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Thursday, March 02, 2006

Simply......Support Vintage Black Cinema



Over the last few years I have likened myself to slowly becoming a budding cineaste. I have an interest in many films across a variety of genres. In my DVD collection one may find a Criterion Akira Kurosawa film, a smattering of Spike Lee films or something as goofy as The Man Called Flintstone. Since I started collecting films, one major frustration was finding quality DVDs or dvd transfers of classic Black movies. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Warner Brothers recently released five landmark films that featured predominant Black casts. Mind you, these films are not for the faint of heart. The dialogue can be expected to be dated and some of the racial sensibilities for this time period may make you cringe but chalk it up as an educational experience. These films include The Green Pastures, Cabin in the Sky, Pinky, Hallelujah and my favorite of the bunch, Stormy Weather. Who wouldn't want to see Lena Horne during her prime? I love Halle but she is no Lena! And if Ms. Horne isn't enough, at least you can pause and analyze the incomparable Nicholas Brothers' famed stairway dance routine. Hell they have to be at least as good as Ciara or Omarion....oops I could barely hold my meal down with that statement.

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