Review of Within Our Gates (1920) by Jim C — 02 Nov 2011

The earliest known film by an African American director (Oscar Micheaux) this silent film rightly takes its place in history as an important milestone and a sleeves-rolled-up response to racist works that had come before, such as Birth of a Nation.

The film is little more than an hour long and it seems Micheaux tries to fit in a lot, with multiple plots weaving in and out of the main narrative and flashbacks serving to explain the pains and hardships of its heroine, such as violent assaults, rape and lynchings.

There's much that is left unexplained and certain events and characters seem superfluous to the overall message of the film, which is to highlight racial inequality and lack of suffrage. At that, it does succeed.

It is a shame that this film was not widely viewed in its day.