Early Black film history

The Early Years

When Thomas Edison was shooting his actualities in the 1890’s (footage of unedited real events) little did he know that his film of black women bathing their kids in Jamaica or the return of the African American calvary division from the Spanish American War, would be the first and last for a long time on film of the non-stereotyped black image. During the early 1900’s when editing was introduced, the black image became what white directors wanted it to be. In most cases, whites’ played black folks in blackface. The first black film company was formed by William Foster out of Chicago. From 1909 – 1913 William Foster produced the first all black cast film shorts, i.e. The Pullman Porter 1910 & The Railroad Porter 1912. But, because of distribution problems he eventually folded the operation. In 1915, D.W. Griffith's, "Birth of a Nation" was produced. Even though, there were no black stars in the film, it can be considered to have been the kick that started Black film again in America. The Birth of a Nation took stereotypes to a new level, it would show the world what coloreds were really like during reconstruction. It showed crazed, exslaves running wild, raping and killing their good masters, the colored government leaders in session with their bare feet in chairs, eating chicken and acting like buffoons. The entire movie was an advertisement for the Klu Klux Klan, especially when they road in and saved the whites from the brutal coloreds at the end

The Teens

In response to Birth of a Nation, the Black community was up in arms and decided to counter act this horrid film by producing an All-colored cast, or Race film,(films especially made for the negro audience) to show the world the real truth. After an attempt by the N.A.A.C.P. to produce a movie, the Lincoln Motion Picture Company in 1916, produced one of the first positive image feature race film entitled, "The Realization of a Negro's Ambition." In 1917, the Lincoln Motion Picture Company contacted a young black novelist about making a film of his novel "The Homesteader." The novelist said he would agree if he could be involved in the directing of the film. Naturally, company executives refused his demands, and he returned home to South Dakota, determined now to see his book on film. This novelist, was Oscar Micheaux, the most prolific writer, director, and producer of Race films in the history of motion pictures.

The Boom Years - Twenties

The boom years of the twenties saw scores of Black-owned and operated film studios operating out of Philadelphia , New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Kansas City. They were producing screen versions of Black novels, parodies of Hollywood movies, and melodramas with a positive, uplifting theme or the tragic consequences of passing for white. These films were shown in black owned theatres, schools, churches and at special midnight shows in white theaters. During the 20’s over 30% of the film companies and movie theatres making and showing race films were black owned. This is the greatest percentage ever for blacks in film. These boom years were short lived. With the advent of the Great Depression and the new expensive film technology of sound, many of the Black independent film companies went bankrupt and disappeared. The only Black film company to survive into the Talkie era was the Micheaux Film Company, headed by Oscar Micheaux. His keen business sense kept him from disappearing, eventhough he, as well, declared bankruptcy. Micheaux had handed over his stocks and business to his wife before he declared bankruptcy. He would sell rights to films before they were made, thus allowing him to have money in hand before production began.

The Thirties

The Mid-Thirties began another boom in the Race film era. This time 99% of the film companies that produced Race films were white owned. The focus of Race films changed. They were now mainly parodies of Hollywood movies ( gangsters, westerns, love, science fiction, comedies,etc.) unlike the early period where they focused on themes relative to the Black community. They were still low budget, but now the plots were "if blacks lived in a black world". Black gangsters ran Black cities, Black cowboys tamed a Black West , it was an escape to fantasy world. Oscar Micheaux began to produce films with the same themes, like Underworld, Lying Lips, The Notorious Elinor Lee, and many others.