"Stormy" Weather Indeed

While Stormy Weather does not have much of a plot, it was still a delightful and underrated movie. The music was catchy, the dancing was impressive, and the stages were beautiful.

Despite the lack of a plot, I feel the main idea of the movie was well done. The nature of the film felt like a breath of fresh air considering the subject matter we've seen in some of the other movies in class.

Discussing race is essential in media of course, but it's also nice to take a break from the heavy stuff here and there and just enjoy the little things: in this case, black music and culture. The majority of the movie is dedicated to the characters performing their individual routines which blend together into one product, notably Lena Horne's singing and Bill Robinson's tap-dancing, only interrupting for small "plot breaks."

In Colorization, Wil Haygood discusses many black films throughout the years, and one common feature among most of them is their reception: many face criticism from white or black audiences, sometimes even both, whether it be for the plot, acting, handling of race, etc.

Although it wasn't a smash hit, Stormy Weather was almost universally well-received among its audiences, which I feel says a lot about it. It avoids too much controversy since race as an issue is not really discussed, but I also feel that this lack of criticism comes from the appreciation for the music it produced.

One thing I remain unsure about, however, is the production. Not only was the director, Andrew Stone, white, but the black actors faced extreme racism during production despite the movie's nature. 

According to Tinubu, segregation was heavily enforced, white dressing rooms were on set but black actors had to leave campus. The (white) director himself was a lazy addition by producers, and he allegedly "talked down to his cast" (Tinubu).

There were other issues as well: Lena Horne herself stated that although she was happy that she was not forced into a maid role, which was so infamously stereotypical for black actresses at the time, she could not do anything else either. In other words, Selina's character was only there to look pretty and sing, eventually giving up her career for domesticity. 

Ignoring this blatant sexism (as well as other... issues... mentioned), however, I want to attempt to consider these on-set issues in terms of blackness. Stormy Weather is beloved by black audiences. It tells black stories and it honors black music, but its black actors and staff were treated horrendously by its white director.

For me, this raises the question of authenticity and legacy. Considering I had trouble finding more on this, this background does not seem to be very well-known (and is it even true? most likely, but without more sources I cannot say for sure), and I think it should be. I think audiences should be aware of what the cast and crew were subjected to before watching the movie itself, whether it influences the movie's legacy itself or not. 

I do not know how I feel about this movie now. While it isn't the best movie out there, I enjoyed it enough at first, but now I feel conflicted. I wonder what others would think about this topic, and if their opinion on the movie would change because of it.

Although Stormy Weather has never been exactly famous or even remembered as a "classic" by today's standards, audiences then and now still found ways to appreciate it, to the point it has avoided much criticism as well as been considered significant for black culture. Should this movie really be honored?