Black Urban Action Films and Mainstream Images
The creative, pioneering efforts of Van Peebles, Parks, Davis, and Poitier were not just transitory occurrences that had no impact on the Hollywood scene. It wasn't that Hollywood was contritely endeavoring to make reparations for its legacy of African American screen images, nor was there a particular era of egalitarianism that white studio bosses were opening up for black filmmakers. By the early 1970s, it became a clear business strategy that black screen images offered a means for tapping...
Hugh A Robertson
My goal has always been to be a director. I decided to hold out, to use my reputation as an editor as a kind of lure. I sold things for my independence That way I could say no to editing jobs and still eat.21 Hugh A. Robertson If one particular technical position were chosen as the best preparation for directing a film, it would be that of the film editor. Besides the physical organizing of a film's sequences, the editor must have a creative appreciation for the potential of the film, as well...
Fred Williamson
I wanted to make something dynamic in Hollywood, something true to myself, not just get a part and become an actor. So I started writing my own films and raising my own money. From 1970 to about 1976, the Black actor being the winner, being the hero was happening.15 Fred Williamson Fred Williamson brought two important things to black filmmaking in the i97os a large, indestructible ego and entrepreneurship. With this combination Williamson stands out for his contribution to the international...
Jamaa Fanaka
I did everything they said it takes to make it in the film industry. . . . They said you're sic got to have a hot film. I had three successful films. They said you need critical acclaim. I got rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the NewYork Post. What do you do next 15 Jamaa Fanaka One of the more colorful and controversial personalities within the directing arena during the 1980s and 1990s, Jamaa Fanaka received perhaps...
Gilbert Moses 1
I feel like I'm a popularist. I take social conventions and turn them into art, popularize culture, give it a sense of proportion.33 Gilbert Moses A successful stage and television director who died too early at the age of fifty-two, Gilbert Moses etched his name in the collection of respected black directors who could carry a project successfully through to fruition. Born in 1943, Moses grew up in a Cleveland ghetto, but he began acting at the age of nine, which perhaps ignited his love for...
Raymond St Jacques
I think it is my duty to make the Black masses more discerning about films. I believe you can make entertaining films that are also enlightening.40 Born James Arthur Johnson in Hartford, Connecticut, Raymond St. Jacques was raised in New Haven during his high school years. Unable to afford college, he went into the air force for four years, but eventually he attended Yale University.41 He began a career as an actor at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut, and appeared in...
Ron ONeal
When I was a child in the ghetto, I had no confidence or pride because nobody ever told me who I was or what I could do. Now . . . Black kids still have next to no self-image. . I'm hoping that the most inspiration will come from our success as filmmakers.29 Ron O'Neal Having received acclaim for his stage acting, and for his signature role as Priest in the immensely popular Super Fly, Ron O'Neal was bound to draw attention to the first feature he directed. That movie, Super Fly T.N.T. 1973 ,...
Stan Lathan
I was directing theater in Boston and working at WGB H , a public station. The station decided they needed a black director because they expected there would be rebellions that summer. We quickly put together a magazine show called Say Brother which gave a lot of African Americans their first shot at producing and directing.13 Stan Lathan A significant creative presence in television since the late 1960s, Stan Lathan completed two feature films in the 1970s and 1980s that highlighted black...
Melvin Van Peebles
One of the reasons I originally wanted to make films was that I got tired of what they Hollywood filmmakers were doing. I knew I could do better. At least, I knew it wouldn't be hard to do better than that. It took me ten years to get a chance to do it their way, and what I discovered at Columbia Pictures is that their way gets in my way. I just did my best and got on with my own independent career.12 Melvin Van Peebles It may be difficult to measure the extent to which Melvin Van Peebles...
Berry Gordy Jr
It Mahogany was one of the great thrills of my life when Isaid action to begin the first scene I ever directed, everything and everybody started moving. I'd been chairman of the board but never had the feeling of such power. It was incredible.1 Berry Gordy Jr. Berry Gordy Jr.'s fame as a record mogul and music producer was well established by the early 1970s. He had spearheaded a remarkable business accomplishment by taking unknown talents and honing them into a self-contained empire that...