Separate Cinema: Fifty Years of Black-Cast Posters

by John Kisch

Book Overview

Presents the history of black-cast films through their posters, covering the years from 1915 to 1965 with two hundred full-color reproductions and a brief text that places the films in a social and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374523606
• ISBN13: 9780374523602
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Noonday Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.6" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Incredible stuff

After skimming through a friend's copy of A Separate Cinema one evening, Mr. Danger was so impressed that I purchased it myself the very next day. This is an amazing book, essential to the collection of any student of American film. Within it's 150 oversized glossy pages are theaterical posters, from hundreds of mostly forgotten Black films dating back to the roaring twenties, to train your eyeballs on. Entire chapters are dedicated to the great Paul Robeson, Jazz and sports themed pictures, and early Black musicals such as the classic Hallelujah!. Donald Bogle contributes an essay on the often obscure history of American Black cinema, and every poster is accompanied by a paragraph about the film it represents. Spike Lee even wrote the introduction! Rarely have I gotten so much replay value from a single book. In fact, I've been inspired to watch as many of these films as are available on DVD (criminally few). The only drawback is that ASC seems to now be out of print, but don't let that deter you. Scour the used bookstores and flea markets in your area. It's well worth the effort.

The black cinema comes into the light.

I doubt any future book will cover the subject of black cast movie posters as well as this one. As a designer interested in the look of popular culture I was surprised that there were so many posters for this niche market. Over two-hundred are shown in this very well designed book (thanks to Debbie Glasserman) they are all in color and each has a very detailed caption. I must say though that as designs they are all uniformly uninspiring (except for Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1927 and The Green Pastures, 1936) but what they lack in stylish graphics and type they make up for in an exuberance of color, flamboyant images plus huge angled titles and cast lists, all to put across what the movie was about and pull the customer into a downtown picture palace. Donald Bogle writes a short essay on the history of black movies but strangely makes no comment about the posters or who produced them. John Kisch, who collects black cast movie posters suggests in his Author's Note that frequently the poster artwork was more interesting than the movie itself. Get this book if you are into the graphic history of American movies, it covers one small historical part and does it very well. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

A Separate Cinema - A Must!

The images of Black in the history of American cinema is in constant need of exploration. Too often what we are presented with are images and visions created by movie moguls and mavens that bear little resemblence to the rich vitality of Black life and culture in America. Mammies. Coons, and Sambos are omnipresent in most studies, adding a buffoonish, yet toxically inaccurate picture whenever Blacks are portrayed. Fortunately, "A Separate Cinema" is a move in the right direction of presenting an alternative view. Complete with colorful and vivid posters and information, the reader is returned to a period where such early pivotal Black auteurs as Oscar Micheaux attempt to show Black images on screen through Black eyes. Paul Robeson is shown in all of his splendor. The sauve and handsome Ralph Cooper makes his appearance. Movies that are now in the dustbin of history returns to the viewer. As a teacher of U.S. history and African-American history, "A separate Cinema" never fails to enlighten and impress my students - both Black and White. This book is a must for those willing to move beyond the stereotypical version offered by traditional hollywood accounts. It not only offers a Separate Cinema, but a separately created vision of reality. I highly recommend this book for all progressive students of American film history.

An eye-opener for every movie loving person.

A simple love of movie-posters has turned into a serious interest of African-American cinema. Something I never really knew about. This book showes the viewer a history in pictures about pictures mostly unseen in The Netherlands or anywhere outside the US. If you just like posters, it is unmissable. If you like film-poster history, it's unmissable. If you're interested in anything besides pure Hollywood-soaked books and paraphernalia, this book is simply a must-have. Fantastic!