The Color Line (2016)
*** (out of 4)
This five-minute featurette has film historian Charles Musser talking about the "color line" and where exactly it was drawn. The race films included in Kino's Pioneers of African-American Cinema are discussed and the historian goes into great detail about how race and color were used in these films. This includes black characters who hate that they are black. Or light-skinned characters who play important parts in these films. There are also some great discussions on people who believe that race films should only be directed by black directors. There are a lot of interesting bits brought up in this piece. This is certainly an entertaining short but one wishes it was a tad bit longer.
*** (out of 4)
This five-minute featurette has film historian Charles Musser talking about the "color line" and where exactly it was drawn. The race films included in Kino's Pioneers of African-American Cinema are discussed and the historian goes into great detail about how race and color were used in these films. This includes black characters who hate that they are black. Or light-skinned characters who play important parts in these films. There are also some great discussions on people who believe that race films should only be directed by black directors. There are a lot of interesting bits brought up in this piece. This is certainly an entertaining short but one wishes it was a tad bit longer.