Laura, over at Interesting Monstah has compiled a bibliography which outlines the resources she used for a previous post about Hollywood and its historical treatment of African-American actors.
The English major in me drools over any sort of bibliographic listing -- especially a great listing of titles that supports a weblog post!
If you're interested in watching any of the films Laura mentions, I recommend viewing Imitation of Life (the 1934 and 1959 versions) consecutively. Two drastically different periods of time yield two different adaptations of Fannie Hurst's book. I find the 1959 version much more difficult to watch -- it seems that the racist (negative portrayals) themes are more subtle and therefore, more damaging.
And, besides, Lana Turner and Sandra Dee blondely traipsing around doesn't help matters much.
Still, I've read that Imitation of Life (1934) was the first Hollywood film to really capture race relations. It's fascinating to be able to see how Hollywood chooses to treat the story twenty-five years later (and especially in the late 1950s).
Apparently, this book contains a continuity script, critical commentary, reviews and interviews with Douglas Sirk, the director of the 1959 version. Since I haven't read it, I can't say whether there's anything valuable included.
You should check out the films of Oscar Micheaux, an African-American filmmaker who despite all odds somehow managed to make films and four-wall them into theaters in the '20s and '30s. Murder in Harlem came a year after Imitation of Life and features a Native Son-like plotline of a black man implicated in the rape and murder of a white woman. That Micheaux managed to make this movie in 1935 (with sound, no less) is amazing in and of itself, but that so little has been written of this cinematic milestone is an outright travesty. Micheaux also directed Paul Roebson as a duplicitous minister in Body and Soul back in 1925. Unfortunately, Laura neglected to mention either Micheaux or Roebson (blackballed by Hollywood in his later days for being a Communist), both pivotal cornerstones of the African-American cinematic voice, in her posts.
Posted by: Ed | March 31, 2002 at 07:25 PM
Correction: she did mention Roebson. My mistake.
Posted by: Ed | March 31, 2002 at 07:26 PM