The Silent Film Within Our Gates - 958 Words

In 1920, Oscar Micheaux directed the silent film Within Our Gates which conducts an in-depth examination of race relations and discrimination within the United States. One of the outcomes of the film is a blatant failure of justice resulting in the lynching of an African American couple, The Landrys. Seemingly, time has not altered the inherent absence of justice concerning the treatment of Black men and women in situations where criminal activity is suspected, legitimately or otherwise. Evidence is found with the killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and many other Black victims who died at the hands of police who are tasked with upholding justice and fail to do so. However, what was the popular sentiment toward failure within the legal system between 1920 and 2015? While not representative of this entire time span, in 1962, Robert Mulligan’s film To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on race relations and an African American male wrongly accused of rape who is ultimate ly killed in a suspicious police shooting. Within Our Gates and To Kill a Mockingbird each offer a presentation of a gross miscarriage of justice that is obvious to the omniscient viewer, but the reaction the films garner from the audience varies from outrage to resignation due to the implementation (or lack thereof) of a visual stimuli, telling of the time period in which the films were produced. The theme of â€Å"a failure of justice† for African Americans living in the present-day United States datesShow MoreRelatedThe African American Perspective Throughout The Harlem Renaissance1383 Words   |  6 Pageswhite people seeing and understanding African American’s pride and history. Augusta Savage creates the sculpture Gamin as a symbol for all African Americans. Within Our Gates, starring Evelyn Preer and directed by Oscar Micheaux, gives insight into what went on in the rural south in the 1920s. How It Feels to Be Colored Me, Gamin and Within Our Gates, though different art forms, are similar in that they all demonstrate the same theme of the African American perspective. How It Feels to Be Colored Me byRead MoreA Reading Of Micheaux s Within Our Gates1418 Words   |  6 PagesRyan Baxter Ben Strassfeld Professor Daniel Herbert Screen Arts Cultures 352 14 October 2015 A Reading of Micheaux’s Within Our Gates (1920) In 1920, pioneering African American film director Oscar Micheaux released his second picture, Within Out Gates. The film is a silent drama that revolves around a young professional woman, Sylvia Landry, her quest to fund an opening rural school for black children, and her past experience of violent racism in the South. 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