Race movie
Era: 1910s - 1920s - 1930s - 1940s
Related: Blaxploitation - film - race music - race - African American - American cinema
Poster for Micheaux's film The Exile (1931)
Definition
The race movie or race film was a cinematic genre which existed in the United States between about 1915 and 1945. It consisted of films produced for an all-black audience, featuring black casts.
In all, approximately five hundred race films were produced. Of these, fewer than one hundred remain. Because race films were produced outside of the Hollywood studio system, they have been largely forgotten by mainstream film historians. Nevertheless, in their day, race films were very popular among African American theatergoers, and their influence continues to be felt in cinema and television marketed to African Americans.
In addition, race films were some of the first financially successful independent films. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_movie [Sept 2006]
See also: Spike Lee and African American cinema