Jackson Booth-Millard
I first found this silent film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, then available through the BFI (British Film Industry), I was always going to watch it, especially with the facts I read about it. Basically young African-American woman Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer) is visiting her cousin Alma Prichard (Flo Clements) in the north, where there is less racial prejudice compared to the deep south and her home town of Piney Woods. Sylvia is awaiting the return of her fiancé, Conrad Drebert (James D. Ruffin), so that they can marry, Alma also loves Conrad, and would like Sylvia to marry her brother-in-law, gambler and criminal Larry (Jack Chenault). Alma creates a compromising situation for when Conrad returns, he subsequently leaves for Brazil, abandoning Sylvia, while Larr murders a man during a poker game, a disheartened Sylvia returns to Piney Woods. Sylvia meets minister Reverand Jacobs, who runs the overcrowded Piney Woods School, a rural school for black children, he is struggling to cope with the small amount the state offer to give black children an education and the school faces closure, so Sylvia volunteers to try and raise $5,000. Sylvia has little success returning to the north, including her purse being stolen, but then she meets Dr. V. Vivian (Charles D. Lucas), who helps her recover her purse. Sylvia saves the life of a child playing in the street, almost being hit by a car herself, the car owner is wealthy philanthropist Mrs. Elena Warwick, who is sympathetic to her quest and offers to donate the $5,000 she needs. Her bigoted Southern friend Mrs. Geraldine Stratton (Bernice Ladd) tries to discourage her, but Mrs. Warwick increases the donation to $50,000, with her job done Sylvia makes her way back to Piney Woods. Dr. Vivian has fallen in love with Sylvia, he goes to Alma to try and find her, and through flashbacks, she tells him all about her shocking past. Sylvia was adopted and raised by a poor black family, her adoptive father Philip Gridlestone (Ralph Johnson) was accused of the murder of an unpopular but wealthy white man, because of this the family was lynched, Sylvia escaped and was almost raped, Gridlestone's brother discovered Sylvia was the mixed-race daughter of Philip. After hearing about her life, Dr. Vivian meets with Sylvia, he encourages her to be proud of the contributions African Americans have made to her country, he professes his love for her, and the film ends with them getting married. Also starring William Smith as Detective Philip Gentry, William Stark as Jasper Landry, Mattie Edwards as Jasper's Wife, E.G. Tatum as Efram - Gridlestone's Servant, Grant Edwards as Emil Landry and Grant Gorman as Armand Gridlestone. This film was made five years after the release of The Birth of a Nation, this film is seen as a response to it, it is one of the earliest surviving films made by an African American filmmaker, it is certainly a landmark and controversial black-and- white film, with its depiction of racial violence and segregation, and historically important, a shocking but most interesting silent drama. Good!
kidboots
This movie is a mighty epic and many critics believe it was a response to Griffith's fairytale vision of the South and was trying to show that "primitivism" belonged to the White Southern culture. Just the year previously was the Chicago Race riot where white mobs had killed blacks and burned residential districts leaving thousands homeless. Oscar Micheaux worked with a very limited budget, borrowing costumes and props and having no money to reshoot scenes.Dealing with the value of education and the right to vote, this race movie has some shocking scenes involving a lynch mob - no one watching this would not be moved and sick to their stomachs. The plot is extremely convoluted with characters established then disappearing. Sylvia (Evelyn Peer) is visiting her cousin, Alma, who secretly loves Conrad, the man Sylvia is engaged to. She intercepts a telegram sent to Sylvia to tell of Conrad's surprise arrival and arranges for the girl to be caught in a compromising position with Alma's brother, Larry, a criminal who is wanted by the police. Sylvia returns to the South after being rejected by Conrad and knowing Larry to be a murderer.She then becomes involved in the running of a school for poor black children but soon returns North when funds run out and she promises to do what she can to try and meet the right sort of people. She meets Mrs. Warwick, a wealthy philanthropist who is eager to help Sylvia's people gain knowledge and suffrage but unfortunately the lady seeks advice from Mrs. Stratton, a racist Southern woman who feels that "black people are only good as slaves and education is wasted on them - all they care about is getting to heaven"!! The film then goes off on another tangent showing Preacher Ned bowing and scraping to the white man but full of self loathing and disgust at the way he has to behave. Micheaux is quick to show that while Preacher Ned is an "Uncle Tom" he is not an evil man. The school ends up with a $50,000 donation as Mrs. Warwick is sickened by the other woman's remarks.Back in the South once more Sylvia is visited by Larry who wants her to get rid of some stolen property or he will tell her new friends about her unsavoury past. She runs, rather than become involved in crime, straight to the arms of Dr. Vivian who has always loved her and wants to help her forget her unhappy past (Alma, now repentant, has confessed all to the doctor, which includes a very graphic depiction of a family being lynched).At the time critics feared riots if certain scenes were not deleted from the print and it was banned from cities which had just experienced the race riots.Highly Recommended.
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
