Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux | |
---|---|
Born | Oscar Devereaux Micheaux January 2, 1884 Metropolis, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | March 25, 1951 | (aged 67)
Occupation(s) | Director, author |
Spouse | Orlean McCracken
(m. 1910, divorced) |
Awards |
|
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (
Early life and education
Micheaux was born on a farm in
In his later years, Micheaux wrote about the social oppression he experienced as a young boy. His parents moved to the city so that the children could receive a better education. Micheaux attended a well-established school for several years before the family eventually ran into money troubles and were forced to return to the farm. The discontented Micheaux became rebellious and his struggles caused problems within his family. His father was not happy with him and sent him away to do marketing in the city. Micheaux found pleasure in this job because he was able to speak to many new people and learned social skills that he would later reflect in his films.[3]
When Micheaux was 17 years old, he moved to
After being "swindled out of two dollars" by an employment agency, Micheaux decided to become his own boss. His first business was a shoeshine stand, which he set up at a wealthy African American barbershop, away from Chicago competition. He learned the basic strategies of business and started to save money. He became a Pullman porter on the major railroads,[3] at that time considered prestigious employment for African Americans because it was relatively stable, well paid, and secure, and it enabled travel and interaction with new people. This job was an informal education for Micheaux. He profited financially, and also gained contacts and knowledge about the world through traveling as well as a greater understanding for business. When he left the position, he had seen much of the United States, had a couple of thousand dollars saved in his bank account, and had made a number of connections with wealthy white people who helped his future endeavors.
Micheaux moved to
Writing and film career
Micheaux decided to concentrate on writing and, eventually, filmmaking, a new industry. He wrote seven novels.[3]
In 1913, 1,000 copies of his first book, The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer, were printed.[3] He published the book anonymously, for unknown reasons. He based it on his experiences as a homesteader and the failure of his first marriage and it was largely autobiographical. Although character names have been changed, the protagonist is named Oscar Devereaux. His theme was about African Americans realizing their potential and succeeding in areas where they had not felt they could. The book outlines the difference between city lifestyles of Negroes and the life he decided to lead as a lone Negro out on the far West as a pioneer. He discusses the culture of doers who want to accomplish and those who see themselves as victims of injustice and hopelessness and who do not want to try to succeed, but instead like to pretend to be successful while living the city lifestyle in poverty. He had become frustrated with getting some members of his race to populate the frontier and make something of themselves, with real work and property investment. He wrote over 100 letters to fellow Negroes in the East beckoning them to come West, but only his older brother eventually took his advice. One of Micheaux's fundamental beliefs was that hard work and enterprise would make any person rise to respect and prominence no matter his or her race.
In 1918, his novel The Homesteader, dedicated to his mother, attracted the attention of George Johnson, the manager of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company in Los Angeles. After Johnson offered to make The Homesteader into a new feature film, negotiations and paperwork became inharmonious.[3] Micheaux wanted to be directly involved in the adaptation of his book as a movie, but Johnson resisted and never produced the film.
Instead, Micheaux founded the Micheaux Film & Book Company of
In addition to writing and directing his own films, Micheaux also adapted the works of different writers for his
Films
Micheaux's first novel The Conquest was adapted to film and re-titled The Homesteader.[7] This film, which met with critical and commercial success, was released in 1919. It revolves around a man named Jean Baptiste, called the Homesteader, who falls in love with many white women but resists marrying one out of his loyalty to his race. Baptiste sacrifices love to be a key symbol for his fellow African Americans. He looks for love among his own people and marries an African-American woman. Relations between them deteriorate. Eventually, Baptiste is not allowed to see his wife. She kills her father for keeping them apart and commits suicide. Baptiste is accused of the crime, but is ultimately cleared. An old love helps him through his troubles. After he learns that she is a mulatto and thus part African, they marry. This film deals extensively with race relationships.
Micheaux's second silent film was
Sylvia is almost raped by the landowner's brother but discovers that he is her biological father. Micheaux always depicts African Americans as being serious and reaching for higher education. Before the flashback scene, we see that Sylvia travels to Boston, seeking funding for her school, which serves black children. They are underserved by the segregated society. On her journey, she is hit by the car of a rich white woman. Learning about Landry's cause, the woman decides to give her school $50,000.
In the film, Micheaux depicts educated and professional people in black society as light-skinned, representing the elite status of some of the mixed-race people who comprised the majority of African Americans free before the Civil War. Poor people are represented as dark-skinned and with more undiluted African ancestry. Mixed-race people also feature as some of the villains. The film is set within the
Micheaux adapted two works by
Themes
Micheaux's films were made during a time of great change in the African-American community.[8] His films featured contemporary black life. He dealt with racial relationships between blacks and whites, and the challenges for blacks when trying to achieve success in the larger society. His films were used to oppose and discuss the racial injustice that African Americans received. Topics such as lynching, job discrimination, rape, mob violence, and economic exploitation were depicted in his films.[9] These films also reflect his ideologies and autobiographical experiences.[3]
Micheaux sought to create films that would counter negative portrayals of African Americans in films by white producers, which trafficked in degrading stereotypes. He created complex characters of different classes. His films questioned the value system of both African-American and Euro-American societies, which stirred controversy with the press and state censors.[9]
Style
Critic Barbara Lupack described Micheaux as pursuing moderation with his films and creating a "middle-class cinema".[7] His works were designed to appeal to both middle- and lower-class audiences.
Micheaux said,
My results ... might have been narrow at times, due perhaps to certain limited situations, which I endeavored to portray, but in those limited situations, the truth was the predominant characteristic. It is only by presenting those portions of the race portrayed in my pictures, in the light and background of their true state, that we can raise our people to greater heights. I am too imbued with the spirit of Booker T. Washington to engraft false virtues upon ourselves, to make ourselves that which we are not.[7]
Death
Micheaux died on March 25, 1951, in Charlotte, North Carolina, of heart failure. He is buried in Great Bend Cemetery in Great Bend, Kansas, the home of his youth. His gravestone reads: "A man ahead of his time".[9]
Personal
In South Dakota, Micheaux married Orlean McCracken. Her family proved to be complex and burdensome for Micheaux. Unhappy with their living arrangements, Orlean felt that Micheaux did not pay enough attention to her. She gave birth while he was away on business, and was reported to have emptied their bank accounts and fled.[3] Orlean's father sold Micheaux's property and took the money from the sale. After his return, Micheaux tried unsuccessfully to get Orlean and his property back. He married Alice B. Russell in 1926. Oscar and Alice remained married until his death.[citation needed]
Legacy and honors
- The Oscar Micheaux Society at Duke University continues to honor his work and educate about his legacy.[3]
- 1987, Micheaux was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1989 the Directors Guild of America honored Micheaux[10] with a Golden Jubilee Special Award.
- The Producers Guild of America created an annual award in his name.
- In 1989, the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame gave him a posthumous award.[10]
- Gregory, South Dakota holds an annual Oscar Micheaux Film Festival.[10]
- In 2001 Oscar Micheaux Golden Anniversary Festival (March 24–25) Great Bend, Kansas
- In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included Oscar Micheaux on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.[11]
- On June 22, 2010, the US Postal Service issued a 44-cent, Oscar Micheaux commemorative stamp.[12]
- In 2011, the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia created a category for donors, the Micheaux Society, in honor of Micheaux.[13]
- Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies (1994) is a documentary whose title refers to the early 20th-century practice of some segregated cinemas of screening films for African-American audiences only at matinees and midnight. The documentary was produced by Pamela Thomas, directed by Pearl Bowser and Bestor Cram, and written by Clyde Taylor. It was first aired on the PBS show The American Experience in 1994, and released in 2004.
- In 2019, Micheaux's film Body and Soul was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[14]
- The Oscar Micheaux Award for excellence was established.
- The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has an exhibition devoted to his works.[15][16]
The Czar of Black Hollywood
In 2014,
Works
Filmography
- The Homesteader (1919) [Lost]
- Within Our Gates (1920) [Survives]
- The Brute (1920) [Lost]
- The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920)[Survives (incomplete)]
- The Gunsaulus Mystery (1921) [Lost]
- The Dungeon (1922) [Lost]
- The Hypocrite(1922) [Lost]
- Uncle Jasper's Will (1922) [Lost]
- The Virgin of the Seminole (1922) [Lost]
- Deceit (1923) [Unknown]
- Birthright (1924) [Lost]
- A Son of Satan (1924) [Lost]
- Body and Soul (1925)[Survives]
- Marcus Garland (1925) [Lost]
- The Conjure Woman (1926), adapted from novel by Charles W. Chesnutt [Lost]
- The Devil's Disciple (1926) [Unknown]
- The Spider's Web (1926)[Lost]
- The Millionaire (1927)[Lost]
- The Broken Violin (1928)[Lost]
- The House Behind the Cedars (1927), adapted from novel by Charles W. Chesnutt [Lost]
- Thirty Years Later (1928) [Lost]
- When Men Betray (1929) [Lost]
- The Wages of Sin (1929) [Lost]
- Easy Street (1930) [Lost]
- A Daughter of the Congo (1930) [Lost]
- Darktown Revue (1931)[Survives]
- The Exile (1931)[Survives]
- Veiled Aristocrats (1932) [fragments; Survives (incomplete)]
- Ten Minutes to Live (1932)[Survives]
- Black Magic (1932)[Survives]
- The Girl from Chicago (1932)[Survives]
- Phantom of Kenwood (1933)[Survives]
- Harlem After Midnight (1934) [Lost]
- Murder in Harlem (1935)[Survives]
- Temptation (1935)[Survives]
- Underworld (1937)[Survives]
- God's Step Children (1938)[Survives]
- Swing! (1938)[Survives]
- Lying Lips (1939)[Survives]
- Birthright(1939)[Survives]
- The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940)[Survives]
- The Betrayal (1948) [Lost]
Books
- The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer. Lincoln, Nebraska: Woodruff Press. 1913. OCLC 254051406.
- The Forged Note. Lincoln, Nebraska: Western Book Supply Company. 1915. OCLC 2058028.
- The Homesteader: A Novel. Sioux City, Iowa: Western Book Supply Company. 1917. OCLC 10616358.
- The Wind from Nowhere. New York: Book Supply Company. 1941. OCLC 682477.
- The Case of Mrs. Wingate. New York: Book Supply Company. 1944. OCLC 5541463.
- The Story of Dorothy Stanfield. New York: Book Supply Company. 1946. OCLC 300792169.
- Masquerade, a Historical Novel. New York: Book Supply Company. 1947. OCLC 300739700.
See also
References
- ^ "The Lincoln Motion Picture Company a First for Black Cinema". African American Registry. May 24, 2005. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ISBN 9781584655060. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Betti Carol VanEpps-Taylor, Oscar Micheaux – A Biography: Dakota Homesteader, Author, Pioneer Film Maker, Dakota West, 1999.
- ^ "Patent Details - BLM GLO Records".
- ^ ""Oscar Micheaux biography", Bio". biography.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Micheaux, Oscar". Sioux City Public Museum. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781580461030. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "The Journal for MultiMedia History Volume 3~ 2000". Homestead to Lynch Mob: Portrayals of Black Masculinity. 2000. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c ""Oscar Micheaux' grave"". Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c John W. Ravage, "Micheaux, Oscar.", BlackPast, accessed December 14, 2010,
- ISBN 978-1-57392-963-9.
- ^ World Stamp News www.worldstampnews.com
- ^ Allen, Mike (February 21, 2011) "Taubman Museum reduces its annual rates", The Roanoke Times. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ Chow, Andrew R. (December 11, 2019). "See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks". Time. New York, NY. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Zimmerman, Eilene (October 20, 2021). "Capturing the Magic of Movies". The New York Times.
- ^ "Academy Museum surpasses the Oscars version of film history - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2021.
- ^ Paul Day II (December 24, 2014). "The Czar of Black Hollywood (2014)". IMDb. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Movies News Desk (February 12, 2014). "New Documentary Underway on America's First Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Little Known Black History Fact: Oscar Micheaux". Black America Web. February 13, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (April 30, 2014). "Black side of silver screen: Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux paved his own path to Hollywood". Washington Times. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (April 30, 2014). "Love of history spurred rap mogul Bayer L. Mack to make Micheaux documentary". The Washington Times. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Kelly, Kate (August 4, 2014). "New Documentary About Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Geggis, Anne (July 10, 2014). "Boca Black Film Festival aims to feature Florida's homegrown talent". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "The Black Monuments Project: Oscar Micheaux". Mic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Oscar Micheaux Historical Marker".
Further reading
- Bowser, Pearl; Gaines, Jane; Musser, Charles, eds. (2001). Oscar Micheaux and His Circle: African-American Filmmaking and Race Cinema of the Silent Era. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253339942.
- Green, Ronald J (2000). Straight Lick: The Cinema of Oscar Micheaux. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana UP. OCLC 237396790.
- JSTOR 3041692.
- Howard, John R. (2009). Faces in the Mirror: Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee. Fireside Publications. ISBN 9781935517511.
- Lupack, Barbara Tepa (2004), "Black Pioneer: Oscar Micheaux", in Mazur, Zygmunt; Utz, Richard (eds.), Homo narrans: texts and essays in honor of Jerome Klinkowitz, Cracow, Poland: Jagiellonian University Press, pp. 125–137, ISBN 9788323318965.
- Lupack, Barbara Tepa (2002). Literary Adaptations in Black American Cinema: From Micheaux to Morrison. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. ISBN 978-1-58046-103-0.
- McGilligan, Patrick (2007). Oscar Micheaux, the Great and Only: The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061982156.
- VanEpps-Taylor, Betti Carol (1999). Oscar Micheaux: Dakota Homesteader, Author, Pioneer Film Maker: a Biography. Rapid City, SD: Dakota West. OCLC 49260537.
- Yenser, Thomas (1933). Who's Who in Colored America: 1930-1931-1932. Brooklyn: T. Yenser. OCLC 26073112.
External links
- Works by Oscar Micheaux at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Oscar Micheaux at Internet Archive
- Works by Oscar Micheaux at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Oscar Micheaux at IMDb
- UC Berkeley: Moffitt Library: Media Resources Center: "Oscar Micheaux: A Bibliography of Materials in the UC Berkeley Library"
- J.D. Walker, Ph.D.: Oscar Micheaux: Pioneer Negro (Feature Film)
- Time: "Black Cinema: Micheaux Must Go On" (an article by Richard Corliss)
- "Within Our Gates (1920) – Oscar Micheaux Silent Film" on YouTube
- Stace England's channel on YouTube(features clips from some of Micheaux's films)
- Stace England & The Salt Kings (recorded an album of songs about Micheaux)
- United States Postal Service: Oscar Micheaux commemorative stamp (page archived at Internet Archive)