Summary
Showcases the significant but long-overlooked achievements of early, independent, African-American filmmakers via a collection of digitally-restored feature films, short films, film fragments, and documentary films, which starred African Americans casts and were funded, written, produced, directed, distributed, and, in many cases, exhibited by people of color.Contents
Two knights of vaudeville / produced by the Ebony Film Corporation ; produced by Luther Pollard (1915) (11 min.)A reckless rover / produced by Ebony Film Corporation ; produced by Luther Pollard ; directed by C.N. David (1918) (14 min.)
Within our gates / written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1920) (79 min.)
The symbol of the unconquered : a story of the Ku Klux Klan / written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1920) (59 min.)
By right of birth (fragment) / directed by Harry A. Gant ; produced by P.H. Updike ; screenplay by Dora Mitchell ; story by George Johnson (1921) (4 min.)
Body and soul / written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1925) (93 min.)
Screen snapshots (excerpt) (1920) (1 min.)
Regeneration (fragment of reel two) / produced by the Norman Film Manufacturing Company ; directed by Richard Norman (1923) (11 min.)
The flying ace / produced at the Norman Studios ; written, produced, and directed by Richard E. Norman (1926) (65 min.)
Ten nights in a bar room / producedby Colored Players Film Corporation ; directed by Roy Calnek (1926) (64 min.)
Rev. S.S. Jones home movies (excerpts) / directed and photographed by Reverend Solomon Sir Jones (1924-1928) (16 min.)
The scar of shame / produced by Colored Players Film Corporation ; directed by Frank Perugini ; written by David Starkman (1929) (86 min.)
Eleven p.m. / written and directed by Richard Maurice (1928) (60 min.)
Hell-bound train / written and directed by James and Eloyce Gist (approximately 1930) (50 min.)
Verdict, not guilty / written and directed by James and Eloyce Gist (approximately 1933) (8 min.)
The Darktown revue / produced by the Micheaux Film Corporation ; directed by Oscar Micheaux ; produced by Oscar Micheaux and Alice B. Russell (1931) (18 min.)
The exile / Frank Schiffman presents an Oscar Micheaux production ; produced by the Micheaux Film Corporation ; written and directed by Oscar Micheaux ; (1931) (78 min.)
Hot Biskits / produced by Dixie Comedies ; written and directed by Spencer Williams (1931) (10 min.)
The girl from Chicago / A. Burton Russell presents Oscar Micheaux's production ; produced by Micheaux Pictures Corp. ; written and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1932) (70 min.)
Ten minutes to live / written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1932) (58 min.)
Veiled aristocrats / written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux (1932) (44 min.)
Birthright / A. Burton Russell presents an Oscar Micheaux production ; screenplay by Oscar Micheaux (1938) (73 min.)
The bronze buckaroo / written, produced, and directed by Richard C. Kahn (1939) (58 min.)
Zora Neale Hurston's fieldwork footage (excerpt). Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, May 1940 (1940) (16 min.)
The blood of Jesus / produced by Amegro Films ; written and directed by Spencer Williams (1941) (56 min.)
Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. / Alfred N. Sack presents ; directed by Spencer Williams ; produced by Bert Goldberg ; screenplay by True T. Thompson (1946) (60 min.)
The Moses sisters interview / directed and photographed by Pearl Bowser (approximately 1978) (33 min.).
Additional Information
| Subjects |
African Americans
-- Drama.
African Americans in motion pictures. African American motion picture producers and directors. African Americans in the motion picture industry. Race in motion pictures. Motion pictures -- United States -- History -- 20th century. Race films. Independent films. Film adaptations. Documentary films. Silent films. Feature films. Short films. Fiction films. Nonfiction films. Video recordings for the hearing impaired. |
| Publisher | New York, NY : [Washington, District of Columbia] :Kino Classics ;2016 Library of Congress, |
| Edition | Full screen. |
| Other Titles | Two knights of vaudeville (Motion picture) Reckless rover (Motion picture) Within our gates (Motion picture) Symbol of the unconquered (Motion picture) By right of birth (Motion picture). Body and soul (Motion picture : 1925) Regeneration (Motion picture). Flying ace (Motion picture) Ten nights in a barroom (Motion picture : 1926) Scar of shame (Motion picture) Eleven p.m. (Motion picture) Hell-bound train (Motion picture) Verdict, not guilty (Motion picture) Darktown revue (Motion picture) Exile (Motion picture : 1931) Hot Biskits (Motion picture) Girl from Chicago (Motion picture) Ten minutes to live (Motion picture) Veiled aristocrats (Motion picture) Birthright (Motion picture) Bronze buckaroo (Motion picture) Blood of Jesus (Motion picture) Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. (Motion picture) 2 knights of vaudeville. 10 nights in a barroom. 11 p.m. 10 minutes to live. Ten nights in a bar-room, and what I saw there. Ten nights in a bar-room. Conquest. Jeff Ballinger's woman. House behind the cedars. Rain. African-American cinema |
| Contributors |
Musser, Charles,
curator. Stewart, Jacqueline Najuma, 1970- curator. Wood, Bret, film producer. Marshall, Jimmy, actor. Montgomery, Frank, 1870-1944, actor. McClain, Florence, actor. Robinson, Sam, 1888-1971, actor. Preer, Evelyn, actor. Clements, Flo, actor. Ruffin, James D., actor. Hall, Iris, 1892-1984, actor. Thompson, Walker, actor. Chenault, Lawrence, 1877-1943 actor. Brooks, Clarence, actor. Reynolds, Anita Thompson Dickinson, 1901-1980, actor. King, Webb, actor. Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976, actor. Rodgers, Marshall, -1934, actor. Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951, on-screen participant, screenwriter, film producer, film director. Mayo, Stella, active 1923-1924, actor. Maxwell, M. C., active 1920-1925, actor. Criner, Lawrence, 1898-1965, actor. Boyd, Kathryn (Actress), actor. De Legge, Boise, actor. Gilpin, Charles S. (Charles Sidney), 1878-1930, actor. Burwell, Myra, actor. Maurice, Richard D., actor, screenwriter, film director. Fields, Sammie, actor. Johnson, Orine, actor. Gist, Eloyce, 1892-1974, actor, screenwrier, film director. Cole, Celeste, actor. Davis, Amon, actor. Heywood, Donald, 1896-1967, actor, composer. Brooks, Eunice, actor. Morrell, Stanley, actor. Briggs, Thurston, actor. Williams, Spencer, 1893-1969, actor, screenwriter, film director. Smith, Grace, actor. Mahon, Carl, actor. Comathiere, A. B., actor. Bowman, Laura, 1881-1957, actor. Lewis, Lucille, actor. Fleming, Walter, (Actor), actor. Newsome, Carman, actor. Moses, Ethel, actor. Lovejoy, Alex, actor. Jeffries, Herb, actor. Brooks, Lucius, actor. Young, Artie, actor. Chalfin, Norman, narrator. Caviness, Cathryn, actor. Riley, Juanita, actor. Everett, Francine, 1920-1999, actor. Wilson, Don (Actor), actor. Moore, Katherine (Actor), actor. Sosin, Donald, composer. DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, composer. Roach, Max, 1924-2007, composer. Matsumura, Makia, composer. Gal, Rob, composer. Waymon, Sam, composer. Porter, Lew, 1892-1956, composer. Pollard, Luther, film producer. David, C. N., film director. Gant, Harry A., 1881-1967, film director. Updike, P. H., film producer. Mitchell, Dora, screenwriter. Johnson, George, 1887-1939, screenwriter. Norman, Richard E., 1891-1960, film director, sreenwriter, film producer. Calnek, Roy, film director. Jones, Solomon, Sir, 1869-1936, film director, director of photography. Perugini, Frank, film director. Starkman, David, 1885-1947, screenwriter. Gist, James, screenwriter, director. Russell, Alice B. (Actress), film producer. Schiffman, Frank, -1974, film producer. Russell, A. Burton, presenter. Kahn, Richard C., 1897-1960, screenwriter, film producer, film director. Sack, Alfred N., film producer. Goldberg, Bert, film producer. Thompson, True T., screenwriter. Bowser, Pearl, 1931- film director, director of photography. Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay), 1809-1885. Ten nights in a bar-room, and what I saw there. Pratt, William W. Ten nights in a bar-room. Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951. Conquest. Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951. Jeff Ballinger's woman. Chesnutt, Charles W. (Charles Waddell), 1858-1932. House behind the cedars. Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965. Rain. Ebony Film Corp., production company. Norman Film Manufacturing Company, production company. Norman Studios, production company. Colored Players Film Corporation, production company. Micheaux Film Corporation, production company. Dixie Comedies (Firm), production company. Amegro Films (Firm), production company. Kino Classics (Firm), publisher. Library of Congress, publisher. |
| Participants/Performers |
Two knights of vaudeville: Jimmy Marshall, Frank Montgomery, Florence McClain. A reckless rover: Sam Robinson. Within in our gates: Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D. Ruffin. The symbol of the unconquered: Iris Hall, Walker Thompson, Lawrence Chenault. By right of birth: Clarence Brooks, Anita Thompson, Webb King. Body and soul: Paul Robeson, Lawrence Chenault, Marshall Rodgers. Screen snapshots: Featuring, Oscar Micheaux. Regeneration: Stella Mayo, M.C. Maxwell. The flying ace: Laurence Criner, Kathryn Boyd, Boise De Legge. Ten nights in a bar room: Charles S. Gilpin, Myra Burwell. The scar of shame: Lawrence Chenault. Eleven p.m.: Richard Maurice, Sammie Fields, Orine Johnson. Verdict, not guilty: Eloyce Gist. The Darktown revue: Celeste Cole, Amon Davis, Donald Heywood. The exile: Eunice Brooks, Stanley Morrell, Celeste Cole. Hot Biskits: Thurston Briggs, Spencer Williams. The girl from Chicago: Grace Smith, Carl Mahon, Eunice Brooks. Ten minutes to live: Lawrence Chenault, A.B. DeComathiere, Laura Bowman. Veiled aristocrats: Lucille Lewis, Walter Fleming, Laura Bowman. Birthright: Carman Newsome, Ethel Moses, Alec Lovejoy. The bronze buckaroo: Herb Jeffries, Lucius Brooks, Artie Young. Zora Neale Hurston's fieldwork footage: Narrator, Norman Chalfin. The blood of Jesus: Cathryn Caviness, Spencer Williams, Juanita Riley. Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.: Francine Everette, Don Wilson, Katherine Moore. |
| Other Contributors |
Music, Donald Sosin, Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky), Max Roach, Makia Matsumura, Rob Gal, Dr. Samuel Waymon, Donald Heywood, Lew Porter. |
| Language |
English Silent films with English intertitles, some with added musical scores; sound films in English, closed-captioned. |
| Notes |
Films originally produced 1915-1946. Ten nights in a bar room based on the novel by Timothy Shay Arthur and the stage adaptation by William W. Pratt; The exile based on the novel The conquest, by Oscar Micheaux; The girl from Chicago based on the short story Jeff Ballinger's woman, by Oscar Micheaux; Veiled aristocrats based on the novel The house behind the cedars, by Charles W. Chesnutt; Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. based on the story Miss Thompson, by W. Somerset Maugham. Accompanying booklet (76 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 18 cm) comprises introduction by Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky); essays by Charles Musser, Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, Rhea L. Combs, and Mary N. Elliott; photos; annotated filmography; and suggested reading list. Special features: An introduction (8 min.); the films of Oscar Micheaux (9 min.); the color line (6 min.); Ten nights in a barroom : an introduction (4 min.); about the restoration (8 min.); religion in early African-American cinema (7 min.); Eleven p.m. : an introduction (3 min.); interview with S. Torriano Berry (5 min.); Veiled aristocrats (original trailer) (4 min.); Birthright (theatrical trailer) (4 min.); Tyler Texas Black Film Collection (6 min.); the films of Zora Neale Hurston (2 min.); the films of Spencer Williams (7 min.); the end of an era (5 min.). |
| System Details |
DVD; NTSC; region 1; full screen (1.33:1) presentation. |
| Description |
5 videodiscs (approximately 1277 min.) : silent and sound, black and white and color tinted ; 4 3/4 in. |
| Other | Classic View |