It’s Black History Month means more than just celebrating the business and social gains of African-Americans, it also means nodding to successes that have paved the way on the big screen.
Movies have also depicted Americana with warts and all, and especially has that been the case when it comes to American filmmaking.
Black History Month Movies: 6 Films On Youtube That You Need To Watch
For Black History Month, here are nine movies on Youtube that you need to watch:
1. Black Girl (1972)
Directed by directed by Ossie Davis, the film Black Girl explores black women and their journey to adulthood balancing tropes from larger society and their own people.
2. The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman (1971)
Featuring Cicely Tyson, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman tells of the struggles of a black slave girl in the American South.
The film was based on a 1971 novel by Ernest J. Gaines.
3. Drum (1976)
The movie Drum was a sequel to Mandingo, which was part of a series of slavery films where the slave endures ungodly tortures but turns the tables at the end.
The film stars boxer Ken Norton as a mulatto slave. Joining him are Warren Oates and Pam Grier.
4. Freedom (2015)
Cuba Gooding Jr. stars in Freedom, a movie set in 1856 about a runaway slave who happens upon the Underground Railroad.
5. Stompin At The Savoy (1992)
Laid flush against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance, this period piece explores the independence of the successful black woman and the struggles.
The movie, shot in New York City, features Pauline (Vanessa Williams), Esther (Lynn Whitfield) and Alice (Jasmine Guy).
6. Goodbye Uncle Tom
Released in 1971, this Italian film Goodbye Uncle Tom captures unvarnished the cruelties of slavery in the antebellum South. Shocking for its time, it pulls the veil on what slave life was like and shows how Europeans regarded them.
The film was filmed largedly in Haiti and its strongman and the time, Papa Doc Duvalier, gave the Italian filmmakers unfettered access.
7. Within Our Gates (1919) | Silent Film Directed by Oscar Micheaux
8. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1979)
The movie shows Maya’s evolution from being raised by her grandmother, raped and becoming an acclaimed singer. The film stars Diahann Carroll.
9. Their Eyes Were Watching God (2006)
This movie is taken from an adaptation of the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The a canon book of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
Atlanta has become a movie mecca in recent years and Georgia has been a favorite location for TV productions since the state instituted generous tax breaks for film companies that agree to shoot locally. Projects from CBS, NBC, HBO, BET and more are slated to shoot in the metro area in 2018-19 and the foreseeable future.
