Choose one or more of the questions below and compose a well-thought out, well-written reflection. Make sure to address each part of the chosen question and include 2-3 specific examples from the movie.
- How does John Berry, the filmmaker, capture Claudine as a woman in the context of the narrative (i.e. the 1970s, racial tensions, economy to name a few)? How has this depiction of Claudine as a Black woman evolved from the earlier depiction of Delilah as a Black woman in Imitation of Life? How are the narratives similar and how are they different? Cite specific examples.
- How does Claudine combat the pejorative stereotypes that have been perpetuated against African Americans since the days of slavery? Does the film validate the stereotypes in any way? Cite examples for both questions.
- Referring to Chimimanda Adiche’s Ted Talk “The Danger of the Single Story,” choose a character from Claudine and cite examples of how that character in the movie is relegated to a single story being told about them. Identify the single story and discuss how it affects their lives.
- Choose at least one commentary you can draw from Claudine (socially, historically and/or otherwise) and provide examples from the film that speak to the commentary.
