Films with: Kahn, Richard C.

Pioneers of African-American cinema

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 system, these films not only starred African Americans but were funded, written, produced, edited, distributed, and often exhibited by people of color. Entrepreneurial filmmakers built an industry apart from the Hollywood establishment, cultivating visual and narrative styles that were uniquely their own.

DVD 11546

Treasures of Black cinema.

From the silent days until the 1950s Hollywood produced over 500 "race films" exclusively for all-Black theaters and featuring all-Black casts. This collection takes a look at four of these films. Devil's daughter. "Sylvia Walton of Harlem inherits a Jamaican banana plantation and returns to manage it. But Sylvia, her two rival suitors, and her comic- relief servant Percy are disturbed by the constant, growing sound of drums."--Imdb.com. Gang war. "Two mobs fight for control of the jukebox racket."--Imdb.com. Bronze buckaroo. "Bob Blake and his boys arrive at Joe Jackson's ranch to find him missing. While Slim cheats Dusty out of his money using ventriloquism and marked cards, Blake tries to find Jackson. Learning that Thorne and his gang hold him prisoner, he and his men trail them. When Thorne's gang gets the drop on them, Slim puts his ventriloquism to work."--Imdb.com. Up in the air. "A none-too-popular (nor good) radio singer, Rita Wilson, is murdered while singing on the air in a radio studio. Radio page boy, Frankie Ryan, and his janitor pal, Jeff, solve the mystery for the none-too-sharp police."--Imdb.com.

DVD 4276