Within Our Gates (1920) :
Brief Review -
A disturbing American-African dilemma just couldn't have got better cinematic version than this in 1920. Well, i am writing this review in 2021 when hardly few filmmakers have been able to dare making such a disturbing film on racism and then this thought blows my mind that Oscar Micheaux made straightforward and hard-hitting film like Within Our Gates in 1920. I couldn't have imagined it in dream even and then i get to see such film in real life today.. Appalled. The film is about an educated black woman who dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished black youths after being wrongly abandoned by her boyfriend. Her past is even more horrible to see when you know her story and how racism had been spoiling the humanity in those days. These so many things happens too quickly in the small runtime of about 80 minutes. The pacing is perfect and the line-up of events is amazingly done. There are couple of mistakes though, such as her love Life being unexplored and the linear equation dragged by some useless supporting characters. But the mind-boggling thing is the theme and how hard it hits. With an uncompromised vision of American-African director himself, Within Our Gates becomes one of the most socially and negatively powerful film of its time and arguably of all time too. Evelyn Preer, Floy Clements and Jack Chenaults are impressive and the rest are nothing but to be finely overlooked. The entire credit of the film's unimaginable impact over the years and especially for its time goes to Oscar Micheaux for writing and directing such a gutsy film which gave a tight slap on the face of racists. Love for the country can never be judged by the colour of person and that's what Within Our Gates has successfully taught to its generation.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest
A disturbing American-African dilemma just couldn't have got better cinematic version than this in 1920. Well, i am writing this review in 2021 when hardly few filmmakers have been able to dare making such a disturbing film on racism and then this thought blows my mind that Oscar Micheaux made straightforward and hard-hitting film like Within Our Gates in 1920. I couldn't have imagined it in dream even and then i get to see such film in real life today.. Appalled. The film is about an educated black woman who dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished black youths after being wrongly abandoned by her boyfriend. Her past is even more horrible to see when you know her story and how racism had been spoiling the humanity in those days. These so many things happens too quickly in the small runtime of about 80 minutes. The pacing is perfect and the line-up of events is amazingly done. There are couple of mistakes though, such as her love Life being unexplored and the linear equation dragged by some useless supporting characters. But the mind-boggling thing is the theme and how hard it hits. With an uncompromised vision of American-African director himself, Within Our Gates becomes one of the most socially and negatively powerful film of its time and arguably of all time too. Evelyn Preer, Floy Clements and Jack Chenaults are impressive and the rest are nothing but to be finely overlooked. The entire credit of the film's unimaginable impact over the years and especially for its time goes to Oscar Micheaux for writing and directing such a gutsy film which gave a tight slap on the face of racists. Love for the country can never be judged by the colour of person and that's what Within Our Gates has successfully taught to its generation.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest