That's Black Entertainment

Just as the Negro baseball leagues that operated during the era of sports segregation have come to be celebrated, the so-called “race films” independently produced for African American audiences during the 1920s-1940s (and shown in “black” theaters) are starting to get the recognition they deserve. Made on a shoestring budget, these films didn't have the slick look of the big studio pictures of the era, but they showcased many talented performers whose work would be largely forgotten without them. That's Black Entertainment features three programs that combine a history of these films with extended excerpts. The first focuses on drama, the second on comedy, and the third on westerns, and each volume also features a full-length movie (Jericho, starring Paul Robeson, on the first disc; a revue-style picture called Boarding House Blues, featuring Moms Mabley, on the second; and Bronze Buckaroo, with cowboy star Herb Jeffries, on the third). The presentation has a subdued academic air to it (the series was made in conjunction with City University of New York), and it would have been nice to see the films better restored. Still, boasting solid narration by Mario Van Peebles and snippets from interviews with Ossie Davis and other actors (like Jeffries) and scholars, the set provides a good introduction to a significant and largely unappreciated chunk of American cinematic history. DVD extras include extended versions of interviews and text bios of such important figures as Robeson, Jeffries, Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams Jr., Bert Williams, Stepin Fetchit, and Bill Pickett. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)