Color Adjustment
Encyclopedia
Color Adjustment is a 1992 documentary film
that traces the evolution of the black image in television from the explicitly racist 1948 to more subtle 1988, where blacks are portrayed as wealthy and having achieved the American dream, an image that director Marlon Riggs
finds inconsistent with reality. Featuring clips from Amos 'n' Andy
, Beulah
, The Nat King Cole Show, Julia
, The Jeffersons
, Sanford and Son
, Good Times
, Roots, The Cosby Show
and others, Riggs portrays an illuminating history of the race conflict as reflected in television.
Color Adjustment was met with high critical praise, receiving a Peabody Award
and being nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance
. It was also aired as part of the P.O.V.
series on PBS
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that traces the evolution of the black image in television from the explicitly racist 1948 to more subtle 1988, where blacks are portrayed as wealthy and having achieved the American dream, an image that director Marlon Riggs
Marlon Riggs
Marlon Troy Riggs was a gay African-American filmmaker, educator, poet, and gay rights activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several television documentaries, including Ethnic Notions, Tongues Untied, Color Adjustment, and Black Is. ....
finds inconsistent with reality. Featuring clips from Amos 'n' Andy
Amos 'n' Andy
Amos 'n' Andy is a situation comedy set in the African-American community. It was very popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s on both radio and television....
, Beulah
Beulah
Beulah is a female given name from the Hebrew word meaning "married", and may refer to:-People:*Beulah , UK-based female singer-songwriter*Beulah Bondi , American actress...
, The Nat King Cole Show, Julia
Julia
Julia is usually a woman's given name or a surname. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julius. Julius was a Roman family, derived from a founder Julus, the son of Aeneas and Creusa in Roman mythology, although the name's etymology may possibly derive from Greek "downy-[haired,...
, The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
, Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
, Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, Roots, The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
and others, Riggs portrays an illuminating history of the race conflict as reflected in television.
Color Adjustment was met with high critical praise, receiving a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
and being nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. It was also aired as part of the P.O.V.
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
series on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
See also
- Tongues UntiedTongues UntiedTongues Untied is a 1989 semi-documentary film directed by Marlon Riggs. The film seeks, in its author's words to, "...shatter the nation's brutalising silence on matters of sexual and racial difference."-Content:...
- BamboozledBamboozledBamboozled is a 2000 satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success...
- a narrative film by Spike Lee about the portrayal of blacks in the media