Black Film History

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Black Film History We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Black Cinema worldwide.

The Department of Afro-American Research and Culture (DAARAC) is a research and preservation based organization that focuses on the historical and present aestheticism of Black Cinema. We look to enlighten those in search for information as it pertains to the cultural aspects of Black Cinema around the world. Our website covers the Race Film Era (Black independent films of the 1920s to mid 1950s), Civil Rights Era, Blaxploitation Era, New Jack/Hip-Hop Era, and Modern Black Cinema.

These actresses from the 1920s starred in Race films during the Silent era. Race films were movies featuring an all-blac...
09/17/2026

These actresses from the 1920s starred in Race films during the Silent era. Race films were movies featuring an all-black cast and were shown primarily in Black theaters due to Jim Crow laws. Black actors during the 20s mainly played enslaved people, servant roles, or African tribespeople in Hollywood movies. Race films gave Black actors opportunities to explore their talents beyond the stereotypes Hollywood filmmakers created. Furthermore, some of these actresses appeared in films that addressed societal issues of race and class inside and outside the Black community.

1. Evelyn Preer (July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932) | 20 film credits
She began her career with Micheaux and starred in his most riveting film, "Within Our Gates." She was also part of a small group of Black actors who appeared in a movie with sound in the late 1920s.

2. Iris Hall (December 10, 1892 - July 11, 1984) | 2 film credits
She starred in Oscar Micheaux's first film called "The Homesteader." She also appeared in Micheaux's "The Symbol of the Unconquered," which responded to the 1915 film "Birth of a Nation."

3. Flo Clements (2 film credits) appeared in two Micheaux movies, "The Brute" and "Within Our Gates."

4. Myra Burwell's only appearance was in "Ten Nights in a Barroom," produced by The Colored Players Film Corporation.

5. Lucia Lynn Moses (December 23, 1908 - October 1984) starred in "The Scar of Shame," her only movie. David Starkman (an Austrian immigrant) and Sherman H. Dudley (Black American) founded The Colored Players Film Corporation, and "The Scar of Shame" was the studio's final film.

6. Kathryn Boyd (September 13, 1897 - March 16, 1965) | 4 film credits
She began her career with Micheaux but excelled in "The Flying Ace," about a Black female pilot. It is the only full-length surviving print from Norman Film Manufacturing Company, a studio in Jacksonville, Florida.

7. Orine Johnson only appeared in one film, "Eleven P.M."

8. Julia Theresa Russell (January 14, 1898 - May 15, 2000) appeared in Micheaux's "Body and Soul" and Paul Robeson's first movie. Russell did not appear in any more films afterward.

9. Mercedes Gilbert (July 26, 1894 - March 1, 1952) | 5 film credits
She starred in Micheaux's "Body and Soul." She appeared in a few movies in the 1930s.

"Ragtime" (1981) is a historical drama directed by Miloš Forman and based on E. L. Doctorow's acclaimed 1975 novel of th...
09/12/2026

"Ragtime" (1981) is a historical drama directed by Miloš Forman and based on E. L. Doctorow's acclaimed 1975 novel of the same name. The film features a large ensemble cast, including James Cagney, Elizabeth McGovern, Mary Steenburgen, Moses Gunn, Debbie Allen, and Howard E. Rollins Jr.

For Rollins, Ragtime became a breakthrough performance and a defining role of his career. His portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. showed tremendous range, moving between charm, dignity, vulnerability, anger, and determination without losing the character's complexity. Rollins was relatively new to feature films when the performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe nomination.

Ragtime received eight Academy Award nominations, but Rollins remains one of the film's greatest highlights. His performance established him as one of the promising Black dramatic actors of the 1980s and led to notable work in A Soldier's Story (1984) and the television series In the Heat of the Night. More than four decades later, Coalhouse Walker Jr. remains an excellent example of the talent and screen presence Howard E. Rollins Jr. brought to his work.

Director: Miloš Forman
Writers: E.L. Doctorow, Michael Weller, Heinrich von Kleist

Starring Howard E. Rollins Jr., James Cagney, Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Elizabeth McGovern, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Joy, Norman Mailer, Bruce Boa, Hoolihand Burke, Samuel L. Jackson, Frankie Faison, Calvin Levels, Dorsey Wright, Ted Ross

Storyline
In early 20th-century New York, several lives intersect against a backdrop of wealth, immigration, racial tension, and rapid social change. At the center is Coalhouse Walker Jr., a successful Black pianist whose life is dramatically altered after a racist confrontation. His determined pursuit of justice gradually escalates into a larger conflict, while the people around him are forced to confront the racial and social inequalities of the era.

Available on Blu-ray and streaming services.

The 1980s represented an important decade for Black actors in the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor category. Howa...
09/10/2026

The 1980s represented an important decade for Black actors in the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor category. Howard E. Rollins Jr. opened the decade with his powerful performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in "Ragtime" (1981), followed a year later by Louis Gossett Jr., who made history as the first Black actor to win the award for his performance in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982).

Adolph Caesar followed with a nomination for "A Soldier's Story" (1984), while 1987 marked the first year two Black actors were nominated in the category: Morgan Freeman for "Street Smart" and Denzel Washington for "Cry Freedom." Washington returned two years later with "Glory" (1989), winning the award for his performance as Private Trip. By the end of the decade, Black actors had earned six nominations in the category, with two victories.

Howard E. Rollins Jr. - "Ragtime" (1981)
Louis Gossett Jr. - "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982)**
Adolph Caesar - "A Soldier's Story" (1984)
Morgan Freeman - "Street Smart" (1987)
Denzel Washington - "Cry Freedom" (1987)
Denzel Washington - "Glory" (1989)**

"Slaves" (1969) is a historical drama directed by Herbert J. Biberman and starring Stephen Boyd, Dionne Warwick, and Oss...
09/08/2026

"Slaves" (1969) is a historical drama directed by Herbert J. Biberman and starring Stephen Boyd, Dionne Warwick, and Ossie Davis. The film marked Warwick's feature-film acting debut, adding a dramatic screen role to an already successful music career.

Released during the Civil Rights and Black Power era, "Slaves" connected its historical subject matter to contemporary racial issues. Newspaper coverage at the time recognized parallels between the film's themes and Black militancy during the late 1960s.

The film generated considerable debate upon its release. While some critics viewed "Slaves" as a serious attempt to confront the realities of slavery, others criticized its melodrama and questioned its historical portrayal. One newspaper feature framed the debate directly as "Stereotypes Or Hard Facts?"

Arriving after Tamango (1958) and before films such as Quadroon (1971), Mandingo (1975), and Drum (1976), "Slaves" is an interesting entry in the evolution of slavery dramas during this period. Its controversial subject matter and connection to the racial climate of 1969 made the film part of a much larger conversation taking place beyond the screen.

Director: Herbert J. Biberman
Writers: Herbert J. Biberman, John O. Killens, Alida Sherman

Starring Dionne Warwick, Ossie Davis, Stephen Boyd, Julius Harris, Marilyn Clark, Gale Sondergaard, Shepperd Strudwick, Nancy Coleman, David Huddleston, Eva Jessye, Robert Kya-Hill

Storyline
The story follows Luke (Ossie Davis), an enslaved man sold to a Mississippi plantation owned by MacKay (Stephen Boyd) after his previous owner promised him freedom. There, he meets Cassy (Dionne Warwick), an enslaved woman held by MacKay, and resentful of her captivity. Luke's resistance to the plantation system eventually puts him in direct conflict with MacKay, putting Luke's and Cassy's lives at risk.

Available on streaming services.

09/08/2026

This scene from "The Color of Friendship" (2000) was something else. Does anybody remember this movie?

Director: Kevin Hooks
Writer: Paris Qualles

Starring
Lindsey Haun, Shadia Simmons, Carl Lumbly, Penny Johnson Jerald, Anthony Burnett, Travis Kyle Davis, Melanie Nicholls-King, Susan Danford, Stephen Jennings, Michael Kanevsky, Ahmad Stoner, Ryan Cooley

Storyline
In 1977, two girls from opposite sides of the world came together and changed each other's lives. Mahree Bok (Lindsey Haun), who is white, lives in apartheid South Africa with her wealthy family. Piper Dellums (Shadia Simmons), the daughter of a black U.S. congressman in Washington, D.C., prepares to welcome Mahree to the U.S. for a semester abroad. Mahree is surprised to find that her host family is black, and Piper is stunned that Mahree is white, and now they must confront their perspectives on race head-on.

"Tamango" (1958) is a historical French-Italian drama and one of the earliest films to confront the brutality and resist...
09/07/2026

"Tamango" (1958) is a historical French-Italian drama and one of the earliest films to confront the brutality and resistance aboard a slave ship directly. Directed by blacklisted American filmmaker John Berry, the film stars Curd Jürgens, Alex Cressan, and Dorothy Dandridge in one of the most daring roles of her career.

The film is based on Prosper Mérimée's 1829 short story Tamango, although the story and characters are fictional. Set during the transatlantic slave trade, the film follows a group of captured Africans aboard a slave ship who organize a revolt against their captors.

Dandridge portrays Aiché, an enslaved woman held aboard the ship who is involved in a sexual relationship with its white captain. Contemporary coverage frequently described Aiché as the captain's "mistress," but her status as an enslaved woman creates an obvious imbalance of power that complicates any interpretation of that relationship.

For Dandridge, Tamango was a striking departure from many of her better-known roles. The in*******al relationship between Aiché and the captain became one of the film's most controversial elements and figured prominently in contemporary publicity and press coverage. At a time when in*******al intimacy remained highly controversial on screen, Tamango encountered censorship concerns and predictions that it might never receive an American release. It eventually did, and reactions were sharply divided.

Looking at Tamango today, it's also worth considering its place in the evolution of slavery films. Movies such as Slaves (1969), Quadroon (1971), Mandingo (1975), and Drum (1976) would later combine slavery, in*******al sexuality, violence, and exploitation with varying degrees of historical commentary. Tamango predates all of them, making it an important early example of filmmakers approaching subject matter that would become considerably more explicit during the 1960s and 1970s.

John Berry would later direct the classic Claudine (1974), as well as the television film Sister, Sister (1982).

Director: John Berry
Writers: John Berry (screenplay), Lee Gold (screenplay), Tamara Hovey (screenplay)

Starring Dorothy Dandridge, Curd Jürgens, Alex Cressan, Jean Servais

Storyline
Dutch sea captain Reiker (Curd Jürgens) leads a slave ship on a voyage to Cuba. He brings his enslaved mistress, Aichiè (Dorothy Dandridge), and Tamango (Alex Cressan), a captured enslaved person, who recruits her to join a revolt. However, the ensuing mutiny leads to a tense standoff, and Aichiè must choose between the captain and her people.

Available on Blu-ray and streaming services.

I finally figured out who gave Jimmie that haircut. It was Ed Lover and Dr. Dre! It's the only thing that makes sense.Wh...
09/03/2026

I finally figured out who gave Jimmie that haircut. It was Ed Lover and Dr. Dre! It's the only thing that makes sense.

Who's the Man (1993)
South Central (1992)

"Mandingo" (1975) is a controversial slavery drama directed by Richard Fleischer and starring James Mason, Susan George,...
09/01/2026

"Mandingo" (1975) is a controversial slavery drama directed by Richard Fleischer and starring James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, and former heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton.

Based on Kyle Onstott's 1957 novel of the same name, Mandingo is set on a Louisiana plantation in the 1840s. It follows a deeply dysfunctional slaveholding family and the enslaved people subjected to their brutality. The film presents slavery through an especially disturbing mixture of violence, sexual exploitation, racism, and the commodification of Black bodies.

The 1970s produced an extraordinary number of films centered on slavery and the Black experience under slavery, and Mandingo stands as one of the decade's most prominent and controversial examples, alongside the enormous cultural impact of Roots (1977). Ken Norton, with little acting experience at the time, stars as Mede, an enslaved man who is purchased and trained to fight other enslaved men.

Mandingo was controversial upon its release and remains a difficult film to assess today. There are aspects of the movie that may be particularly difficult for modern audiences to absorb, especially in the way it combines exploitation filmmaking with subjects rooted in the realities of American slavery.

Those familiar with Mandingo may also recognize elements that later appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012). While the two films differ considerably in tone, story, and purpose, the influence of Mandingo is difficult to overlook.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Kyle Onstott (novel), Jack Kirkland (play), Norman Wexler (screenplay)

Starring Ken Norton, Brenda Sykes, Richard Ward, James Mason, Perry King, Susan George, Lillian Hayman, Ji-Tu Cumbuka

Storyline
Warren Maxwell (James Mason) and his son Hammond (Perry King) rule their plantation with an iron fist. Warren needs to see Hammond wed a woman from a respectable family, sire a son, and acquire a Mandingo (Ken Norton) to breed a more robust slave colony. Hammond finds that decent woman in his bride, Blanche (Susan George), but her questionable chastity soon sends him back to his wandering ways, leading him to Ellen (Brenda Sykes).

This movie is available on Blu-ray and streaming services.

Rest in Peace, Samuel Monroe Jr. (November 28, 1973 – August 27, 2026) | 35 film creditsSamuel Monroe Jr. earned his pl...
08/27/2026

Rest in Peace, Samuel Monroe Jr. (November 28, 1973 – August 27, 2026) | 35 film credits

Samuel Monroe Jr. earned his place as one of the most infamous hood villains in Black Film History. Making his film debut in Menace II Society (1993), Monroe Jr. went on to appear in numerous films as the treacherous bad guy, embracing the kind of role audiences loved to hate.

He became a memorable character actor in urban action films, bringing an unmistakable presence to characters who were often ruthless, menacing, and unforgettable. He leaves behind a body of work and a legacy that fans of the genre will continue to remember.

Film / Video Credits
* Menace II Society (1993)
* Tales from the Hood (1995)
* Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
* Set It Off (1996)
* The Players Club (1998)
* Ride With Me (1999)
* Choices 2 (2004)
* County General (2005)
* Detroit G Code (2006)
* What Goes Around Comes Around (2012)
* Behind De Pole (2014)
* 90 Minutes of the Fever (2016)
* Hogan (2017)
* The Fighters Prayer (2017)
* 7th and Westlake: Nino’s Revenge (2019)
I Got the Hook Up 2 (2019)
* The Lick Movie (2019)
* She Ball (2020)
* Blood Sacrifice (2021)
* Lockdown 2025 (2021)
* Shine Kings (2022)
* Tomorrow Never Comes (2022)
* Packz (2023)
* Payment Received (2023)

Television Credits
* Out All Night (1992–1993)
* Murder One (1995)
* NYPD Blue (1996)
* Smart Guy (1997)
* The Steve Harvey Show (1998)
* The Lyon’s Den (2003)
* Southland (2012)
* Mann & Wife (2015)
* Black Jesus (2019)

Here are some of the most infamous haters and villains from the 1970s.* Carol Speed as Abby in "Abby" (1974)* Zuni fe**s...
08/27/2026

Here are some of the most infamous haters and villains from the 1970s.

* Carol Speed as Abby in "Abby" (1974)
* Zuni fe**sh doll from "Trilogy of Terror" (1975)
* Badja Djola as Half-Dead in "Penitentairy" (1979)
* Maurice Marshall as Damon in "Cooley High" (1975)
* Mabel King as Evillene (the Wicked Witch of the West) in "The Wiz" (1978)
* Nichelle Nichols as Dorinda in "Truck Turner" (1974)
* D'Urville Martin as Willie Green in "Dolemite" (1975)
* Rhetta Greene (as Ruth Ann), Louise Stubbs (as Mama Rose), and Gloria Edwards (as Norma) in "Black Girl" (1972)
* Yaphet Kotto (as Kananga) and Julius Harris (as Tee Hee) in "Live and Let Die" (1973)

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