Compare and contrast music and/or dance scenes of films from different eras that featured African American music and performers such as Emperor Jones, Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, Orfeo Negro (Black Orpheus), or Carmen Jones vs. The Wiz, School Daze, Purple Rain, El Cantante or In The Heights. You can find excerpts on YouTube.com but you will probably enjoy seeing some of these films again or for the first time.

Compare and contrast music and/or dance scenes of films from different eras that featured African American music and performers such as Emperor Jones, Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, Orfeo Negro (Black Orpheus), or Carmen Jones vs. The Wiz, School Daze, Purple Rain, El Cantante or In The Heights. You can find excerpts on YouTube.com but you will probably enjoy seeing some of these films again or for the first time.

Preferably el cantante or purple rain

The essay should be about 3-4 pages long, no less than 700 words and, where relevant, should include references to the aesthetic qualities discussed in the Reading Assignments for Lesson 1, Lesson 5, Lesson 6, and Lesson 7.

How are the aesthetic characteristics of Jazz, R&B, and/or the Blues reflected in the music in the film?

What are some of the ways that African elements of style represented in the music and dance performance?

How authentic are the local and generational concepts of “Blackness” portrayed in the music, fashion, and personalities of different films?

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