The mission of The Department of Afro-American Research Arts and Culture to identify the global significance of the creative contributions pioneered by an international diaspora of Blackness
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Saturday, August 13, 2016

Negro es un Bello Color [a.k.a. Black Is A Beautiful Color] (1974)

























Starring:
Storyline
A young couple in love, challenging family and society, in an era where class and race differences were not accepted. Starring Jeannie Bell from T.N.T. Jackson and The Muthers.

A Reckless Rover (1918)














Starring:
  • Sam Robinson



Storyline
Chased from his apartment by a policeman, ne'er do-well Rastus Jones (Sam Robinson) finds refuge in a Chinese laundry, where he wreaks slapstick havoc and has a memorable encounter with an improperly-filled opium pipe. A Reckless Rover pays homage to the slapstick tradition by introducing its own rendition of the Keystone Cops in its grand finale. While the comedy series would suffer attacks by the Chicago Defender for perpetuating racial stereotypes (one factor in their decision to cease production), the buffoonery in the Ebony Comedies was little different from the clowning one finds in the work of their fair-complected contemporaries.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915)


















Starring:


Storyline
Two African-American men find three tickets to a talent show. Instead of returning the tickets to the person that dropped them, they decided to go to the show accompanied with a female friend. While watching the show, they are entertained by the talented actors, but their shenanigans gets them kicked out of the theater. Inspired by the talent of the actors from the show they were kicked out of, they decided to start their own talent show. But there is a problem...they're not very talented.  

This film was restored by Kino Lorber which was archived in the Library of Congress and released in a 5 disc box set: Pioneers of African American Cinema.