Black American cinema

From the pioneering work of Oscar Micheaux and Wallace Thurman to the Hollywood success of Spike Lee, Black American filmmakers have played a remarkable role in the development of the American film, both independent and mainstream. In this volume, the work of early Black filmmakers is given serious attention for the first time. Essays consider what a Black film tradition might be, the relation between Black American filmmakers and filmmakers from the diaspora, the nature of Black film aesthetics, the artist's place within the community, and the representation of a Black imaginary. The collection also discusses Black sexuality on screen, and the role of Black women in independent cinema and as spectators; also, those Black directors who worked for Hollywood and whose films are simplistically dismissed as sell-outs, versus those "crossover" filmmakers whose achievements entail a surreptitious infiltration of the studios.--From publisher description.