GazerRise Fantastic!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Richard Chatten In his provocative 1980 article in 'Film Comment', 'Bad Films', James Hoberman concentrated almost exclusively on Oscar Micheaux's thirties sound films in painting Micheaux as a sort of black Edward D.Wood Jr. When Hoberman wrote that "the longer Micheaux made films, the badder they got," the 1993 Library of Congress restoration of 'Within Our Gates' was still several years away, but - possibly because Micheaux was free of the later encumbrances of dialogue and sound film technology - manages accurately to bear out his statement, since it stands up extremely well.The fact that nearly a hundred years ago this film was made at all is remarkable enough; that it's actually survived (in Spain, of all places) is miraculous, particularly as Micheaux's final film, the three hour-long 'The Betrayal' (1948) - made over a quarter of a century later - is ironically lost. In addition to its indictment of institutionalised racism in the United States - where in the South any available negro could be lynched just for the hell of it - 'Within Our Gates' is also remarkable for criticising bible-thumping snake oil salesmen like the black preacher Old Ned, who exhorts his congregation not to bother themselves with the injustices of this world as their reward will come in the next.Micheaux not surprisingly gives short shrift to the American South, where the poor white trash are depicted as being treated as contemptuously by the land-owning classes as their black brethren (the identical appearance and beards worn by a trio of yokels hinting at in-breeding), and titles are written in dialect to lampoon the Southern drawl, rather than just black speech as tended to be the custom in silent films. The cross-cutting between a lynching and a rape attempt by a white man near the film's conclusion serves as a well-aimed raspberry at the equivalent sequence in D.W.Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation'; although the abrupt uplifting speech about America by the handsome Dr. Vivian at the film's very end feels extremely tacked on. But 'Within Our Gates' has already hit home with enough ugly home truths by then.American women, incredibly, still didn't have the vote when 'Within Our Gates' was made; and Micheaux equates women's suffrage with black civil rights, in the process marshalling a cast of formidable female characters, both black & white. In one of several elaborate narrative strands that 'Within Our Gates' packs into less than eighty minutes, black heroine Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer) is taken under the wing of wealthy white philanthropist Elena Warwick, whose friend Geraldine Stratton is a rich Southerner and "a bitter enemy of woman's suffrage, because it appalls her to think that Negro women might vote."

CJBx7 WITHIN OUR GATES (1920) is now known as the first surviving movie by an African-American director, Oscar Micheaux. Micheaux was a pioneering filmmaker, not so much in a technical or aesthetic way, but in his aim to present black people realistically and honestly. WITHIN OUR GATES shows him taking on the issue of education for blacks and the various degrees of racism and prejudice both outside and inside the black community. Following is my review.SCRIPT: The story deals with the efforts of Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer) to secure funding for a black school in a small Southern town, as well as her romantic trials and tribulations. The movie features an array of story lines and supporting characters, some of whom curry favor with whites by putting their own race down and discouraging black involvement in politics (such as Preacher Ned), or by snitching (the servant Efrem). At the end of the story we learn about Sylvia's family life and how her happy home was torn apart by racism and violence. The script's attempts to juggle multiple story lines are not entirely successful, as the film tends to linger on some segments longer than others and some loose ends aren't completely tied up. Nevertheless, it is commendable for portraying the different aspects of life in the black community. SCORE: 7/10 ACTING: The quality of the acting varies, especially for modern viewers unaccustomed to the dramatic displays common in silent movies. Evelyn Preer anchors the film with what is, for the most part, a sensitive and controlled performance which shows charm and evokes sympathy for her plight. Towards the end some of her reactions tend toward the melodramatic, but not really much more so than what was common for the period. James Ruffin (as Sylvia's fiancée) and Flo Clements (as her "friend", Alma) also imbue their performances with realism. Some of the supporting characters (too numerous for me to discuss individually) don't fare as well. The "stooge" characters (Efrem and Preacher Ned) are portrayed rather broadly as buffoons with virtually no redeeming qualities. EG Tatum (Efrem) in particular does a lot of bug-eyed reactions and hysterical laughter that must have come straight out of minstrelsy. SCORE: 7/10 CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: The cinematography is fairly competent, especially considering that Micheaux was almost certainly working with a limited budget. The shots tend toward the static but are well framed. There are some good location shots. The film could perhaps benefit from tighter editing in some spots, but the ending sequence shows a good command of cross cutting for dramatic effect. (Incidentally, this ending sequence cuts between a lynching and a rape attempt by a white character, and serves as a rebuttal to the virulently racist ending of BIRTH OF A NATION 5 years earlier). SCORE: 7/10 SUMMARY: WITHIN OUR GATES is a very important movie for many reasons. It stands as the earliest surviving feature film that attempts to show African-Americans with dignity and realism. It may strike modern viewers as didactic, but that is completely appropriate considering the time in which it was made and the subject matter. The story tends to wander, and could benefit from perhaps shaving off a character or two, but the subject matter keeps it interesting. The acting varies in quality from one player to the next, but the best performances are handled with sincerity and naturalism. The cinematography and production are good considering the budget limitations that Micheaux surely had to deal with. WITHIN OUR GATES is an important accomplishment and merits viewing today. TOTAL SCORE: 7/10

ironhorse_iv This film is the older known surviving print that was produced and directed by Oscar Micheaux. He is considered to be the first African American director of feature films. The movie was lost for a long time. The movie was found in late 70's, when a single print of the film was discovered in Spain. Still, the movie suffers much due to old age. The film is in rough state when it was discovered. Scars and scratches are all over the film. A brief sequence in the middle of the film was also lost. Only four of the original English inter titles survived, the rest having been replaced with Spanish inter titles when the film was distributed there. Much of the film is still incomplete as many scenes depicting abuse and murder were excised by the film board prior to release. The reasons of this was because they deem it too provocative after the 1919 Chicago race riots. The film focus on the physical, psychological and economic repression of the African American to the point that it was called a race film even if the movie wasn't all produce by all black cast. Produced primarily in northern cities. The target audience consisted primarily of poor southern blacks and southerners who had migrated northward. The problem with most race films is the fact that it rarely treated the subjects of social injustice and race relations. We see black people suffering but we don't see the races trying to heal the conflict. Its only goal to bring upon more anger against white people. Hints the controversial. This movie tries not to be one of those. The ending is all about healing but still you can hear the be proud of your race and be fearful of the others undertones in the film. Still, there is so much from Oscar Micheaux that remains lost. I hope that as the years go on, we'll be able to uncover more of his work. It's still a wonderful resource for those of us who are old film buffs and also interested in the African American contribution to cinema. Still the film is so hard to get through. Within our gates is the story of an educated Southern black school teacher Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer). She looks for a few days escape from the South after being abandoned by her lover. She plans to visit her cousin Alma in the North. While there, she is in effort to raise money for her near bankrupt school. The movie use flashbacks to point out the faults of the nation using the Landry's family as example. Its dark scenes of lynching, murder and rape attempt that is hard to watch. It does deconstructed the white ideology that lynching was to punish black men for alleged sexual assaults against white women, but also feed the fears the idea that all black women get rape by white men which isn't true. The utilization of cross cutting techniques in the melodramatic form with the rape and lynching is powerful. The ending twist is a bit shocking, but well written. Often regarded in the context of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, which had appeared five years earlier. Critics have considered Micheaux's project as a response to Griffith to the point, that Micheaux took the film's name from a line in Griffith's film. It suggested that people should not harm one another, lest they be harmed. Micheaux's idea mirrors Griffith ending of North and South marriage plot in the sense that rather than all white reunion, Michaeux's film ends with a united sophisticated African American nation. Micheaux didn't blame only whites for the poverty of rural blacks, but criticized African Americans who helped to perpetuate their condition for personal gain that Griffith's movie fail to show. While Griffith portrayed black men largely as humorous objects or dim witted caricatures. Micheaux use dialect in order to be derogatory but to express the desire of a poor uneducated black man to provide his children with the means to a better life than his own. Many whites believed that African Americans were too lazy or stupid to want an education at the time. Michaeux was still wrong in portraying light skinned blacks as well educated man. He use them to represent the African American race in Dr. Vivian. While he portray dark skinned as dumb or corrupt people like in Efrem. Michaeux did anger black churches at the time due to his mocking of them with the character of Old Ned, an Uncle Tom type character. Micheaux viewed traditional black religiosity and the men who believe its dogma as dangerous to the freedom and advancement of African Americans. No matter what the controversial, it's a good movie from the Harlem Renaissance era. Give it a watch.

Michael Morrison Oscar Micheaux is one of my motion picture heroes.With courage and determination, he set out to make movies for and about black people when it wasn't otherwise much done.He was a pioneer in independent film-making, raising money in the most unusual places and unusual ways.He deserves a lot of praise ... but, alas, his results were too often disappointing."Within Our Gates" has a lot of potential, but most of it is unmet.The acting is pretty good, but the camera work and editing are lacking; and the script misses badly.The story is a good one, and the school that is at the heart of a major subplot has a real-life counterpart: Professor Laurance Jones created a school for the black people of the piney woods near Jackson, Mississippi, in the very earliest years of the 20th century.Professor Jones' story is incredibly inspiring and I urge everyone who cares about spirit and courage to take a look (http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/vol/21991.shtml is one source).Micheaux and Jones have somewhat parallel lives, though Jones ultimately achieved recognition in his lifetime.Micheaux should have, and I am grateful beyond words that at least his films are finally being seen by a wider audience.They are flawed, yes, but they present two stories we all need to know about: The actual topic of the movie, and that of Micheaux himself.The ending of this movie is, frankly, beyond my comprehension. It seems to come out of thin air, and I fear it must have been hastily tacked on in order to placate someone. Too bad, but still the movie is historically valuable.This is added June 10, 2015: There is a print available at YouTube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1E0NrcnwAEI haven't watched more than a few seconds, but so far it's a terrible print.