Pride

Pride

An Ideological Analysis

The movie I decided to see during this year's ON Film Festival was the Pride on Thursday, March 25th, 2010. Based on true events, Pride chronicles the trials and triumphs of an all-black swim team in a white dominated sport. One of the main characters, Jim Ellis, was once a college level swimmer but upon his graduation he finds it tough to find work. He decides to accept a temporary job cleaning the Marcus Foster Recreation Center that will soon be shut down. During this time he meets a group of inter-city kids and over-time he molds them to a very successful swim team.

Immediately upon viewing this film, I realized that this would be a great artifact for ideological analysis. Ideological criticism is the analysis of "evaluative beliefs-the beliefs about which there are possible alternative judgments" The aspects I would like to analyze ideologically from this film are the issues of race, economic class, and sexism. Everyone has different beliefs about these three situations. These issues truly leave a lasting impression on the audience and have a great deal to do with the impact of this film.

First, is the issue of race which is definitely the focal point of this film. From the very first scene where Jim is ejected from his college swim meet because of his race to the last scene when the team wins the championship, the matter of race is always present. In that time blacks (and other minorities) were treated almost like animals. This racial tension sparked much frustration in the community. Many people resisted the change of integration and promoted hate as a form of non-conformity. In the white dominated sport of swimming, things were especially challenging for the swimmers on Ellis’ swim team. This blatant hate was only one barrier this team had to overcome.

Another topic in this film was the economic class of the various characters. Nearly everyone on Ellis’ swim team was a part of the low class in inter-city Philadelphia, even Jim Ellis himself who lived in a spare room at the recreation center in which he worked. Many believe that people who are not raised with a silver spoon in their mouths will never amount to anything but the members of swim team in Pride proved this notion to be false. When they defeat all of their competition and win the championship meet, they prove that despite one’s background and economic situation, they were capable of achieve any dream. This message had a profound impact on me as I sat in the audience. This aspect of the movie inspires viewers to chase after their dreams.

Finally, is the subtle aspect of sexism in athletics. The character, Willie was the only female on the swim team and her position did not come easy. When first spotted by her future teammates, they automatically doubted her ability. She soon proved them wrong when she dived into the pool and showed her skills. She later proved to be one of the best swimmers on the team. Although she was eventually appreciated, the team’s initial doubt of her demonstrates their mindset towards women. It is easy to imply that they view women as inferior to men in the sports. As a woman, this subject appealed to me because women are often underestimated in any competitive field. Willie’s success on the swim team is a testament that women can do anything that men can and that no one should ever be judged on their gender but instead their skill.