On The DL
Looking Again at American Cinema
Sat., Nov. 4, 11 and 18, 2-4:30 p.m., $60, Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008-2010 DeLancey Place, 215-732-1600, www.rosenbach.org
How many black cinematic archetypes can you name?
"Mammie," the matronly, apron-wearing old lady who calls everyone "sugah"? How about that smiling minstrel man, singing and dancing in his straw hat and overalls? They're terribly archaic and often offensive, but that doesn't mean they're not significant to the history of black film.
Temple professor John King's three-part course will explore such characters and their roles in American movies, film genres historically relegated to black directors and contemporary movements in black film.
King plans to spotlight the development of race-based movies, and will profile Oscar Micheaux, the first black director to produce a feature-length film (1919's The Homesteader). Micheaux is considered a forerunner to contemporary black filmmakers like Spike Lee.
Students are encouraged to participate in free-flowing conversations about the films, but King won't let reverence for the classics supercede critical discussion. "Seasoned movie folks tend to be romantic about films from [earlier] eras," he says. "They don't give them the critique we give today's films. They don't want anyone criticizing their Sidney Poitier."
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