In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema

Top 6 Billed Cast

Lawrence Varnado
Lawrence Varnado

Narrator

Herb Jeffries
Herb Jeffries

Himself

Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee

Herself

Jeni Le Gon
Jeni Le Gon

Herself

Leroy Collins
Leroy Collins

Himself

Pearl Bowser
Pearl Bowser

Herself

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  • HomePage

  • Overview

    This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race movies” exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. Filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. left a lasting influence on black filmmakers, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen.

  • Release Date

    2007-09-15

  • Average

    6.5

  • Rating:

    3.3 starts
  • Tagline

    The true story of a lost era.

  • Genres

  • Languages:

  • Keywords

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