''My Baby Is Black!'' (Original French title: ''Les lâches vivent d'espoir'', "Cowards Live on Hope") is a 1961

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

romantic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film retitled for exploitation release in the U.S. in 1965. The film was written and directed by

Claude Bernard-Aubert Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

and starred Françoise Giret,

Gordon Heath Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film ''Animal Farm'' (1954) and appeared in the title role of ''The Emperor Jones'' (1953) and ''Othello'' (1955), both l ...

and Aram Stephan, with music by

Michel Magne Michel Magne (20 March 1930 in Lisieux, Calvados, France – 19 December 1984 in Cergy-Pontoise, Val-d'Oise) was a French film and experimental music composer. Early life He was the fifth child in a family of eight. As young as age five, he ...

. It was intended to examine society's view on race in the early 1960s.

Overview

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, a white college student named Françoise gives birth to a black child. The events leading to the baby's birth are revealed, including the mother's courtship by a black medical student named Daniel and the horrors of

bigotry Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

that she faces as her family and peers turn their backs on her. In addition to the strong focus on the social

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

of interracial romance and sex, the film shows Daniel's experiences as a victim of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

in their neighborhood. Originally a romantic drama with sociological undertones, the film was released in the United States as an

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

. It was advertised for its

shock value Shock value is the potential of an image, text, action, or other form of communication, such as a public execution, to provoke a reaction of sharp disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions. In advertising Shock advertising or Sho ...

and shown in

drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...

theaters but was not particularly successful, as the product bore little relation to the exploitative picture promised by its advertising campaign.

Cast

as Daniel *Françoise Giret as Françoise *Aram Stephan as The Professor *Mag-Avril as The Concierge *

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), w ...

as The Painter *Hervé Watine as The Guitarist *Fred Carault as Françoise's Father *Viviane Méry as Françoise's Mother

Critical reception

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

called the film "More thoughtful and less exploitive than its American release title would lead one to expect."

References

External links

* 1961 films Films about interracial romance French black-and-white films Films set in Paris French romantic drama films 1961 romantic drama films Films about racism in France 1960s French films Films scored by Michel Magne {{romantic-drama-film-stub