Guess whos coming to dinner
Equality for All
Stanley Kramer’s film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, is about an interracial marriage between a black man and a white woman as well as the generational divide between the alarmed parents of both races and the optimistic young couple. There are aspects of the film that can be construed as progressive and influential for the era, the film more accurately serves as a reflection of the larger socio-political context of 1960’s America in regards to both attitudes of antagonism and acceptance of interracial marriage.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner addressed a forbidden subject during the pinnacle of cultural changes in America. This film is brilliantly put together, and part of that reason is because of the outstanding cast. The cast consisted of these now well-known stars: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn 's niece Katharine Houghton. However, for political reasons, it failed to dig deep and represent the true issues that were apart of race during the 1960′s. “Dispute over whether or not the Draytons’ will approve of their daughter’s marriage is at the center of the movie yet the real reasons of why they are concerned never came up. Matt’s whole confusion is very elusive and points to no real motive, which is a cover up to hide the racist tendencies” (Courtney 2005, 272-280). For a film that tries to evoke a sense of progression and equality, it most certainly fails in the representation of Tillie, the Drayton’s maid. Tillie easily falls into the category of a modern day mother as her whole role in the movie is to serve the Drayton’s. Although she vocalizes her opinion, she is disregarded by her employers reinforcing a white control over the situation. The idea of white male control is what moves the plot of the whole movie. Matt Drayton’s decision whether or not he will approve the marriage if the ultimate and final decision on the subject. As such his word is more powerful than the women in his life and
Stanley Kramer’s film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, is about an interracial marriage between a black man and a white woman as well as the generational divide between the alarmed parents of both races and the optimistic young couple. There are aspects of the film that can be construed as progressive and influential for the era, the film more accurately serves as a reflection of the larger socio-political context of 1960’s America in regards to both attitudes of antagonism and acceptance of interracial marriage.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner addressed a forbidden subject during the pinnacle of cultural changes in America. This film is brilliantly put together, and part of that reason is because of the outstanding cast. The cast consisted of these now well-known stars: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn 's niece Katharine Houghton. However, for political reasons, it failed to dig deep and represent the true issues that were apart of race during the 1960′s. “Dispute over whether or not the Draytons’ will approve of their daughter’s marriage is at the center of the movie yet the real reasons of why they are concerned never came up. Matt’s whole confusion is very elusive and points to no real motive, which is a cover up to hide the racist tendencies” (Courtney 2005, 272-280). For a film that tries to evoke a sense of progression and equality, it most certainly fails in the representation of Tillie, the Drayton’s maid. Tillie easily falls into the category of a modern day mother as her whole role in the movie is to serve the Drayton’s. Although she vocalizes her opinion, she is disregarded by her employers reinforcing a white control over the situation. The idea of white male control is what moves the plot of the whole movie. Matt Drayton’s decision whether or not he will approve the marriage if the ultimate and final decision on the subject. As such his word is more powerful than the women in his life and