of both white and black characters and does not soley focus on white people.
Many of the other films failed to show the continued struggle, while titans embraces it and notes it in the final quote during the funeral
The earlier films focus on white characters, their journeys from ignorance to activism, shedding of prejudice in for tolerance,
The earlier films try to have a definitive end to “racism” in distinct geographic areas, which is misleading. It promotes the idea that racism was just in the south adn that it was solved throughout these films, whenever these issues still exist in todays society.
Martin Luther King, white on black violence, and integration are all incorporated with other issues in the late 1960s and 70s, specifically gov. sponsored legislation (busing and affirmative action)
It explores issues that were occurring throughout the US, not just the South.
The seasons are cyclical and correlated to how history is cyclical, adds to the view of equality as a continuous battle.
It focuses on football as the thing that mends the conflict to an extent, it also shows how the battles on the streets will be battles on the field.
“It is dialogic in how it portrays the successful integration of blacks and whites as requiring something from both sides”
It is shown in the movie by how the individuals must come together in order to be successful
“Regular stress on cooperative goals and frequent critiques of extreme individualism”
Morality not placed in one ind. Hands. Also not just from one characters perspective
Scenes of players jumping in unison and wearing same outfits counteract racial conflicts raging around them
Affirmative action starts with Boone saying he doesnt want the job bc he didnt earn it,but then ends with him accepting it after realizing the positives of the system.
Busing - provides an allegorical representation of this by mixing the blacks and whites and making them sit in particular places on the bus. They are forced to sit with people on either offense or defense
Their love of football allowed them to overcome their prejudices and differences.
It is the team, not busing, that the city rallies behind
One representation of this is their shift to waving placards about busing to cheering on the football team at the games.
It acknowledges the policies implemented in the background, while focusing mainly on the city's own agency to overcome their differences for the sake of football.
Boone received job through affirmative action, but proved himself to be the best man for the job anyways.
The school was forced to integrate through busing, but it was the football team that really did the integrating
The circular narrative shows that race is something that requires on going vigilance and care.
“People say it cant work. Blacks and whites but we’re here to say it can. We have our disagreements of course, but before we reach for hate always always we remember the titans.”
It was a call for the audience to do the same.
Pres. bill clinton “a model for the whole country. If only we could learn over again every day the lesson these young men … learned from each other”
The film engaged with issues that were still resonating in contemporary society that gave it an endless quality like the changing of the seasons (or the start of a new football season”
Stanley Booth, "The Memphis Soul Sound" (pdf);
Journalistic essay/memoir
It is a tribute to Otis Redding and the Bay-Keys, who died in a plane crash.
It talks about the definition of Soul music
Stax, and other musicians are mentioned
The projects are mentioned.
“Congress sneakers”
Marc Myers, "Respect Yourself" from Anatomy of a Song (handout)
The Staples Singers: Mavis Staples, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, Yvonne Staples, Cleotha Staples
Signed in 1968, family gospel group that transitioned but still continued to sing with uplifting messages
They describe the process of making and performing this song
Al Bell: co-owner and executive vice president of Stax Records in Memphis
“Respect Yourself”: released in September 1971, their biggest hit to date, reached No. 12 on Billboard’s pop chart and No. 2 on soul chart
Inducted into Grammy’s Hall of Fame in 2002
Respect Yourself - written by Mack Rice and Luther Ingram, produced by Al Bell
Otis Redding died in plane crash in December 1967, which cause financial burden for Stax Records
Stax Records - produced Redding and many other regional soul artists
1970s culture of protests around the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, also the black power movement
The Swampers: Barry Beckett (keyboards), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jimmy Johnson (guitar), and David Hood (bass)
associated with Muscle Schoals in Sheffield, Alabama
Marvell Thomas - son of recording artist Rufus Thomas and a Stax keyboardist
After the song came out, Al Bell wanted them to perform at Wattstax - a large outdoor concert in August 1972, at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Benefit for Watts – a neighborhood struggling afte the riots of ‘65
They almost didn’t make it bc they were opening for Sammy Davis Jr. at the Sands in Las Vegas.
Sammy had to leave for something for Pres. Nixon
There was 112,000 people at the Wattstax concert
Mack Rice sayed Al Bell “destroyed his song”, but later thanked him for destroying it once it became a hit
Important characters:
Ivy - main character
Silvaney - ivy’s favorite sibling. dies in mental hospital
Babe - crazy brother, sexual relations with silvaney, mean, murdered
Beulah - Ivy’s older sister
Garnie - kind as child, grew up to be hypocritical preacher
Daddy - Ivy was his favorite child
Momma - depression, was from wealth
Oakley - her loving husband, kind, worked in the mines, her first kiss
Lonnie Rash - father of Joli, her first love, died in the war
Honey Breeding - she cheated with him on Oakley, ran away into the mountains
Franklin - the mine’ sowners son, had an affair with Ivy, wild
Danny Ray - her child, lawyer,
Joli - her first child
Martha - Violet Gayheart’s daughter
David - Joli’s son
Mrs. Brown - had an affair with Uncle Revel, ivy’s first teacher, got her into writing
Miss Torrington - ivy’s teacher in majestic, wanted her to go with her to ???, kissed her
Geneva - model figure for Ivy
Hanneka - Ice Queen, Ivy’s childhood imaginery friend
Granny Rowe - mountain lady, helped out at times
Uncle Revel - wild guy
Violet Gayheart - union leader, husband died in the mines,
Important Places:
Sugar fork - where she grew up and returned after she married Oakley. She has childhood memories there with Silvaney and her father. Returned to Sugar Fork with Oakley and children and fell into a depressive episode. She ran away with Honey Breeding while at Sugar Fork.
Main characters: Ivy, Daddy, Mrs. Brown, Silvaney, Babe, Beulah, Momma, Honey Breeding, Uncle Revel, Hanneka, Granny Rowe
Majestic - where her family moved once her father died and older brothers left, they lived with Geneva in the boarding house, she met Lonnie Rash here, got pregnant
Diamond - this is where she went to live with Beulah after becoming pregnant, had Joli, with Franklin at some points, saw Oakley come out of mines then married him and moved to Sugar Fork