Amoeba Music

Among the most fascinating chapters of film history is that of the so-called "race films" that flourished in the 1920s - '40s. Unlike the "black cast" films produced within the Hollywood studio (such as Stormy Weather or Green Pastures), these films not only starred African Americans but were funded, written, produced, directed, distributed, and often exhibited by people of color. Entrepreneurial filmmakers not only built an industry apart from the Hollywood establishment, they cultivated visual and narrative styles that were uniquely their own.

Defying convention and operating outside the studio system, these filmmakers were the forefathers (and -mothers) of the French New Wave, the L.A. Rebellion, and the entirety of American indie cinema. Previously circulated in poor-quality 16mm prints, these newly restored versions allow us to witness the legacies of Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams, and James and Eloyce Gist with fresh eyes - proving that, anything but imitative, these Pioneers of African-American Cinema were purely innovative.

This set contains an extensive collection of films (almost 20 hours of material) that represent a broad diversity of filmmaking styles and subject matter. Presented in cooperation with the major U.S. and international film archives, each film has been digitally restored and is accompanied by a series of videotaped interviews with influential historians and archivists, as well as an 80-page booklet featuring essays and notes

BOX SET CONTENT:

• Disc One (Total Running Time 282 minutes):
• Two Knights of Vaudeville
• Ebony Film Co., 1915. 11 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin
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• Mercy the Mummy Mumbled (BLU-RAY ONLY)
• Ebony Film Co., 1918. 12 minutes. Music by the Alloy Orchestra.
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• A Reckless Rover
• Ebony Film Co., 1918. 14 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
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• Within Our Gates
• Oscar Micheaux, 1920. 73 minutes. Music by DJ Spooky.
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• The Symbol of the Unconquered: A Story of the KKK
• Oscar Micheaux, 1920. 59 minutes. Music by Max Roach.
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• By Right of Birth
• Lincoln Motion Picture Co., 1921. 4 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
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• Body and Soul
• Oscar Micheaux, 1925. 93 minutes. Music by DJ Spooky.
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• Screen Snapshots (Micheaux footage, 1920, 1 minute)
• Bonus: An Introduction (7 minutes)
• Bonus: The Films of Oscar Micheaux (8 minutes)
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• Disc Two (Total Running Time - 259 minutes):
• Regeneration
• Richard E. Norman, 1923. 11 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
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• The Flying Ace
• Richard E. Norman, 1928. 65 minutes. Music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
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• Ten Nights in a Bar Room
• CPFC, 1926. 64 minutes. Music by Donald Sosin.
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• Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies
• Rev. Solomon Sir Jones, 1924-1926. 16 minutes. Music by Andrew Simpson.
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• The Scar of Shame
• Frank Peregini, 1929. 86 minutes. Music by Makia Matsumura
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• Bonus: The Color Line (5 minutes)
• Bonus: Ten Nights in a Bar Room - An Introduction (4 minutes)
• Bonus: About the Restoration (8 minutes)
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• Disc Three (Total Running Time - 253 minutes):
• Eleven P.M.
• Richard Maurice, 1928. 60 minutes. Music by Rob Gal.
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• Hell-Bound Train
• James and Eloyce Gist, 1930. 50 minutes.
• Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
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• Verdict Not Guilty
• James and Eloyce Gist, 1934. 8 minutes.
• Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
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• Heaven-Bound Travels (BLU-RAY ONLY)
• James and Eloyce Gist, 1935. 15 minutes.
• Restored by S. Torriano Berry. Music by Samuel Waymon.
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• The Darktown Revue
• Oscar Micheaux, 1931. 18 minutes.
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• The Exile
• Oscar Micheaux, 1931. 78 minutes.
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• Hot Biskits
• Spencer Williams, 1931. 10 minutes.
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• Disc Four (Total Running Time - 272 minutes):
• The Girl from Chicago
• Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 70 minutes.
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• Ten Minutes to Live
• Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 58 minutes.
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• Veiled Aristocrats
• Oscar Micheaux, 1932. 48 minutes.
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• Birthright
• Oscar Micheaux, 1938. 73 minutes.
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• Bonus: Veiled Aristocrats Trailer (4 minutes)
• Bonus: Birthright Trailer (4 minutes)
• Bonus: We Work Again (BLU-RAY ONLY) - WPA Documentary (1937, 15 minutes)
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• Disc Five (Total Running Time - 243 minutes):
• The Bronze Buckaroo
• Richard Kahn, 1939. 58 minutes.
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• Zora Neale Hurston Fieldwork Footage (excerpt)
• Zora Neale Hurtston, 1928. 3 minutes.
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• Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940 (excerpt)
• Zora Neale Hurston, 1940. 15 minutes.
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• The Blood of Jesus
• Spencer Williams, 1941. 56 minutes.
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• Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.
• Spencer Williams, 1946. 60 minutes.
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• Moses Sisters Interview
• Pearl Bowser, 1978. 32 minutes.
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• Bonus: Texas Tyler Promo Film with Ossie Davis (1985, 6 minutes)
• Bonus: The Films of Zora Neale Hurston (2 minutes)
• Bonus: The Films of Spencer Williams (7 minutes)
• Bonus: The End of an Era (4 minutes)