#lawrence chenault

[tcmparty]

Scar of Shame (1927)

[cinefiled]

The Symbol of the Unconquered

A light skinned mixed-race woman inherits a homestead from her grandfather who was a prospector in the American Northwest. She leaves Selma and treks, alone, to "Oristown" where she starts to settle in. There are some pretty fascinating looks at relations between blacks, between whites, between blacks and whites, and between blacks, whites, and those of mixed race, some 'passing', and some not. The KKK is recruited to try force a black prospector to sell his land after a 'passing' land speculator learns that it's more valuable than its owner knows. Unfortunately, footage of the climactic battle against a KKK gang has been lost so what remains skips (after a description of the missing footage) to the resolution.

The movie counters and undermines stereotypes through an array of friendships and conflicts, misperceptions and misunderstandings, egalitarian romance, proactive protagonists, and confidence in people generously and voluntarily helping and supporting each other. It's a movie whose sensibilities remain modern a hundred years later.

The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920) Director: Oscar Micheaux

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[elcineasta]

Body and Soul | dir. Oscar Micheaux (1925)

[elcineasta]

Body and Soul | dir. Oscar Micheaux (1925)

[elcineasta]

Body and Soul | dir. Oscar Micheaux (1925)

[elcineasta]

Body and Soul | dir. Oscar Micheaux (1925)

[theladybadass]

The Crimson Skull, a silent film by Norman Studios, starred an all black cast. Actors Lawrence Chenault and Anita Bush star in this 1922 western. The film is believed to be lost.

You can read more about the film and Norman Studios at the Norman Studios website.

(film poster found at Library of Congress)