Fear of the Dark: 'Race', Gender and Sexuality in the Cinema (Paperback)

Baroness Lola Young’s 1995 book Fear of the Dark: ‘Race’, Gender and Sexuality in Cinema was a major intervention in the study of the representations of Black women across British cinema. 30 years later, Young’s ideas and reflections remain a valuable account of cinematic representations of Black female identity, sexuality and film.

Studies of the portrayal of black people in film have tended to be studies for the ideological correctness of the depictions of black people and the extent to which they rely on stereotypes. By closely examining films such as Sapphire (1959), Leo the Last (1969), Black Joy (1977), Playing Away (1986) and Mona Lisa (1987) and situating them in their historical and social context, Fear of the Dark develops a particular critical perspective on the film portrayal of black female sexuality and questions the extent to which black film makers have challenged stereotypes.

Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka has curated a season in the BFI around the key films explored within this book, alongside carefully selected contemporary works that speak to similar themes of interracial love, class, family, and racial, gendered and sexual identity. It offers space for an exploration of Young’s approaches to cinema, race and Black women, and locate the films in a dialogue with the contemporary moment.