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November 1993

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Subject:
From:
Stephen Hart <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 1 Nov 1993 09:50:00 EST
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                      E L E C T R O N I C   M E S S A G E
 
                                        Date:     01-Nov-1993 09:29am EDT
                                        From:     Stephen Hart
                                                  HARTS2
                                        Level:    Post-secondary/University
                                        Tel No:   904-644-4839
 
TO:  Remote Addressee                     ( _jnet%screen-l@ua1vm )
 
 
Subject: re: Early Black cinema
 
Pam,
Let me suggest _A Seperate Cinema_ by John Kisch and Edward Mapp.  The book
is a collection of posters ranging from the early Black Cinema to the late
sixties.  Though poster art is the book's focus, it provides a forward with
an excellent overview of the history of Black cinema, and other historical
and biographical commentary.  Another title I remember from many years ago
is _From Sambo to Superspade_.  I don't know the author and never got into
reading the book, but I believe it traces Black Cinema history up to the
blackploitation era.
In light of Currie's discussion on Ferreyra, I read in _Seperate Cinema_
that many early black filmmakers, especially Micheaux, cast light skinned
blacks as the protagonists in dramatic roles and dark skinned blacks as
antagonists.  Like Hollywood, leading roles for dark skinned blacks were
only in comedies.  This trend among black filmmakers did not last forever,
but Hollywood carried it on.  Even at that, light skinned blacks were not
often seen in leading or supporting roles--or any black for that matter.
Prints that were distributed in the South excluded any scenes where blacks
had any non-stereotypical role, even if it was a singer doing a song in a
nightclub scene.
While Ferreyra's exclusion of blacks may have been coincidental, I'm
surprised and a bit disappointed that early black filmmakers cast roles
a deliberately.
Let me know what you gather.  Being African-American and an aspiring
filmmaker, I am particularly interested in this subject.  Good luck!
 
 
Stephen Hart, Florida State University (8-0)
HARTS2@firnvx
ccording to the shade of skin color.

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