Racism and Movies of 40's
I just watched this movie PINKY, based on the book "Quality" by female novelist Cid Ricketts Sumner. It was made in 1949, and was directed by Elia Kazan. It handles some of the same subject matter that "Imitation of Life" did in 1934 but "PINKY" is more gritty and honest in its portrayal of bigotry and self loathing. The story follows Patricia "Pinky" Johnson, a light skinned black woman, as she returns to her grandmother's house in the South after graduating from a Northern nursing school. Pinky confesses to her grandmother that she has been "passing" for white while at school in the North. On top of this news we find out that Patricia has fallen in love with a white Doctor who does not know her family history. When he does find out he still wants to marry her but wants to keep her family history a secret. This creates an excruciatingly hard decision for Patricia to make - you really feel the weight of it in ...