Josephine Baker's Cinematic Prism by Terri Simone Francis (English) Paperback Bo

Description: Josephine Baker's Cinematic Prism by Terri Simone Francis Examining an unexplored aspect of Bakers career, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism deepens the ongoing conversation about race, gender, and performance in the African diaspora. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Josephine Baker, the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, was both liberated and delightfully undignified, playfully vacillating between allure and colonialist stereotyping. Nicknamed the Black Venus, Black Pearl, and Creole Goddess, Baker blended the sensual and the comedic when taking 1920s Europe by storm. Back home in the United States, Bakers film career brought hope to the Black press that a new cinema centered on Black glamour would come to fruition. In Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism, Terri Simone Francis examines how Baker fashioned her celebrity through cinematic reflexivity, an authorial strategy in which she placed herself, her persona, and her character into visual dialogue. Francis contends that though Baker was an African American actress who lived and worked in France exclusively with a white film company, white costars, white writers, and white directors, she holds monumental significance for African American cinema as the first truly global Black woman film star. Francis also examines the double-talk between Baker and her characters in Le Pompier de Folies Bergere, La Sirene des Tropiques, Zou Zou, Princesse Tam Tam, and The French Way, whose narratives seem to undermine the very stardom they offered. In doing so, Francis artfully illuminates the most resonant links between emergent African American cinephilia, the diverse opinions of Baker in the popular press, and African Americans broader aspirations for progress toward racial equality. Examining an unexplored aspect of Bakers career, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism deepens the ongoing conversation about race, gender, and performance in the African diaspora. Author Biography Terri Simone Francis is Associate Professor at the University of Miami. Table of Contents AcknowledgmentsPrologue: What Might Be Josephine Bakers Film HistoryIntroduction: Hey! Ha! Shimmy My Bananas! Refracting Bakers Image1. Traveling Shoes: Bakers Migrations and the Conundrums of Sweet Paris2. Shouting at Shadows: The Black American Press, French Colonial Culture, and La sirène des tropiques3. Unintended Exposures: Bakers Prismatic Ethnological Performance in ZouZou4. Seeing Double: Parody and Desire in Le pompier de Folier Bergère and Princesse Tam-TamEpilogue: Long Live Josephine Baker!BibliographyIndex Review Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism explores Bakers celebrity and ability to have such a hold in the Black film industry even while working almost exclusively with white directors, actors and crew in white—specifically European—spaces. Francis examines the dialogue between Baker and the characters she portrayed, particularly those whose narratives seemed to undermine the stardom they offered. Expertly crafted, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism illustrates the most prominent links between Black cinema, conflicting opinions of Baker in the popular press and the broader aspirations for progress towards racial equality. * The Root *New Josephine Baker biography chronicles her labor on screen as the first global black woman film star. . . . Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism is available now and details the early days of Bakers stunning career. -- Rae Williams * Atlanta Black Star *Expertly crafted, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism illustrates the most prominent links between Black cinema, conflicting opinions of Baker in the popular press and the broader aspirations for progress towards racial equality. -- Bella Morais * The Root *An insightfully informative work of meticulous research and painstaking scholarship, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Cinematic History, African-American Studies, and American Biography collections in general, and Josephine Baker supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. -- James A. Cox * Midwest Book Reviw *This academic, but accessible deep dive into her film career and the impact of her image in the movies is thorough in considering what influenced her, how she reflected the current culture, and how she continues to be an influence today. Francis explores how Bakers performance style was inspired by African dance and blues singers like Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, and Clara Smith (with whom she performed in the US). She put her own comic lens on these varied influences and presented her take with a boldness that would later show in the style of top stars like Diana Ross and Beyoncé. . . . This is an impressively thorough examination of a relatively short period of Bakers career that nevertheless had a significant impact on her image and legacy. -- Kendahl Cruver * A Classic Movie Blog *The ability of a figure to be discovered and rediscovered with new fascination and excitement time and again is the mark of a true legend. The life and career of the international sensation and multitalented performer Josephine Baker has thus been solidified. . . . Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism follows through with exactly what it announces as its goal in its first few pages: to "treat Baker with care and seriousness as a producer of knowledge" (4). . . . Bakers cinematic prism engenders a way of knowing, thinking, and seeing that transcends the limits of space-time and productively reconsiders how Black womens labor can be assessed and valued. The method through which Francis conducts this thoughtful, yet rigorous, analysis will hopefully inspire those who evoke Baker in the future to do so in the same collaborative spirit. -- Philana Payton * Film Quarterly *In promoting Bakers stature as an American star, Francis has crafted an impressive and pressingly important book. . . . Refreshingly contemporary in its orienation, the light that Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism opens onto its eponymous star brings its authors crucial perspective to an essential history of transnational cinema and performance. -- Colleen Kennedy-Karpat * History * Review Quote Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism explores Bakers celebrity and ability to have such a hold in the Black film industry even while working almost exclusively with white directors, actors and crew in white--specifically European--spaces. Francis examines the dialogue between Baker and the characters she portrayed, particularly those whose narratives seemed to undermine the stardom they offered. Expertly crafted, Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism illustrates the most prominent links between Black cinema, conflicting opinions of Baker in the popular press and the broader aspirations for progress towards racial equality. Competing Titles The Body, the Dance and the Text: Essays on Performance and the Margins of History, Shiovitz (McFarland, 2019), 9781476671895 Feature Existence as Resistance: How Josephine Baker Challenged Misogynoir Terri Simone Francis on Agency, Black Womanhood, and Representation in Film via Lithub Where is the love?: Seeking intimacy in Josephine Bakers films via Salon #ConversationsLIVE host Cyrus Webb welcomes author Terri Simone Francis to discuss her new book Josephine Bakers Cinematic Prism Josephine Bakers Prismatic Sisters via Hype Magazine Details ISBN0253223385 Author Terri Simone Francis Publisher Indiana University Press Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 0253223385 ISBN-13 9780253223388 Format Paperback Imprint Indiana University Press Place of Publication Bloomington, IN Country of Publication United States Illustrations 23 Illustrations, black and white Pages 216 Publication Date 2021-01-19 UK Release Date 2021-01-19 AU Release Date 2021-01-19 NZ Release Date 2021-01-19 US Release Date 2021-01-19 Translator Nick Caistor Birth 1865 Death 1944 Affiliation Neoma Business Sch, France Position Translator Qualifications QC Alternative 9780253017598 DEWEY 792.8092 Audience Professional & Vocational We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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