A Century of Black Cinema Part 1
It took a long time for African-Americans to get equal treatment in Hollywood. Actors were given patronising parts, audiences suffered stereotypical role models and American cinema lost out on a lot of talent.
After the deeply offensive portrayal of black people in The Birth of a Nation (1915), race movies sprung up in segregated cinemas across the country. These films featured all-black casts and were created specifically for African-Americans. Whilst low-budget imitations of Hollywood productions, they gave the audience an opportunity to see other black Americans in heroic roles.
