Within Our Gates (1920) **

Yes, there were actually early films that depicted African Americans in roles other than that of mammy, maid, slave, or Mr. Bojangles.
This 1920 Oscar Micheaux silent is one of the most respected films in African American cinematic history. The film follows the trials of Sylvia, a southern African American educator who travels north to raise funds for her school.

This film was written, directed, and produced by an African American, Micheaux. The cast is comprised mostly of African Americans. A lot of the characters have professional careers, in fields such as medicine, education, and engineering.

In addition, there are story developments in this film that you would never have seen in the mainstream industry at the time. For example, there is a philanthropic white woman who wants to donate money to Sylvia's school, but is talked out of it by another white woman, who warns her of the dangers of educating blacks. Instead she wants her friend to donate her money to an Uncle Tom-like preacher who isn't exactly a promoter of the betterment of his race. There is also a scene in the movie where it is revealed that Sylvia is the daughter of a white man (who was in the process of attempting to rape her when he realized who she was) and another where a lynching takes place. As if this weren't enough, the film also explores the complicated dynamics of the African American community, with a dichotomy between the stereotypical black criminal and the law-abiding members of the African American community.

This film is revolutionary. You will not see many like it in the mainstream productions of the period. A must see.

Way Down East (1920) **

Another title for this 1920 D.W. Griffith silent could be: When Bad Things Happen to Good Girls.

Lillian Gish plays a very gullible New Englander who comes under the spell of a Bostonian cad named Sanderson. In one of the more inventive ways of getting a virgin into bed, Sanderson gets Gish to elope with him and sets up a bogus wedding ceremony. With "some details" to work out, he sends her back home to her mother, where she soon learns she's with child. Does this sound like a soap opera, yet? When she contacts her "husband" with the good news she is promptly dealt the unsavory truth. This sets off a series of unfortunate events, such as her mother's death, the baby's death, and her homelessness. With a good bit of cinematic luck, she soon finds herself working at the Bartlett farm, where she meets and falls in love with the farmer's son, played by Richard Barthelmess. But Gish's secret shame isn't ever far away, nor is Sanderson, who conveniently lives close by. The truth is revealed and finally the best part of this entire film happens: the icy river scene.

Despondent after being turned out by the Bartletts, Gish sets off in a snowstorm and manages to get herself trapped on a piece of ice floating down a rushing river. In one of the most exciting action sequences in silent film history, Barthelmess maneuvers along the broken ice in a race against time and a plunging waterfall. At the very last possible moment he rescues her. After she recovers from frostbite and all around stupidity, all if forgiven and they wed.

I did not find the story itself all that compelling. This is Victorian melodrama at its height. However, the frozen river sequence makes the film worth watching. The editing of this scene alone is something to be marveled at--especially for 1920.