This short forty-minute film briefly tackles themes of strategic social masking, as we follow a white passing-Black woman who climbs the latter in Hollywood to hold an executive position at National Studios, reflecting the 1940’s. As read within chapter two of Film Art (hereafter; FA) temporal relations play a crucial part in story building and establishment of the flow of story information. In a non-fictional adjacent situation such as this one, the story can come off as unrestricted. The viewer is able to understand Mignon Duprées’ (Lonette McKee) situation and social position within the world based on her complexion, which would then give us an omniscient viewing of the situation and circumstances of the characters in the film. However, I would argue that– in reality, it has a restricted range of story. This is because the viewer is following Mignon’s unknowingness of how long her masked identity can remain. This dynamic positioning benefits the film’s encapturement by the narration being carried by suspense and uncertainty as we follow this double life she lives. There are moments in the film where we break free of this restricted range– shots that we get of her supervisors discussing her position and the meeting that C.J. breaks off to after leaving Mignon with a task that is over her pay range.

This emphasis on external conflicts, like the war causing a lack of male presence within the film industry and the internal conflict of Mignon not being able to earn her title for the work she has already been mitigated and certified to complete due to her sex and social positioning. Both these conflicts create a film thematical pattern of Mignon facing constant setbacks and tests of character and ability. Mise en Scene plays a huge role in assisting this progression, for example, through character movements, every time Mignon takes a personal break, like when she was calling her mother and smoking a cigarette after seeing the Black vocalist do a voiceover for a white actor– she says, “if they don’t change in this industry, I don’t think they’re going to change at all” (~20:05) insinuating that she will be apart of that change and that she is waiting for something to happen. Conflicts within a film create an opening for success, for Mignon her opening was following the interaction she had with Ester, it created a precedent for how she wanted to progress within this industry, saying “Here, we’re nothing but props in their story… I came into this world of moving shadows and I made this work for me.” (~28.58) Alluding that her essential goal is to regain control of her own autonomy in how she progresses into her passion for filmmaking. This creates an opening, cueing to the viewer the last obstacle she must face in order for her goal to be achieved. 

Simultaneously, we are fed sequences of Mignons experiencing showcasement, like when she was talking about the deal Billy Chase has proposed to C.J., or being constantly shot down when attempting to secure a producing job, being told; “If you want to make it far in this business, you’ve got to learn to cut out the fat.” Finally, even with situations outside of herself, like when Esters’ forthcoming lawyer was trying to appeal for her rights to take up this job. Miss Jeter, a visibly Black woman, is left out of the conversation regarding her future endeavors, but all the (white) decision-makers and Mignon are included in these closed-door conversations– showcasing Mignon’s privilege and career success that she receives based on her talent outside of the realm of race. As Miss Jeter states, “it’s nice having someone on the inside, pulling for you.” (~24:44) All these perceptions of her own career progression show “ranges of knowledge and varying degrees of objectivity and subjectivity.” (FA 94) is reflected in how the narration investigates her struggle as a woman and determinacy to make it to the top.

It was interesting to see themes of this film overlap with that of Singing in the Rain (1952) of how difficult the transition from silent films to audio pictures was. Synchronized sound seems to be another large hurdle to tackle even years later. This theme aids in the representation of Mignon’s character, through the temporal narration. Mignon was dependent upon him to solve all of C.J.’s tasks he was too busy to accomplish. Something as uncohesively adaptable as synchronized sound within the film was something the whole case in Singing in the Rain had to work around, except for Lina Lamont, and within Illusions, it was pictured to be delegated to that of a single person, Mignon — this movie has a more accurate depiction of how woman was treated during this period. 

This multifaceted layering of Narration adds to the film’s overall themes of race-based worlds, As Mignon is living her own illusions as a white passing-Black woman in her forties while also combating the internal conflict of living within an enclosed world space in order to progress her own career. Why must she present and carry herself as an assimilated Black woman? How can limited expressability prohibit individual growth? Mignon is tackling far more than simply looking like a white woman, especially during this time. While anachronistic to mention, being fully enclosed by white supremacy within a workspace can strip away autonomy and freedom. With the narration style, it is up to the viewer to resolve these inaccurate reflections of Mignon’s character since a perpetual state of subjectivity drives it through her outlook of desire for what she wants and needs to be dependent on the way she looks in order to obtain her goals. Her goal is to make it to the top of the ladder and what conflicts her within this narrative is her social position obstructing her to do so.

Near the conclusion of this film, Mignon states “I fear you and I envy you at the same time”– the turning point when Mignon is found out by the lieutenant that she is a Black woman. What is it that they’re really afraid of? Why did her positioning change within the industry once her race was known to the public? How do race-based relations impact the workspace and worldly perception of an individual? Finally, she pursues this last obstacle by metaphorically declaring war against blatant racism, implicitly stating that even know her identity is unmasked, or no longer an illusion — she wants to stay and win the battle. She says, “I want to stay here and I’ll fight because I want to do what you do. You fight your world, and I’ll fight mine.”