“The Interracial Romance Onscreen” — The Take, 2020, 20:09 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzArb_cujSg

Contributed by Mary Scafidi, Cabrini University

This is a video essay on the problematic ways interracial couples are portrayed in movies. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was a movie that depicted a white woman bringing her Black fiancé to meet her family. It is credited with opening up the media to the idea of showing interracial couples. This movie was made when interracial marriage was illegal in 16 states (though this changed two weeks after the film wrapped up production). However, this movie was primarily written for white audiences, and it set a standard that would be hard for other black people to attain. John Prentice, played by Sidney Poitier, was portrayed as perfect, meaning it was impossible for others to reach the expectations presented in the movie. Likewise, the film oversimplifies the complexities of racism in society, presenting it as an individual (or family) issue rather than a social problem.

Have depictions of interracial couples changed since this movie was released? What are some other tropes the media clings to when it comes to interracial couples?

From the video’s description: Films and TV shows have long used the onscreen interracial romance as a way to explore our own evolving relationships with racism. From I Love Lucy, to Jungle Fever, to The Big Sick, we’ve progressed from cautious depictions of interracial romance, to politically charged melodramas that confront them head on, to more modern tales where race is seen as just one of love’s many complexities. But even as movies and TV have increasingly normalized the interracial relationship, it remains a singular, and significant dynamic on screen—and an essential part of our cultural conversation. Here’s our Take on how all of these depictions of the interracial relationship bring something to the table, even if they come from different points of view.