A review
Sexuality, racial discrimination, date-rape, and classism.
Writer and director John Singleton weaves these powerful themes into a final message of tolerance and harmony for his film, Higher Learning. Released in 1995 by Columbia Pictures, this is a story that follows young Americans as they navigate their way through a semester of college at (a fictional) Columbus University. It opens with a soundtrack of the same kind of funky bass-lines and drums that punctuate the converging plots of the film. In the next scenes, we meet the main characters and are given a little bit of their back-story. The first three we meet are freshman. Omar Epps takes on the role of Malik, a black freshman on a track scholarship who struggles academically. Kristy Swanson trades vampire-slaying stakes for a heavy dose of naivete as Kristen, a white suburban girl from Orange County, CA. Michael Rapaport is prepared for his next racially charged role in The Basketball Diaries by playing Remy, a sheltered "mid-western" loner.
The rest of the supporting cast deserves mention too. Laurence Fishburne gives an 'Image Award'- winning performance as Professor Phipps, teaching Malik's and Kristen's Political Science class. He is quickly established as the sage "voice of wisdom". Basically, Morpheus in tweed. Almost every line of his is quotable. A young Tyra Banks plays Deja, Malik's chest-licking love interest and tries to help him stay smart.
Singleton isn't timid about establishing themes quickly; we are minutes into the film when Malik and Kristen first cross paths on an elevator and Kristen clutches her purse defensively. Malik notices and scoffs and shakes his head. Each of the beginning scenes fleshes out a new theme or elaborates on an already established one. Kristen meets Tarin (played by Jennifer Connely), a gay junior, and is educated about the lighted safety-phones around campus. Remy is bullied by his new roommate, super-senior and black nationalist, Fudge. Fudge, portrayed by rapper Ice Cube, gives a great scene describing the class/race segregation. It reminded me of the beginning of prison movies as Fudge pointed to and described each of the visibly self-segregated cliques on campus.
Through each of the characters' interactions and choices, The plot reaches a violent climax and soon lives are at stake. Through the entire film, we are kept firmly on-campus. We only see the students' interactions with each other and the faculty. It helps to drive the main point. Our differences still influence many of us to treat each other unequally, and Higher Learning shows how some overcome it, some embrace it, some are unaware of it, and we all suffer for it.
Here's a youtube clip of it with no context! :
(the blog title is 29 seconds in! :P)
The rest of the supporting cast deserves mention too. Laurence Fishburne gives an 'Image Award'- winning performance as Professor Phipps, teaching Malik's and Kristen's Political Science class. He is quickly established as the sage "voice of wisdom". Basically, Morpheus in tweed. Almost every line of his is quotable. A young Tyra Banks plays Deja, Malik's chest-licking love interest and tries to help him stay smart.
Singleton isn't timid about establishing themes quickly; we are minutes into the film when Malik and Kristen first cross paths on an elevator and Kristen clutches her purse defensively. Malik notices and scoffs and shakes his head. Each of the beginning scenes fleshes out a new theme or elaborates on an already established one. Kristen meets Tarin (played by Jennifer Connely), a gay junior, and is educated about the lighted safety-phones around campus. Remy is bullied by his new roommate, super-senior and black nationalist, Fudge. Fudge, portrayed by rapper Ice Cube, gives a great scene describing the class/race segregation. It reminded me of the beginning of prison movies as Fudge pointed to and described each of the visibly self-segregated cliques on campus.
Through each of the characters' interactions and choices, The plot reaches a violent climax and soon lives are at stake. Through the entire film, we are kept firmly on-campus. We only see the students' interactions with each other and the faculty. It helps to drive the main point. Our differences still influence many of us to treat each other unequally, and Higher Learning shows how some overcome it, some embrace it, some are unaware of it, and we all suffer for it.
Here's a youtube clip of it with no context! :
(the blog title is 29 seconds in! :P)
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