(This story was originally published in print on Feb. 28, 2019). Shock and confusion filled the Dolby Theater on Sunday night when the Academy Award for Best Picture went to “Green Book.” Spike Lee, who was also in the running for the Oscar for his BlacKkKlansman, was even seen trying to storm...

The harsh whispers of racism come alive in the “Green Book.” The often-portrayed African-American individual as a slave, maid, gangster or background sidekick alters with the white male’s position of hero, star or beloved character. The scene is 1960s America, but the characters are not slave and...