African American History Month 2018

My cinema education is truly lacking.  There is one area (besides Kung Fu movies of the 1970's) I have not really explored the richness of African American Cinema.  Yes, I have dipped my toes into the water.  But, I've not done any serious reading nor watching of some historical films. 

Therefore I am tasking myself with reading at least one of Donald Bogle's seminal works starting with Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood.  I wish that Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, was also available as a kindle edition (so much easier to carry around on the bus). 

I am also going to watch some of the films in a project I helped via their Kickstarter campaign, Pioneers of African American Cinema released by KINO.  I have seen The Flying Ace at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2010, which I really enjoyed and am itching to revisit it.  The film was one of the features produced by the Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida.  I've also seen he working project Lime Kiln Club Field Day starring Bert Williams which was fascinating.

I am looking forward to seeing some films and improving my knowledge about this important film history.