Vintage

AFRICANS in AMERICA HAVE HAD A PRESENCE IN FILM SINCE THE EARLY 1900'S. THOUGH VISUALLY SIMPLE WITHOUT HIGH TECH SPECIAL EFFECTS AND COMPLICATED PLOTS, THE STORYLINES AND STAGING REFLECT SLICES OF LIFE FROM THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. GRANDPARENTS, GREAT AUNTS AND UNCLES WILL REMEMBER SOME OF THESE FORGOTTEN GEMS

BLOOD OF JESUS - 1941 - A Spencer Williams directed film, with heavy religious folk tones, a woman, accidentally shot by her husband journeys though temptation on her way to heaven. Ground breaking use of technical imagery. 68min $14.98
BOARDINGHOUSE BLUES - 1939 - "Moms" Mabley operates a boarding house which is in financial trouble. Her entertainer tenants host a fundraiser. 60min. $24.95

BRONZE BUCKAROO - 1938 - Features Herb Jefferies as a find swashbuckling cowboy, definitly one of the good guys. 60min. $14.98
CABIN IN THE SKY - 1943 - Lena Honre, Eddie Anderson, Ethel Waters and more star in this classic musical tale of a battle between good and bad 99min. $19.98
CARMEN JONES - Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte star in this classic adaptation of the opera 'Carmen'. $19.95
GREEN PASTURES - 1936 - Sometimes called the Black Bible stories, Clarence Muse plays God in this religious ppiece where everyone is of African descent. 110min $24.95
HALLELUJAH - 1929 - This folktale chronicles the tragedy filled life of a cotton farmer who eventually becomes a powerful preacher, providing a powerful portrayal of rural African Americana with authentic examples of work songs. Stars Nina Mae McKinney. 90min. $19.98
ISLAND IN THE SUN - 1957 - Four love affairs wreck havoc on a Caribbean island where one involves the wife of a plantation owner. Stars Daorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Joan Collins and James Mason. 120min. $19.98
MIDNIGHT RAMBLE - An engrossing documentary on Black cast vintage films, called race movies, focusing on the career of pioneer filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. 60min. $19.98
NATIVE SON - 1954 - Richard Wright stars in this adaptation from his book, about an alienated brother suffering through racism. His Bigger portrayal is credible. $19.95
PAUL ROBESON: THE TALLEST TREE IN THE FOREST - Approaching what would have been his 100th birthday, this definitive documentary profiles his life, with a significant amount of footage and information on this multi-talented man. 75 min. $19.98
JUKE JOINT - 1947 - July Jones, and Mantan Moreland appear in this spencer Williams directed vehicle where two con men find themsleves broke in a boarding house that is slightly crazy. 60min. $14.95
LYING LIPS - 1939 - A Micheaux production about a nightclub singer framed for murder. Stars Juano Hernandez, Robert Earl Jones (father of James Earl) and Edna Mae Harris. 60min. $14.95
REET PETIT AND GONE - 1947 - This fun vehicle for Louis Jordan and His Tymphany Five and others, where the serach is on to find the woman whose measurements fit those prescibed in a will. 65min. $14.95
SCAR OF SHAME - 1939 - A class mixed couple are ill-fated in this examination of color and class divisions within the African-Amer. community. 90min. $29.95
SEPIA CINDERELLA -1947 - Shelia Guyse and Billy Daniels star in this musical romance between a singer and a songwriter. 67min $19.95
STARS ON PARADE - $19.98 - With Lena Horne and Teddy wilson Orchestra, a radio station is saved from financial doom by a group of entertainers. $29.95
STORMY WEATHER - 1943 - Lena Horne. Bill robinson and the Nicholas Brothers and many more appear in this semi-autobiographical treatment of dancer Bill Robinson wooing a beautiful woman. 78min. $19.98
SUNDAY SINNERS - 1940 - Gangsters frame a minister's son for robbery and murder but the church's congregation help prove his innocence. 65min. $14.98
TAMANGO - 1959 - Dorothy Dandridge, as a captured slave compromised by her relationship with the captain, is caught in a ship rebellion by the enslaved. 98min. $24.95
VEILED ARISTOCRATS - 1932 - Directed by Oscar Micheaux, Lorenzo Tucker, the "Black Valentino" stars in another examination of the problem of color disctinctions. $19.95
WITHIN OUR GATES -1920 - This once lost film directed by Oscar Micheaux is a collector's item about the murder of a landowner with a dramatic lynching scene. $29.95

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...About Alternative Videos

more videos TO: Amos 'N Andy, Historical Films, 60's & 70's, Jazz,

Independent Films, Gospel, Foreign Films,

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