Finding the Fit in Society

By Kristen Merlo, with comments by Ed Tabor, Katherine Prosswimmer, and Lynn Farley

Selection

[1] Throughout John Singleton’s film, the viewers feel welcomed and integrated into the black community of Rosewood. As the film progresses, we begin to feel threatened and alienated by the white mob that originates in the town of Sumner. As viewers, we experience the Rosewood Massacre from the perspective of the black community. The white supremacist views of the mob often transcend the traditional film-viewer relationship, as the hatred permeates the screen. Singleton succeeds in establishing a cast of dynamic characters who connect with the viewers. Likewise, the viewers yearn to connect on a personal level with characters such as Sylvester and Aunt Sarah. A wide variety of emotions are explored throughout the film -- ranging from love and kinship to hate and jealousy. The interactions among the characters are authentic, and the emotions and tensions are often palpable. In Rosewood, Singleton places an emphasis upon the notion of community and belonging; he makes it clear that his characters know their respective places in the world and that society functions as a corrupted, yet functioning machine. As Aunt Sarah (Esther Rolle) expresses at New Year’s Eve Dinner: “Time’s ain’t never changed for no crackers, boy. Don’t you forget they burned a colored man … over in Wylie last summer for winking at a white woman” (0:17:26). Singleton highlights the close-knit community and small-town feel of Rosewood and Sumner in the “Stranger’s Arrival” scene where Mr. Mann (Ving Rhames) makes his arrival in Levy County. Because of a combination of bad timing and a highly suspicious community, Mr. Mann is not immediately welcomed. Clearly presented as an outsider, Mr. Mann’s arrival piques the interest of the townspeople and viewers alike. Using Mr. Mann as a vehicle, Singleton successfully presents his interpretation of a lonely, black WWI veteran in a racially charged time in Florida.

[2] It was difficult to pick just one scene to analyze in Rosewood because of the moving and symbolic nature of so many of Singleton’s scenes. On both a literal and a figurative level, the scenes of Rosewood are artfully created and masterfully strung together. Each scene embodies its own microscopic storyline and character dynamism, while staying true to the overall themes and plot of the film. Despite the lack of dialogue and direct interaction among characters in “The Stranger’s Arrival” scene, however, Singleton has established Mr. Mann’s entrance as one of great significance. Mr. Mann enters the close-knit community of Rosewood in a silent and mysterious manner, which establishes him as a character of both hope and suspicion. For instance, Sylvester makes his suspicions known after New Year’s dinner: “Well, I figure a colored fellow with nowhere particular to be, that man be sellin’ something … or he runnin’.” (0:14:44).

Background

[3] Prior to this scene, the viewers are introduced to the two Florida towns of Sumner and Rosewood. Sumner is a predominantly white community, while Rosewood is predominantly black. (see comment by Lynn Farley) The first camera shots of the film display a typical, quiet morning in Levy County. We are first introduced to the residents of Rosewood, namely the Carrier Family and the Wright Family. In Sumner, Singleton presents the first sense of anti-black sentiment through a conversation between Duke Purdy (Bruce McGill) and his son Emmet (Tristan Hook). Overall, it appears to be a quiet morning until Sheriff Walker (Michael Rooker) drives down the road and asks Duke if he’s “seen any niggers out here?” (0:06:44). The Sheriff explains that a colored man named Jesse Hunter has escaped from a chain gang and that they are on the lookout for him. It is suspected that Jesse Hunter might be headed towards Rosewood. The Sheriff looks at Duke and speaks to him seriously, telling him not to shoot Jesse Hunter if he finds him. The white community of Sumner is alerted and is on the lookout for the suspicious escapee, Jesse Hunter.

Beginning

[4] At the beginning of the “Stranger’s Arrival” scene, Mr. Mann rides his horse through the woods and stops to read a sign at a fork in the path. The sign has two arrows, one pointing towards Sumner, and the other pointing towards Rosewood. The stranger pauses, reads the sign, and then trots towards Sumner. As he approaches the sign and stops to make his decision, the camera first focuses upon the horse’s feet and then gradually scans upwards to present a shot of the stranger’s back. We are not able to see Mr. Mann’s face at this point of the scene, and he is clearly depicted as an outsider. Mr. Mann is dressed in all-dark clothing that is juxtaposed against the thriving green trees of the woods. These introductory shots can be interpreted as representative of a man in nature, without the pressures, expectations, or corruptions of society. The pause at the Sumner and Rosewood signs is dramatic, and the viewers are left in silence to speculate who this man is and what his intentions may be. (see comment by Ed Tabor)

[5] As he rides through the town of Sumner, the stranger passes the sheriff’s office and the residents as they go about their daily business. The townspeople stop and stare at him. Jamie Barlowe discusses Singleton’s effective use of gaze in introducing Mr. Mann. She explains, “The camera shoots over his [Mann’s] shoulder, including the side of his face in one long shot. Thus, the viewer looks with him to see what he sees, especially the whites who stop whatever they are doing to stare at him as intimidatingly as they can” (39). Although the stares from the Sumner residents are overwhelmingly blatant and derogatory, Singleton creates an interesting dynamic through use of perspective. The viewers experience such derogatory looks from the physically higher position of Mr. Mann upon the horse. Thus, the camera looks down on the whites of Sumner. Does Singleton intentionally depict Mr. Mann, a black man, looking down at the disgusted whites of Sumner? (see comment by Katherine Prosswimmer)

[6] The camera angle shifts from a higher position to an equal line of vision as Mr. Mann’s gaze rests upon two young boys, Arnett (James Edward Coleman II) and Emmet, who are working together to chop wood. Arnett is a young black boy, and Emmet is a young white boy. Prior to this scene, Emmet’s father has told him not to hang around with Arnett anymore. In one of the most beautiful shots of this scene, Arnett and Emmet stand symmetrically leaning against a tree, looking up at the stranger on his horse (0:09:30). There is a distinct feeling of generation and “changing times” in this shot. The two boys begin to approach Mr. Mann, but he quickly and mysteriously gallops away. Arnett chases after him.

[7] As Mr. Mann arrives in Rosewood, Scrappie (Elise Neal), the school teacher, is telling a story to the school children. Just as in Sumner, the people of Rosewood stop what they are doing to stare at the strange man riding through on his horse. Scrappie’s gaze meets Mr. Mann’s, and she is obviously intrigued. This begins the token, fictional love story between Mr. Mann and Scrappie in Rosewood. Singleton uses gaze to establish both Mr. Mann’s sense of solitude as well as the beginnings of his interactions with Scrappie.

[8] Barlowe further elaborates upon the power of gaze in relation to a construction of whiteness as a powerful and privileged position: “In almost all mainstream Hollywood films … the camera has looked at, not with black characters, marking them, like all women characters, as the object of the camera’s gaze” (39). Singleton refuses to objectify; rather, he empowers and emphasizes Mr. Mann’s point of view. After establishing a typical morning in Levy County in the opening minutes of the film, Singleton uses the eyes of Mr. Mann to view the towns from an outsider’s perspective.

Scene Clincher

[9] Throughout this entire scene, the viewers must wait patiently and reluctantly to hear Mr. Mann speak. We are unsure of his purpose and intentions in Rosewood. Once he arrives at Mr. Carter’s, Mr. Mann climbs off his horse, and Arnett introduces himself. Arnett sensibly inquires as to why Mr. Mann is riding a horse instead of driving a car. The young boy points out that a car is faster, but Mr. Mann’s response is direct and poignant: “I ain’t in no hurry” (0:10:46). The exchange between Mr. Mann and Arnett is interesting, and their relationship will become important later in the film since Mr. Mann will eventually be established as a father figure. At this moment, though, Mr. Mann is depicted as a tough outsider.

[10] This scene gains much of its power from the lack of dialogue and the emphasis placed upon travel through physical space and perspectives. There is limited vocal interaction among characters, yet the eye contact and body mannerisms are effective in establishing the sense of discomfort that an outsider can bring to a close-knit community. Singleton establishes a parallel between the white and black communities of Sumner and Rosewood, since Mr. Mann is a stranger in both towns. By looking with Mr. Mann instead of at Mr. Mann, Singleton distinguishes his camera angles from other Hollywood films. The combination of silence, cinematography, and perspective is effective in creation of a scene that places the viewer in the position of Mr. Mann. Singleton, as black director, feels a personal connection to the residents of Rosewood, who suffer from racial persecution. He finds himself in a position of power as the director of the film and is aware of his responsibility in the portrayal of events. Singleton expresses, “I don't believe any black man has had the opportunity to direct a film like this in this context, and on so wide a canvas. I felt proud and grateful to have the opportunity and I think there is much relevance about the story today.” In this scene, the fictional Mr. Mann is empowered through Singleton’s use of camera angles, just as Singleton is empowered as a director who also serves the role of historian.

Comments

Ed Tabor 7/23/12

Mann appears to be as much a figure of silent cinema as that of the 1950s Hollywood Western. In the sense of the Western, the opening scenes depicting Mann’s arrival seem to be right out of George Stevens’ Shane. Like Shane, Mann is weary of the world and seeks to settle down. Beyond that I think Singleton links him to a deeper state of the American psyche -- the wanderer -- a figure that goes back at least as far as Melville’s Ishmael. The use of “silent” techniques to introduce Mann appear to have a broader appeal to a view of the archetypal wanderer. I suppose Mann is “Everyman” in a quasi-allegorical sense, as he is the every black man. Mann’s later attempt to put down roots -- in Rosewood -- are futile, as the town itself is wiped out of history and its residents thrown into exile. Mann’s silent wanderings speak of the future sufferings of the Rosewoodians, left to wander without a voice and without hope of truly finding a home. The scene of the crossroads is a kind of threshold to the future of Mann and the black race. Here the signs of Rosewood and Sumner clash, symbolically forcing Mann to make a decision that will alter his fate.

Katherine Prosswimmer 7/23/12

Kristin makes a great point. Mann is clearly an interesting and unusual figure, not only because of his physical size and obvious strength, but because he is on a horse. This becomes obvious later when Arnett asks him why he doesn't drive a car; it is clearly unusual for someone to be using a horse for their main source of transportation. Kristin highlights the ways in which people physically react to Mann's appearance, but I found there to be great significance in the Sheriff's reaction to Deputy Earl's belief that Mann is the escaped chain-gang member. The Sheriff glances at Mann and says, "That boy ain't no more off the chain gang than I'm the governor of Florida." It seems that most African-American's are viewed as equal (if only to each other), as seen through the lynch mob's later disregard for whether any of the men they question have any actual relation to Fanny's alleged attack or the escaped chain-gang member. So why is Mann automatically given the benefit of the doubt when he rides by? Perhaps it is because the mob has not yet been worked into a frenzy. But, then again, perhaps not.

Lynn Farley 7/23/12

The viewer's introduction to the communities is a bit more extensive than one is white and the other is black. It's important to note that Singleton's shots of Rosewood impart a sense of happiness and harmony. It could be a small town anywhere in America. As we watch the residents begin their day, I found that the director took great pains to establish an economic difference between the two towns. The homes in Rosewood look well-kept. They are two-stories with painted clapboard and shutters. Inside we see nice furniture and well-dressed families getting ready to go to work. There's a sense of pride, of ownership.

Economic prosperity is not present in the town of Sumner.The homes are weather-beaten, single-story shacks with rusted tin roofs. Lazy men sit on porches when they should be at work. People are poor, and they are white--a reversal of how it's "supposed" to be between the two races. I also found it interesting that we don't see any women in these opening shots of Sumner. We're introduced to the Purdy family on an early morning hunting trip. Father Duke Purdy is going to teach his reluctant son how to be a man by shooting a black boar. The gunshot shatters the peaceful sounds of the morning. The symbolism of that animal's color is not lost--the scene foreshadows hunting that is yet to come.

Barlowe, Jamie. “The ‘Not-Free’ and ‘Not-Me’: Constructions of Whiteness in ‘Rosewood’ and ‘Ghosts of Mississippi.’” Canadian Review of American Studies 28.3 (1998): 31-47.