“Daughters of the Dust”
Isolation is a major issue affecting some African American communities. The need to maintain their unique cultural values and beliefs force such communities to lead an isolated life. The film “Daughters of the Dust” presents an individual case where a family gathered around the beach to celebrate and the elder family members. Besides, the members had gathered to commemorate the crossing from the island to the mainland. The film relies on unique film angles and shot sizes to enhance aesthetic value. Because the film “Daughters of the Dust” focuses on the significance of the cultural values, the film angles and shot, sizes used in the first three scenes enhance the quality of the intended message.
Scene 1: The “Peazants”
The scene “Peazants” introduces the family living on the island and their unique cultures. The scene opens with the family gathered around the beach to celebrate and commemorate the elder family members and the crossing of their relatives from to the mainland (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust” 1:00-3:00). The scene implies that the Sea Island Gullahs had assembled to celebrate an important part of their culture. The older members of the family intended to pass the noble customs to the younger members of the community. Nana Peazant states that “I am the first and the last… I am honored one and the second one” to show her significance in the community (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust” 5:10-6:30). In this case, Nana reveals herself as the custodian of the cultures. Besides, she affirms her role in guiding the other family members to embrace cultural practices. Therefore, the scene “Peazants” introduces the Gullahs as African Americans who value their cultural beliefs as a way of life.
The film angles and shot sizes in the scene “Peazants” enhance the quality of the intended message. The scene begins with an extreme long shot of two people riding across the beach in a bicycle who starts in the frame and moves out (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust” 1:00-3:00). The extreme long shot invokes the concept of inheritance of cultural values and beliefs. Besides, the scene reveals that Sea Island Gullahs passed their values from one generation to the other through unique ceremonies. The high angle of the camera implies that the culture of conducting religious traditions among the Sea Island Gullahs was valuable (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust” 1:00-3:00). The position of the camera makes the members of the community appear subjective to the cultures. Hence, the film angle and shot sizes in the first scene affirms that cultural values among the Sea Island Gullahs were dominant and had greater significance to the members.
Scene 2: The Return of Viola and Yellow Mary
The scene “The Return of Viola and Yellow Mary” affirms the significant cultural values among the Sea Island Gullahs. Nana mentions that “we carry these memories inside of we… we do not know where the recollections come from” when addressing Ali (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust Scene: The Return of Viola and Yellow Mary” 0:01-0:10). Nana affirms that they had lived with the cultural values for many centuries. In this case, the viewer can understand that Sea Island Gullahs relied on the unique benefits to make their life meaningful.
The film angle affirms the importance of the value of the inherited cultural values. For instance, the high aspect of the film shows that the information given by Nana was important (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust Scene: The Return of Viola and Yellow Mary” 0:01-0:10). In this case, the position of the camera affirms that Nana was giving a strong statement when compared to Eli’s reactions. Hence, the film angle confirms that the members of the family had to accept the cultural values irrespective of their feelings.
Scene 3: Scraps of Memories
The scene “Scraps of Memories” reveals how the members of the family recalled important values in their community. Mary states that “I sure hope they’re fixing some gumbo” as she dances with Eula and Eli (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust: Scraps of Memories” 0:00-0:05). Mary recalls her rape case and the significance of the unborn baby. The high angle of the film reveals that Mary’s suffering was a major factor in the movie (Dash, “Daughters of the Dust: Scraps of Memories” 0:00-0:05). This case affirms that the rape was a violation of the cultures held by Sea Island Gullahs. Hence, the third scene and angle of the film confirms the significance of the cultural values among the isolated African American family.
Conclusion
The film “Daughters of the Dust” focuses on the significance of the cultural values among the Sea Island Gullahs. The film angles and shot sizes used in the first three scenes enhance the quality of the intended message by showing that the inherited cultures were superior to how the members felt. Nana took the role of ensuring that the younger family members embrace the culture.
Works Cited
Dash, Julie. “Daughters of the Dust.” Www.Imdb.Com, 1991, www.imdb.com/title/tt0104057/.
—. “Daughters of the Dust Scene: The Return of Viola and Yellow Mary.” YouTube, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oISUG3Ua7E. Accessed 23 June 2020.
—. “Daughters of the Dust: Scraps of Memories.” YouTube, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdwbepyow5Q. Accessed 23 June 2020.