Mahogany

Mahogany

Year: 1975

Runtime: 109 mins

Language: English

Directors: Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson

RomanceDrama

She is the woman every woman wants to be—and every man wants to have. An ambitious designer raised in Chicago’s slums funds her own education at fashion school, determined to become one of the world’s top creators. Her drive takes her to Rome, where she must choose between the love of a man she cherishes and the promise of her burgeoning career.

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Timeline & Setting – Mahogany (1975)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Mahogany (1975). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Chicago, Rome

Chicago serves as the bustling backdrop where Tracy works at a luxury department store modeled after Marshall Fields on State Street. The city scene captures the tension between local fashion tastes and Parisian glamour, as Tracy battles for recognition. The story then travels to Rome, where a wealthy patron's villa offers a sanctuary for Tracy's creative ambitions.

🏙️ City life 👗 Fashion industry 🗺️ Cross-cultural exchange

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

Main Characters – Mahogany (1975)

Meet the key characters of Mahogany (1975), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tracy Chambers (Diana Ross)

Ambitious fashion designer-in-waiting who rises to fame as the model 'Mahogany.' Her dream of couture success is tempered by love, loyalty, and the emotional costs of fame. She must decide between staying in Rome to chase acclaim and returning to Chicago to support Brian and his political ambitions.

👗 Fashion 🎯 Ambition 💔 Romance

Brian Walker (Billy Dee Williams)

A local activist fighting gentrification who becomes Tracy's boyfriend. He wants her to stay connected to the community, but ultimately struggles with her pursuit of fashion success. He remains a political force and eventually reunites with Tracy as he runs for Congress.

🗳️ Politics 🏙️ Community 💔 Relationship

Sean McAvoy (Anthony Perkins)

A fashion photographer who discovers Tracy and reinvents her as 'Mahogany.' He is possessive and jealous, leveraging glamour for control. His actions culminate in a fatal accident that alters Tracy's trajectory.

📷 Photography 💘 Obsession 💔 Jealousy

Miss Evans (Nina Foch)

Tracy's supervisor at the department store who doubts night-school ambitions and worries about interference with her responsibilities. She represents the institutional pushback Tracy faces on the path to her dreams.

🏬 Retail 🗣️ Authority 🧭 Skepticism

Count Christian Rosetti (Jean-Pierre Aumont)

A wealthy patron who lends Tracy a villa and studio space in Rome. He offers resources while posing a risk of coercive admiration; Tracy declines any mistress arrangement, choosing independence over dependency.

💰 Patronage 🏛️ Wealth 🤝 Patronage

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

Major Themes – Mahogany (1975)

Explore the central themes of Mahogany (1975), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Identity & Reinvention

Tracy's rise from department-store assistant to a celebrated fashion figure hinges on the Mahogany reinvention. The transformation highlights fashion as performance, blending artistry with market appeal. Fame brings personal costs, testing loyalties and threatening the meaning of success. The arc centers on choosing between glamorous reinvention and authentic roots.

🏗️ Gentrification

Brian's activism against gentrification frames a social backdrop to Tracy's career ambitions. The romance and politics collide as urban change threatens the community Tracy wants to belong to. Legal trouble and public protests underscore the friction between progress and displacement. The story ultimately ties Tracy's fate to the community she momentarily leaves behind.

❤️ Love vs Career

Tracy's relationships with Sean and Brian test her commitment to art versus affection. Sean's possessiveness and the lure of glamour pull her toward a life of celebrity, while Brian anchors her to home and political dreams. The emotional toll of fame clashes with genuine connection, forcing a painful choice. The decision redefines what success costs in love and loyalty.

💰 Power & Exploitation

The fashion world is shown as a space where money and patronage shape careers, with Sean and Count Rosetti illustrating different facets of power. Tracy resists pressure to become Rosetti's mistress, asserting agency amid wealth and control. The sequence exposes how glamour can mask manipulation and emotional cost. Ultimately, Tracy weighs autonomy against the lure of affluence.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about ambition versus love like Mahogany

Stories exploring the personal sacrifices required for professional success.Explore films like Mahogany that depict the bittersweet conflict between a high-flying career and personal relationships. If you enjoy stories of characters torn between professional ambition and romantic love, these movies provide a similar emotional journey of sacrifice and self-discovery.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically follow a linear ascent in a professional field, contrasted with a parallel decline or strain in a key personal relationship. The climax often involves a conscious choice, where the protagonist must define what 'success' truly means to them, leading to a resolution that reconciles or confirms their priorities.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a core thematic conflict and emotional tone. They focus on the bittersweet reality of ambition, featuring steady pacing that allows for character introspection and a medium emotional weight that explores sacrifice without overwhelming despair.

Glamorous but melancholic dramas like Mahogany

Lavish worlds where success feels emotionally hollow and lonely.Discover movies similar to Mahogany that combine a glossy, high-fashion aesthetic with a underlying sense of loneliness. If you liked the contrast between Tracy's glamorous life in Rome and her inner sadness, these films offer the same vibe of beautiful emptiness and the search for authenticity.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a character's entry into a glamorous new world, initially filled with excitement. This is followed by a gradual realization of the emptiness and isolation within that world, leading to a crisis of meaning. The story focuses on the protagonist's internal journey to find genuine connection or purpose beyond the glittering facade.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are connected by a unique and specific mood blend: the juxtaposition of a visually glossy, glamorous setting with a core emotional experience of melancholy and loneliness. They share a bittersweet tone and a steady pacing that allows the viewer to feel the protagonist's growing disillusionment.

Unlock the Full Story of Mahogany

Don't stop at just watching — explore Mahogany in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Mahogany is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Mahogany Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Mahogany, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Mahogany Summary

Mahogany Timeline

Track the full timeline of Mahogany with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Mahogany Timeline

Mahogany Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Mahogany that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Mahogany Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Mahogany

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Mahogany: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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