Alphaville Videoteca
Archivo audiovisual de cine clásico, independiente, experimental y de culto
Pioneers of African-American Cinema
Sin subtítulos

Pioneers of African-American Cinema

EE.UU.| Ciencia Ficción / Drama / Documental| 1915-1925|1309 minutos
Título original: Pioneers of African-American Cinema
Dirección: Richard Norman, Richard Maurice, Spencer Williams, Oscar Micheaux
Idioma: Inglés Subtítulos: No
Formato: Blu-Ray [5 discos]
IMDB: https://www.amazon.com/Pioneers-African-American-Cinema-Discs/dp/B01EME1XUU

Antología de cinco discos en Blu-Ray que reune películas dirigidas por pioneros del cine afroamericano, muchas de ellas casi imposibles de ver hasta este lanzamiento.

Incluye:

Disc One (Total Running Time 282 minutes):

  • Two Knights of Vaudeville Ebony Film Co., 1915. 11 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin
  • Mercy the Mummy Mumbled Ebony Film Co., 1918. 12 minutes. Music by the Alloy Orchestra.
  • A Reckless Rover Ebony Film Co., 1918. 14 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
  • Within Our Gates Oscar Micheaux, 1920. 73 minutes. Music by DJ Spooky.
  • The Symbol of the Unconquered: A Story of the KKK Oscar Micheaux, 1920. 59 minutes. Music by Max Roach.
  • By Right of Birth Lincoln Motion Picture Co., 1921. 4 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
  • Body and Soul Oscar Micheaux, 1925. 93 minutes. Music by DJ Spooky.

Disc Two (Total Running Time - 259 minutes):

  • Regeneration Richard E. Norman, 1923. 11 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
  • The Flying Ace Richard E. Norman, 1928. 65 minutes. Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
  • Ten Nights in a Bar Room CPFC, 1926. 64 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
  • Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies Rev. Solomon Sir Jones, 1924-1926. 16 minutes. Music by Andrew Simpson.
  • The Scar of Shame Frank Peregini, 1929. 86 minutes. Music by Makia Matsumura

Disc Three (Total Running Time - 253 minutes):

  • Eleven P.M. Richard Maurice, 1928. 60 minutes. Music by Rob Gal.
  • Hell-Bound Train James and Eloyce Gist, 1930. 50 minutes. Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
  • Verdict Not Guilty James and Eloyce Gist, 1934. 8 minutes. Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
  • Heaven-Bound Travels (BLU-RAY ONLY) James and Eloyce Gist, 1935. 15 minutes. Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
  • The Darktown Revue Oscar Micheaux, 1931. 18 minutes.
  • The Exile Oscar Micheaux, 1931. 78 minutes.
  • Hot Biskits Spencer Williams, 1931. 10 minutes.

Disc Four (Total Running Time - 272 minutes):

  • The Girl from Chicago Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 70 minutes.
  • Ten Minutes to Live Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 58 minutes.
  • Veiled Aristocrats Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 48 minutes.
  • Birthright Oscar Micheaux, 1938. 73 minutes.

Disc Five (Total Running Time - 243 minutes):

  • The Bronze Buckaroo Richard Kahn, 1939. 58 minutes.
  • Zora Neale Hurston Fieldwork Footage (excerpt) Zora Neale Hurtston, 1928. 3 minutes.
  • Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940 (excerpt) Zora Neale Hurston, 1940. 15 minutes.
  • The Blood of Jesus Spencer Williams, 1941. 56 minutes.
  • Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. Spencer Williams, 1946. 60 minutes.
  • Moses Sisters Interview Pearl Bowser, 1978. 32 minutes.

 

Among the most fascinating chapters of film history is that of the so-called “race films” that flourished in the 1920s – ‘40s. Unlike the “black cast” films produced within the Hollywood studio (such as Stormy Weather or Green Pastures), these films not only starred African Americans but were funded, written, produced, directed, distributed, and often exhibited by people of color. Entrepreneurial filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams, and Richard D. Maurice not only built an industry apart from the Hollywood establishment, they also cultivated visual and narrative styles that were uniquely their own. Defying convention and operating outside the studio system, these filmmakers were the forefathers (and -mothers) of the French New Wave, the L.A. Rebellion, and the entirety of American indie cinema. Anything but imitative, these Pioneers of African-American Cinema were purely innovative.