Robert Anderson Clift

Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift’s legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. But when his nephew dives into the family archives, a much more complicated picture emerges.

Against the unique backdrop of American popular music, Blacking Up explores racial identity in U.S. society. The film artfully draws parallels between the white Hip-Hop fan and previous incarnations of white appropriation from blackface performer Al Jolson to mainstream artists like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and Eminem. It interweaves portraits of white Hip-Hop artists and fans with insightful commentary by African American cultural critics such as Amin Baraka, Nelson George, Greg Tate, comedian Paul Mooney and Hip-Hop figures Chuck D., Russell Simmons, Ml of Dead Prez, and Di Kool Herc. Blacking Up will be a useful resource for courses in Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology, African American Studies, Anthropology, and Cross-Cultural Dialogue as well as for Student Services programs.

Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift’s legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. But when his nephew dives into the family archives, a much more complicated picture emerges.

Against the unique backdrop of American popular music, Blacking Up explores racial identity in U.S. society. The film artfully draws parallels between the white Hip-Hop fan and previous incarnations of white appropriation from blackface performer Al Jolson to mainstream artists like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and Eminem. It interweaves portraits of white Hip-Hop artists and fans with insightful commentary by African American cultural critics such as Amin Baraka, Nelson George, Greg Tate, comedian Paul Mooney and Hip-Hop figures Chuck D., Russell Simmons, Ml of Dead Prez, and Di Kool Herc. Blacking Up will be a useful resource for courses in Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology, African American Studies, Anthropology, and Cross-Cultural Dialogue as well as for Student Services programs.