ENGL 5845 - African-American Film

This course provides both a historical overview of the African-American cinematic tradition, as well as an exploration of how story-telling about African-American life has shaped and been shaped by film history writ large. We will learn about not only how film differs from other media, but also how the history of film in the United States is rife with what writer and critic Toni Morrison calls, “the Africanist presence.” Students will learn the basic language of film analysis and composition while also thinking about how actors and filmmakers respond to and transcend the limitations of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. We will view and respond to films like: Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates; D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation; Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind; Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones; Denzel Washington’s Fences; Amma Asante’s Belle; Spike Lee’s School Daze; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Secret Life of Bees; and, Douglass Sirk’s Imitation of Life.