social, controversial figures, which created an inquisitive, yet uncomfortable society. By the 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, the first African-American Hollywood movie star, Sidney Poitier, emerged. The inoffensive posters of his movies like, Lilies of the Field (1963), depicted him as a protector over others and harmless individual. Thereafter, society became more accepting to non-violent, optimistic images of African Americans. During Spike Lee's filmmaking career, topics such as race and sex were presented provocatively in poster art. He wanted the posters to be as racy as his films. He hired graphic artists such as Art Sims, who specialized in specifically marketing black films. Among controversial posters he created was the film poster of Jungle Fever, a 1991 movie about an interracial love affair. The first version of the poster had the actors Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra sucking each other's fingers. This image was rejected because it was seen as too sexual and was replaced by the image of the couple interlocking fingers while holding hands. Another Lee film, Bamboozled, was promoted with a poster of a graphical satire. When the film was released in 2000, the advertising was thought of as too offensive and was turned away by many newspapers including The New York Times. Ironically, the film itself exposes and retells the history of African-American treatment and portrayal in American entertainment. "Film posters illustrate the artistic and thematic range of racial representation in the American film industry. They present a history that is preserved and partially documented by a clash of art and commerce. As such, these posters are imbued with a broad array of social meanings that continue to engage us." Action/ Crime The 1970s era began with a revolutionary representation of African Americans. Beginning with Melvin Van Peebles's film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), where a black man fights back against racial injustice, Hollywood began showing powerful black men as heroes in action films. The Flying Ace (1926) claimed the title as the "greatest airline thriller ever filmed". It inspired many African-American aviators to fly and form aviation clubs. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) is noted as one of the last film noirs and was directed by Robert Wise. It is one of the first films to address white racism towards African Americans. Regardless, some black action films also created controversy because they were based on negative stereotypical representations of African Americans. African-American actors were primarily