When watching a classic film, does anyone else have a hard time discerning whether the film is being explicitly racist or making a satirical comment on racism?

They weren’t being racist in the direct explicit sense, but the movies reflected the inherent racism of American society at the time.

I think you can assume that it is genuine racism.

I think they come across as merely matter of fact.

Yes, that was the zeitgeist. It’s good to note your reaction but we shouldn’t throw out all old movies. I saw “Gunga Din” again recently and was pretty disturbed by the bigotry it displayed towards Indians.

(As a side note, a firend of mine refers to her husband as “My Man Godfrey.”)

We have been watching the British TV series The Saint, which starred Roger Moore. (Re-watching in my husband’s case.) I have to remind myself it was made in the early 1960’s when women were often treated like children. Watching Roger Moore spanking some shrew-like woman was highly disconcerting!