Editorial Reviews
From the back cover
Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates is the earliest surviving feature directed by an African American. However, this startling film, unseen for 75 years, is far more than a historic curiosity. The 1993 Library of Congress inter-title restoration reveals it as passionate social history, confronting racism through a story of a young African American woman who seeks a Northern white patron for a Southern school for black children. The scenes of lynching and attempted white-on-black rape may be a response to D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of A Nation and remains shocking to this day. Plot Summary
Southern negro Sylvia Landry visits her cousin Alma in the north, where there is less racial prejudice than in her home town of Piney Woods in the deep south, & is awaiting her fiancé, Conrad. But Alma has designs on Conrad & tricks Sylvia into a compromising situation when he arrives & he abandons her. Disheartened, she returns to Piney Woods to help a reverend running a school for young negroes. Sylvia learns that the reverend hasn’t the heart to turn away poor students, and unless he can raise $5,000 to supplement the $1.49 per child per year that the state supplies, the school will be closed. She goes up north again to try to raise the money & has little success but meets kindly negro, Dr. V. Vivian, he helps her regain her stolen purse. When she saves a child from being hit by an auto, she is slightly injured. But the owner of the car is philanthropist Mrs. Elena Warwick, who is sympathetic to her quest & promises to donate the $5,000 to the school. Her bigoted southern friend, Mrs. Stratton, tries to talk her out of the donation, & Mrs. Warwick gets so incensed she raises the amount to $50,000. Her job done, Sylvia returns to Piney Woods. But Dr. Vivian has fallen in love with Sylvia & goes to Alma to try to find her. There he learns the shocking details of her past & that of her family.

Summary by Arthur Hausner {genart@volcano.net}

2 Responses to “The African American Cinema Vol 1: Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates”

1. James V. Holton says:

   February 9, 2007 at 12:00 am

   I can’t rate the film’s artistic qualities, but as a historic body of work this film is incredible. Micheaux’s work is a vital addition to film history and to understanding African American culture and history at the turn of the century. One sees an amazing amount of introspection in this film (notice the Uncle Tom preacher) as well as the inversion of traditional Southern conventions about sexuality and racial characteristics. One should watch this film in conjunction with DW Griffith’s Birth of A Nation to get two very different portrayals views of American history.

   A stand-alone DVD is desperately needed.

   Reply
2. v says:

   February 2, 2007 at 12:00 am

   I’m fortunate enough to have taped this old classic from 1920 which reflects all the awfullness that was our country in 1919. Which isn’t to say we as a society have changed so much, but lynching is not a resolution anymore to a proublem with an African American.

   This movie showed a world from the past and I loved the fact that this film still exists, so often all charecters in our silent films are played by whie people in black face. We must never forget and this very artistic representation of how our country once oppressed the African American is a wonderous reminder. Theres painfully true scenes of rape and lynch mobs that grab the black charecters to lynch much like I imagined a Jew was grabbed in Nazi Germany in 1940, difference is we in this country were the bad guys! Its tough to view, but I’ll always cherish this evidance of a more primative time.

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