Luna

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Representation in a film opening sequence





This trailer shows what class/categories races are put into in society. The three black men look like the only black men in the store. The white man that works there keeps a very close watch of the three characters to see if they might steal anything or do any other action that is stereotyped towards black people. The white man that works there looks well off in an expensive looking suit and is employed whereas the three black men look unemployed even though they may not be and are wearing suits that do not look as nice or as expensive as the white man's. The white shop assistant unfairly treats the black men, and stereotypically acts like a stuck up and rich middle aged white man who thinks the black men will steal from the shop, and tells them that they do not do refunds, indicating the black men are dirty and poor by mentioning the price, as though he doesn't believe any of them would be able to afford the coat and they would not want the coat back from them if they were to return it. The black men have more of a personality than the white man and are loud and more centre of attention. They are into women and are happily to talk explicitly about the details of their relationships in public. One of the men talks about a woman and his friend represents her as a woman that is only after sex, when the other man thinks she's better than the sex, not a woman is in sight in this clip. This video clip fits in with Richard Dyer's representation of stereotypes very well.
I have received the meaning of this film through preferred reading (Halls theory) through the main character (played by Eddie Murphy) because you feel sorry for him and his friends that they are being racially discriminated against by a white shop assistant when they are barely doing any harm.