Color Adjustment was far greater than I could have expected, and I looked forward to something incisive and in the editing dynamic (just from Black is Black Ain't). What is spectacular dare the juxtapositions and perspectives, in particular once it gets into the late 1960s material. But throughout, this is remarkable as a stellar collection of interviews with figures who were in the shows, the producers who were there at the time seeing how the evolution of Black representation in television was at a crawl (from Amos to Nat King Cole to Dihann Carroll to, sigh, Bill Cosby and so on).
I know it doesn't break ground stylistically as it's clips and talking heads, but that's never an issue here. On the contrary, Riggs understands practically intuitively the power and the magnetism of the whole Medium is the Message of images and how this technology shapes a public whether they realize it or not. Also, how little steps were made that mattered, even if it was one season (never heard of East Side West Side and now I have an indelible image of James Earl Jones I never had till now), and moreover how complicated things were with positive images at various times (ie King Cole and how he was so smooth and gentlemanly and yet so "acceptable" to white society- albeit not so much to those in the South who couldn't fathom a Black TV show host with white guests! I do declare!) And maybe we still have never quite caught up to the ruthless satire of Archie Bunker.
If nothing else, this makes me wish Ruby Dee narrated more documentaries. Good golly miss Molly she had a tremendous, attention-demanding voice. And this will be a surefire pick to show one or more of my Media classes in the future.
I know it doesn't break ground stylistically as it's clips and talking heads, but that's never an issue here. On the contrary, Riggs understands practically intuitively the power and the magnetism of the whole Medium is the Message of images and how this technology shapes a public whether they realize it or not. Also, how little steps were made that mattered, even if it was one season (never heard of East Side West Side and now I have an indelible image of James Earl Jones I never had till now), and moreover how complicated things were with positive images at various times (ie King Cole and how he was so smooth and gentlemanly and yet so "acceptable" to white society- albeit not so much to those in the South who couldn't fathom a Black TV show host with white guests! I do declare!) And maybe we still have never quite caught up to the ruthless satire of Archie Bunker.
If nothing else, this makes me wish Ruby Dee narrated more documentaries. Good golly miss Molly she had a tremendous, attention-demanding voice. And this will be a surefire pick to show one or more of my Media classes in the future.