Jungle Fever (1991)

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Jungle Fever, an interracial love story took place in the urban streets of New York City in the early of 1990s. An affair between a married successful black lawyer and his white secretary. The film was produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, and received positive reviews. Based on Rotten Tomatoes, Jungle Fever received ratings of 81% from 48 critics.

Plot

Flipper Purify, a successful married black lawyer having an affair with a white girl from work, his secretary, Angela Tucci. Flipper was worried that the relationship would be leaked as having racial difference relationship at that time was a taboo. When the rumors about them surfaced, Drew, Flipper’s wife, was furious and kicked him out of the house. While Angie’s friends, the ones she told them about having a relationship with an African-American man, could not stop gossiping until the word was heard by one of Angie’s brothers, and continued to her father.

They also began encountering social problems and rejections, at one evening Flipper and Angela were ignored by one of the racist waitresses. Also, Flipper’s parents who cannot accept their son dating someone not from their race. Other racial issues continued one night when Flipper was almost arrested after receiving a false report from another racist white person, regarding a white woman being attacked.

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Controversy

There was a scene when Angie got beaten by one of her racist brothers, Mike, for dating a black man and threw her out of the house. In addition, when Flipper was almost falsely arrested by police after receiving a report from a racist white person, saying that a white woman was being attacked. Apparently, it was because Flipper 's position looked like forcing himself on Angie when someone had watched them over a car hood from a window. [1] The affair between Flipper and Angie stirred up controversy for an entire community; Angie's got beaten by her family member, Flipper's parents refused his relationship, and strangers insulted them.

This film dedicated to Yusef Hawkins, who was killed in 1989 over a rumors that the black man romancing a white woman, shown that interracial couple would never be accepted. The president of the Casting Society of America, Russell Boast, points out, "There’s been a kind of glamorization of diversity, where creators think that having it means it has to be a plot point. But sometimes that can have the opposite effect, making it feel not normal." [2]

References