Directed by Oscar Micheaux • 1938 • United States
Starring Carman Newsome, Ethel Moses, Alec Lovejoy
An idealistic young man attempts to establish a school in a rural location, but encounters opposition from both the black and white communities. Director Oscar Micheaux himself was a former homesteader, and strongly believed that African Americans should establish rural communities rather than follow the urban migration. But it's hard to resist the allure of the city when Micheaux allows energetic singers and dancers to take the nightclub stage for extended musical numbers. The restoration of BIRTHRIGHT was derived from the only known surviving 35 mm print, which is missing the first two of its nine reels - approximately twenty minutes of material. BIRTHRIGHT is a remake of Micheaux's 1924 film of the same title. The earlier version is entirely lost.
Up Next in Part 1: Feature Films
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The Bronze Buckaroo
Directed by Richard C. Kahn • 1939 • United States
Starring Herb Jeffries, Lucius Brooks, Artie YoungA Hollywood-style western with a black cast, THE BRONZE BUCKAROO stars Herb Jeffries as singing cowboy Bob Blake, a smooth, brave, and honorable hero who is assisted by his comic sidekick Dusty,...
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The Blood of Jesus
Directed by Spencer Williams • 1941 • United States
Starring Cathryn Caviness, Spencer Williams, Juanita RileyThe first feature by director/actor Spencer Williams (commonly remembered today as Andy on TV’s “Amos ’n’ Andy”), THE BLOOD OF JESUS is a rural religious parable in which a woman (Cathr...
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Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.
Directed by Spencer Williams • 1946 • United States
Starring Francine Everette, Don Wilson, Katherine MooreIn an unauthorized retelling of W. Somerset Maugham’s short story “Miss Thompson,” Francine Everette stars as Gertie La Rue, a nightclub entertainer who arrives at a Caribbean resort to en...
