Midnight ramble

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A midnight ramble was a segregation-era midnight showing of films for an African American audience, often in a cinema where, under Jim Crow laws they would never have been admitted at other times. [1] [2] The films shown were often from among the over 500 films that were made between 1910 and 1950 in the United States with black producers, writers, actors and directors. [3] Film archivist Pearl Bowser said these films "were important to Black audiences because it provided them with images of themselves that they didn't see in the regular cinema". [4]

Oscar Micheauxs films were popular, and they starred all Black casts and were produced by Black filmmakers. [5] He was the first director to make feature length films, many of which explored subjects that were considered "taboo" at the time, like; alcoholism, crime, class conflict, interracial relationships, racism and lynchings. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Bowser, Pearl; Cram, Bestor (dirs.) (1994). Midnight Ramble: The Story of the Black Film Industry (DVD). American Experience. PBS.
  2. ↑ "Film Notes for "Midnight Rambles". Cincinnati World Cinema. 2007.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Pamela (2011). "Black Folks Make Movies".
  4. 1 2 Burlingame, Jon (October 26, 1994). "The American Experience takes a Midnight Ramble". The Times-Mail. Bedford, Indiana. p. C4.
  5. ↑ Devi, Debra (October 11, 2015). "Language of the Blues: Rambling". American Blues Scene.
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