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A 3-Disc Box Set
These remarkable silent films are among the first examples of the unique and enduring contribution that Americans have made in the genres of gangster films, fantasy films, and animation art, as well as highlighting the works of early African American and women filmmakers.These timeless classics have been meticulously restored, given new scores and are being offered to the public for the first time on DVD.
The African American Cinema I - Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates is the earliest surviving feature directed by an African American. However, the startling film, unseen for 75 years, is far more than a historic curiosity, it is a passionate social history that confronts racism head on.
The African American Cinema II - The Scar of Shame is a rare surviving silent example of what the film industry once labeled "race movies": films with African American casts intended for African American audiences. Also included is an early experimental musical short documenting the team of Nobel Sissle (on vocals) and Eubie Blake (on piano).
Origins of American Animation - This collection of twenty-one complete films showcases the best of the Library of Congress' animated cartoons from the first decades of the Twentieth century, an era full of surprises and experimentation.
Origins of the Fantasy Feature - Two rare features from 1914 bring to the screen an imaginative freedom and comic verve rarely duplicated since. Novelist L. Frank Baum himself produced The Patchwork Girl of Oz and A Florida Enchantment is a wonderful gender-bending comedy of manners.
American's First Women Filmmakers - Before the consolidation of Hollywood's studio system, women were among the most prominent film directors in America. This program collects four complete works from the silent era's two most accomplished and successful women directors, Lois Weber and Alice Guy-Blache.
Origins of the Gangster FIlm - Long before the James Cagney/ Edward G. Robinson era, American directors and audiences were finding suspense and thrills in the gangster film. Includes Alias Jimmy Valentine from 1915 and D.W. Griffith's The Narrow Road starring Mary Pickford.
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