The first college I attended was…well, ….less than stellar. One GREAT thing was that it was so lax. …You could pass with your eyes closed. Normally this is not a good thing, but it worked in my favor. In just about every class, every teacher only provided a definitive objective for the paper or assignment, but not a definitive subject matter. This was pretty consistent with every class I took so what did I do??? Made every paper, regardless of the class it was for, somehow relevant to african-americans, african-americans in art (theater, film, radio, painters, writers, etc.) or black culture in general. …And I mean, EVERY paper. It served a few purposes: comforting myself with information about “me” in a place that was not about me at all; 2- Taking advantage of the freedom to learn myself/ my history by immersing myself into books, films, microfiche, ANYTHING related to black culture. This school rested in a predominantly white cow town and was primarily populated by other white students from surrounding cow towns! Many of them had never come in contact with a black person until that year, 1993. This made for some very interesting experiences to say the least…but I’ll save those for another day.
Ironically, the one thing I soon discovered this cow town school had to offer was a phenomenal library that housed some true historical treasures and information as it pertained to black history. I milked it for all it was worth. {wow. no pun intended} It was the first place I found and watched D.W. Griffiths controversial ‘Birth of a Nation’ (on filmstrip!!) and the first place I discovered one of the pioneering black filmmakers, Oscar Micheaux.
The other day a friend of mine said he didn’t even realize there were black films that dated back as far as the 1930’s. My initial reaction was shock! Then I had to remind myself that Oscar Micheaux is not exactly one of those people included in HIStory that is most often told to us in the public ed system, or even college depending on where you are or your area of study. In fact, my degree is IN FILM and thinking about it now, I’m not sure there was ever a “formal introduction” to Oscar! (even after transferring to the much better school, Emerson College whoop whoop!)
So without further a due, if you were not already familiar with him, meet Oscar Micheaux: Author, filmmaker, and businessman who created, marketed, distributed and even edited his own films. Contributing to the race movies genre of film in an effort to create something “for us and {told} by us” as opposed to many of the stereotypical images of black people that were soiling the big screens at the time. …In theaters we could not sit in no less. Even if you don’t continue to research this topic in any way, it’s important to bear witness at least once to some of these works. …Remember that you too are the “recorder” for future generations. Few of his films survive today, so you can imagine how exciting it was to find some in their entirety on my favorite site…YOUTUBE!!!! I thought it would be fun if perhaps periodically we congregate here on the dot-com for a ‘Studio5 Weekend Movie Matinee’, hm??
The film I’m posting is ‘Lying Lips’ written/directed by Oscar Micheaux in 1939. Even if you’re not into old movies, I encourage you to give it a chance. Get comfortable, get your snacks and treats, and try to watch them with little or no distractions because they do require your attention. I apologize if I’m not being very thorough. I just want you to have some energy left to watch the film and I know you can do some of this research on your own. I merely wanted to plant the seed and cultivate our rich historical and cultural garden. {By the way, I’m posting all 10 parts for you below}.
–Keepin’ Oscar alive in Studio5, happy Sunday! -hk
Other links: Oscar Micheaux Site . a bio . Oscar Micheaux photos . Own it .
About the film: Talented and sweet lil Elsie Bellwood (edna mae harris who’s a blast to watch) gets wrongly accused and imprisoned for the murder of her beloved auntie! Join in as the whodunit unfolds to find the guilty party while Elsie finds some unexpected gifts in her quest to reclaim her innocence and clear her name! {There’s even a swim cap in here!!! }…………
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YUosQ4A8ok]
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlwLNeuxydc]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KP3DWF96Y&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X7atvukAeA]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-i5_LeZ63s]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2CWO8BErVA]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCzNBsMwMjg]
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