Gregory Bellelo "American History X"

The scene which stood out to me the most was the flashback of Derek on the basketball court. This whole scene shows how a group of young people are attracted to the idea of Facism and Nazism. When we analyze this scene we learn about Derek’s true idea about his view of black people. The whole scene is filmed in black and white, like almost all the flashbacks in the film are. Just from viewing this scene we get a sense of how dedicated Derek was to this cause. In the whole basketball game the camera follows Derek up and down the court. Derek is the dominant in this flashback. The camera use in this film is also very important. When the game is going on the camera shows the reaction of the crowd when Derek’s team scores making it seem as if everyone is against the black team. Also, the music and slow motion add great significance to the flashback. It makes the game seem more intense and gives more emotion to the scene.

The basketball scene targets the younger people because it focuses on a sport and how competition is a way of settling arguments. After watching this scene, it is easy to say that the younger class is easily influenced by how older people like themselves act. When older individuals like Cameron, and young adults like Derek and his girlfriend strive on things like this basketball scene, it is hard for young people that look up to them like Derek’s brother to say that this is wrong. The article states that blacks are depicted as thugs, drug dealers, and violent criminals in many films. The African Americans in this scene fit this stereotype, and give them a sense of why they should have hatred towards them. They state that these African Americans are the reason their city is ruined and they can’t just go throughout the city without being worried of getting attracted. The African Americans shove and throw elbows throughout the game making it seem justifiable for the whites to have racist emotions towards them.