The Flying Ace

Join the conversation.

You may use these questions to help direct your film discussion.

• There are both positive characters and “bad” characters in Norman’s film. Does the inclusion of the bad characters (that is, those who engage in criminal theft, violence, and drug use) undermine the film’s theme of racial uplift? Should Norman have eliminated those bad characters and focused solely on the more positive ones?

• Captain Stokes is depicted as a hero pilot from World War One. Since African Americans were not allowed to serve as pilots in that war and were restricted in the service they could perform in other branches of the Armed Forces, should Norman have portrayed Stokes more realistically and less idealistically? Was it a wise idea to portray Stokes as an aspirational hero rather than as an actual hero and community leader?

• Apart from Stokes, what other role models does Norman depict, and how effective are they?

• Is the decision of Richard E. Norman, a white race filmmaker, to tell an aspirational story of black achievement an example of cultural appropriation?

• Especially considering the era in which Norman was producing his race features, what does the film tell us about the role of black women? What modern parallels come to mind?

- Barbara Tepa Lupack