The 50 Most Influential Black Films: a Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination and Creativity. (nonfiction reviews).The 50 Most Influential Black Films: A Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination and Creativity by S. Torriano Berry Steven Torriano Berry is an award-winning American producer, writer and director. He directed Noh Matta Wat!, the first Belizean dramatic television series. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Berry was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. with Venise T. Berry Citadel Press Kensington, April 2001 $19.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-806-52133-3 Despite the inference of its title, The 50 Most Influential Black Films is a thoughtful study of black images in motion pictures from 1894 to the present. It is organized by decades, starting with the silent era in the 1900s and leading up to the independent efforts of the 1990s. Each chapter opens with an overview of the social currents that existed when each film was made, and places black film within the larger context of an oppressed op·press tr.v. op·pressed, op·press·ing, op·press·es 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny. 2. people struggling to find their way in a hostile society. Aside from the spotty editing that shows up throughout the book, it is an important reference that deserves shelf space in the library of anyone interested in African-American cinema. Thomas Edison once said, "Whoever controls the motion picture industry controls the most powerful medium of influence over the people" The Berrys' presentation of the importance of black cinema and the socioeconomic factors surrounding the creation of it elevate movies from mere entertainment to cultural artifact A cultural artifact is a human-made which gives information about the culture of its creator and users. The artifact may change over time in what it represents, how it appears and how and why it is used as the culture changes over time. . The text includes valuable information, such as the fact that though blacks had been showing up on celluloid for almost 30 years, it wasn't until 1912 that William Foster, through his Foster Photoplay pho·to·play n. A play filmed or arranged for filming as a movie. Also called photodrama. Company, became the first African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. to produce and control his own image on the screen--ostensibly the first black filmmaker. Of similar importance are the original reviews that films received in publications like Variety and The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). , which shed light on the bias that Hollywood had toward black films early on. Interviews are included from actors, directors and writers, who created such works as Cooley High and Sankofa, and lesser-known films as Countdown at Kusini. The result is a volume that successfully examines how black films, "have shaped and reflected the times, what their impact has been on society, and how they have influenced our culture." --Booker T. Mattison is a filmmaker and writer living in Harlem. |
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