Afro Promo Trailers from Black Cinema
Jenni Olson
This entertaining showcase of vintage movie trailers traces the evolution of African-American cinema through its most crucial period, 1952-1976. Filled with insights on race and social dynamics, this fascinating compendium of coming attractions explores an extensive range of stylistic approaches - Blaxploitation, Comedy, Music Bio, Plantation Drama, and more offering an outrageous joyride through motion picture history.
Beyond mere camp, these marvelously condensed gems crystallize a range of African-American identities and personalities, tracking the meteoric careers of Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Pam Grier, et al, through their bold performances in movies both hugely popular and practically forgotten. Entertaining and educational, Afro Promo provides a compact glimpse at the representation of African Americans through twenty-five dynamic years of American cinema history. Don't miss it! Please note: The condition of these original 35mm archival prints varies -- enjoy the wear and tear.
"A sometimes funny, sometimes frightening look at Tinseltown's presentation of Blacks." - Edward Marguiles, Movieline
"Hilarious, provocative." -- The Boston Globe
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Afro Promo is a feature-length compilation of coming attractions trailers from African-American films of the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s. Images of blacks in American cinema evolved slowly over these years. As you relive the era this unique slice of American movie history, keep your ears open ...Read more
Afro Promo is a feature-length compilation of coming attractions trailers from African-American films of the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s. Images of blacks in American cinema evolved slowly over these years. As you relive the era this unique slice of American movie history, keep your ears open for the white voice-overs touting the legitimizing awards and credentials of the black actors, writers, and directors; and listen for such euphemisms as: offbeat, different, unique, and human as Hollywood attempts to sell these films to white audiences. The 1970s were a time of growth when African-American audiences were recognized by the mainstream film industry as a viable market, and were directly targeted by such B-movie schlock factories and new independents as American International and Cinerama Releasing. These are the films that paved the way for Spike Lee, Charles Burnett, John Singleton, etc. Some possible discussion or investigation questions to keep in mind as you’re watching: 1) What films were the most meaningful to you personally? 2) Do you remember seeing these films when they were first released? 3) Were they empowering images at the time? Or not? 4) What do you think were the most important/impactful films? 5) How do they compare to today’s black films and actors?
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