Illusions (1982)

An African American woman rises to prominence in a fictional movie studio in the 1940s by passing as a white woman, affording others some dignity in the business that frequently portrayed movies as an illusion of a purely "white world".

Director:

Julie Dash

Writer:

Julie Dash

Stars:

Lonette McKee, Rosanne Katon, Ned Bellamy

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lonette McKee	...	Mignon Dupree
Rosanne Katon	...	Esther Jeter
Ned Bellamy	...	Lieutenant Bedford
Jack Rader	...	C.J. Forrester
Jack Lundi Faust	...	Janitor (as Fernando Lundi Faust)
Lisa Henke	...	Telephone Operator (as Lisa Phelps)
Laddy Ashley	...	Lieutenant Bedford's Secretary
Rita Crafts	...	Louise
Sandy Brooke	...	Blonde Bombshell
Johnny Crear	...	Leo Gaines
John Childers	...	Sound Assistant
John MacBride	...	Sound Engineer (as John McBride)
Gaye Kruger	...	Musical Singer
Oliver Woodall	...	Musical Dancer
Joseph T. McKenna	...	Musical Dancer

Storyline

An African American woman rises to prominence in a fictional movie studio in the 1940s by passing as a white woman, affording others some dignity in the business that frequently portrayed movies as an illusion of a purely "white world".

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | male female relationship | social commentary | self sacrifice | self reliance | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was the thesis submission from future director Dash, when she was still a student at the University of California in Los Angeles.

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Goofs

In the credit for Partial Funding the word Foundation is misspelled as "Fondation".

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Connections

References Cleopatra (1934)

User Reviews

Rarely seen view of race and Hollywood

I was lucky to view this film in class with decent sound. From what I understand, most the sound is barely audible on most prints. Sad, because Illusions is an example of race that is not often seen in the media. One of the few other examples I can think of is Alex Haley's Queen, but that took place over a hundred years ago, whereas Illusions is slightly more modern (and therefore hits closer to home), having taken place during WW2. But the issue of "passing" for the majority is not something the majority often thinks about, and I feel that many of my classmates were quite surprised by this film. That's a good thing though.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ilusiones

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

34 min

Color:

Black and White