Review of Within Our Gates (1920) by Scott R — 11 Feb 2018

The oldest surviving film written and directed by a black man. Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer) is rejected by her fiance after being set up by her cousin, so she moves to the south and helps a struggling school that educates poor black children.

Oscar Micheaux seems to have a tendency to write ambitious and complex plots that are too difficult to convey using the tools available in silent cinema. His films contain striking images, but are often quite difficult to follow.

This film contains numerous side plots that really don't seem to contribute to the main narrative of the film. It does take an abrupt turn near the end and tells a disturbing story of how Sylvia's father was blamed for a crime he didn't commit and her entire family was lynched.

It's an amazingly frank and appropriately brutal sequence that leaves a lasting impression.