Film scholars Jacqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser discuss the significance and depiction of religion in early African American cinema, and how many films in the “Pioneers of African American Cinema” collection create a “religious feeling” often juxtaposed with stories of ministers exploiting their congregations.
Up Next in Part 3: Supplements
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ELEVEN P.M.: An Introduction
Professor and film scholar Charles Musser situates director Richard Maurice within the “Pioneers of African American Cinema” collection and the larger story of black film, touching on Maurice’s mysterious persona and how he was influenced by fellow black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.
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S. Torriano Berry Discusses the Works...
Film historian S. Torriano Berry discusses the works of James and Eloyce Gist (featured in “Pioneers of African American Cinema”), which he’s studied for twenty years.
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“Screen Snapshots” Footage of Oscar M...
A “cinemagazine” newsreel, rediscovered in the UK, captured this brief but remarkable clip of Oscar Micheaux on the set of one of his films, probably THE BRUTE (1920), which has not survived. While Micheaux is clearly performing for the newsreel camera, the one-minute sequence nonetheless provide...
