Kino Lorber presents "PIONEERS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CINEMA," four programs of rare and newly-restored films from a little-known chapter of movie history, including silent and early sound features and shorts made by such pioneering black filmmakers as Oscar Micheaux, that will be shown in special screenings at New York's Film Forum on February 14 & 15 and March 6 & 7.
The so-called "race film" – movies funded, written, produced, directed, distributed, and often exhibited by people of color – flourished from the 1920s into the 1940s. Previously circulated only in poor-quality 16mm prints, these newly restored versions allow us to witness the legacies of Micheaux, Spencer Williams, and other African-American innovators with fresh eyes. See below for descriptions of each program.
FEBRUARY 14 SUN
THE BLOOD OF JESUS & HELL-BOUND TRAIN
THE BLOOD OF JESUS (1941, Spencer Williams)
Shot by her husband, a young Sister travels to the proverbial crossroads, facing the Devil himself. First feature for actor/director Williams, later the Amos of TV's Amos and Andy.
HELL-BOUND TRAIN (c. 1931, James and Eloyce Gist)
Home-grown evangelical surrealism, as a horned devil works the throttle of a symbolic locomotive, amid such deadly sins as dancing, gambling, and debauchery. Silent, with recorded music by Samuel Waymon (Ganja and Hess). Restored by S. Torriano Berry for the Library of Congress. DCP restorations. 1:00 ONLY
FEBRUARY 15 MON
Guest Speaker: Brandon Harris
WITHIN OUR GATES (1919, Oscar Micheaux) When a young woman ("race film" super-star Evelyn Preer) gets swept up in the Great Migration from rural South to the big city, she makes discoveries about her own identity. Micheaux's earliest surviving feature – or of any African American director. Silent, with recorded music by D.J. Spooky.
Plus TWO KNIGHTS OF VAUDEVILLE (1916), featuring a long-forgotten Black comedy team. Silent, with recorded music by Donald Sosin. DCP restorations. 7:00 ONLY
Guest Speaker: Brandon Harris is Assistant Professor of Film at SUNY Purchase and a contributor to The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Guardian, N+1 and Filmmaker Magazine, where he is contributing editor.
MARCH 6 SUN
BIRTHRIGHT RESTORATION PREMIERE (1939, Oscar Micheaux)
An idealistic Harvard grad returns to the segregated South to establish a grade school, encountering opposition from both races. With Ethel Moses, aka the "Black Harlow," and a bevy of moonlighting Cotton Club dancers. Plus DARKTOWN REVUE (1931), Micheaux's jaw-dropping spin on the minstrel show. DCP restorations. 1:10 ONLY
MARCH 7 MON
DIRTY GERTIE FROM HARLEM U.S.A. (1946, Spencer Williams)
In this unauthorized retelling of Maugham's Rain (see Sadie Thompson on March 22), nightclub chantootsie Francine Everett arrives on a Caribbean island to "entertain" the GI's and locals, inciting the wrath of a self-righteous missionary. Director Williams appears in drag as a voodoo fortuneteller – inexplicably. Restored by Southern Methodist University.
Plus Williams' recently-rediscovered HOT BISKITS (1929), comedy about a high-stakes game of mini-golf. DCP restorations. 7:00 ONLY
Additional guest speakers for various programs to be announced.
