Sidney Poitier

Man, Actor, Icon

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, Biography & Memoir, Entertainment & Performing Arts
Cover of the book Sidney Poitier by Aram Goudsouzian, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Aram Goudsouzian ISBN: 9780807875841
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: January 20, 2011
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Aram Goudsouzian
ISBN: 9780807875841
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: January 20, 2011
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career illuminate America's racial history.

In such films as Lilies of the Field, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Poitier's middle-class, mannered, virtuous screen persona contradicted prevailing film stereotypes of blacks as half-wits, comic servants, or oversexed threats. His screen image and public support of nonviolent integration assuaged the fears of a broad political center, and by 1968, Poitier was voted America's favorite movie star.

Through careful readings of every Poitier film, Goudsouzian shows that Poitier's characters often made sacrifices for the good of whites and rarely displayed sexuality. As the only black leading man during the civil rights era, Poitier chose roles and public positions that negotiated the struggle for dignity. By 1970, times had changed and Poitier was the target of a backlash from film critics and black radicals, as the new heroes of "blaxploitation" movies reversed the Poitier model.

In the 1970s, Poitier shifted his considerable talents toward directing, starring in, and producing popular movies that employed many African Americans, both on and off screen. After a long hiatus, he returned to starring roles in the late 1980s. More recently, the film industry has reappraised his career, and Poitier has received numerous honors recognizing his multi-faceted work for black equality in Hollywood. As this biography affirms, Poitier remains one of American popular culture's foremost symbols of the possibilities for and limits of racial equality.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career illuminate America's racial history.

In such films as Lilies of the Field, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Poitier's middle-class, mannered, virtuous screen persona contradicted prevailing film stereotypes of blacks as half-wits, comic servants, or oversexed threats. His screen image and public support of nonviolent integration assuaged the fears of a broad political center, and by 1968, Poitier was voted America's favorite movie star.

Through careful readings of every Poitier film, Goudsouzian shows that Poitier's characters often made sacrifices for the good of whites and rarely displayed sexuality. As the only black leading man during the civil rights era, Poitier chose roles and public positions that negotiated the struggle for dignity. By 1970, times had changed and Poitier was the target of a backlash from film critics and black radicals, as the new heroes of "blaxploitation" movies reversed the Poitier model.

In the 1970s, Poitier shifted his considerable talents toward directing, starring in, and producing popular movies that employed many African Americans, both on and off screen. After a long hiatus, he returned to starring roles in the late 1980s. More recently, the film industry has reappraised his career, and Poitier has received numerous honors recognizing his multi-faceted work for black equality in Hollywood. As this biography affirms, Poitier remains one of American popular culture's foremost symbols of the possibilities for and limits of racial equality.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Atlanta, Cradle of the New South by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book The Carnivore by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book The Basis of Progressive Evolution by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Transforming the Appalachian Countryside by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book You Can’t Eat Freedom by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Domesticating Slavery by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Give My Poor Heart Ease by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Fighting for the Confederacy by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Rome, the Greek World, and the East by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Engineering Nature by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Sound States by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book A New South Rebellion by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book What Would Jesus Read? by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book Contested Waters by Aram Goudsouzian
Cover of the book The Education of the Heart by Aram Goudsouzian
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy