Today is the Sunrise day of Oscar Micheaux, the pioneer African American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Born January 2nd, 1884, in Metropolis, Illinois, Oscar Micheaux was the quintessential self-made man. Micheauxs experiences as a homesteader served as the subject matter for his novel The Homesteader. In 1919, he produced a film version of the novel, which was the first full-length feature produced by an African American. He again used autobiographical elements in The Exile, his first feature film with sound, in which the central character leaves Chicago to buy and operate a ranch in South Dakota. In 1924 he introduced the movie going world to Paul Robeson in his film, Body and Soul. Given the times, his accomplishments in publishing and film are extraordinary, including being the first African-American to produce a film to be shown in white movie theaters. In his motion pictures, he moved away from the Negro stereotypes being portrayed in film at the time. Additionally, in his film Within Our Gates, Micheaux attacked the racism depicted in D.W. Griffiths film, The Birth of a Nation. The Producers Guild of America called him The most prolific black - if not most prolific independent - filmmaker in American cinema. Over his illustrious career, Micheaux wrote, produced and directed forty-four feature-length films between 1919 and 1948 and wrote seven novels, one of which was a national bestseller. Micheaux died on March 25, 1951, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more: blackpast.org/aah/micheaux-oscar-1884-1951 naacp.org/pages/naacp-history-Oscar-Micheaux biography/people/oscar-micheaux-9407584
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 03:58:56 +0000
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