Black Film/White Money (Paperback)

by Jesse Algeron Rhines (Author) "Distribution has dominated the Hollywood production-distribution- exhibition cycle since the industry was broken up by the Paramount Consent Decree..." (more)
Key Phrases: black urban underclass, black filmmakers, feature film industry, African American, New York, New Line (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In sober, almost fatigued prose, Rhines, a professor of political economy in the African American and African studies department at Rutgers's Newark campus, traces the roles that African Americans have played-or not played-in all aspects of the movies from 1895 to the present. Rhines efficiently covers an impressive breadth of subjects through considerable original research. He relates an entire troubled history of blacks in cinema from Edison's experiments, silent movies such as The Birth of a Nation and a response to it, Birth of a Race, to Depression and WWII era films, to blaxploitation movies of the '70s such as Shaft and the "gangsta" blockbusters of the '80s and early '90s such as Boyz N the Hood. But Rhines also discusses Hollywood's discriminatory employment practices, the special concerns of black female filmmakers, Spike Lee's failure as a "responsible social critic" and how film distribution "is the greatest obstacle to broad-based success for African American feature filmmakers, film crews, and film cast members." Rhines consistently treats "art" as a product in a "system of economic relations that pits one group against another in the interest of singular economic gain." Neither humanism nor aesthetic experimentation is enough to counteract this colossal problem, he says. Despite this pessimism and his implication that the "system" has a life of its own, Rhines still encourages members of the "black urban underclass" to choose moviemaking as a career. Forty-seven b&w illustrations.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In this portrait of their historic and present day contributions, Rhines explores the roles African American men and women have played in the motion picture business from 1915 to 1996. He illuminates his discussion by linking the history of early black filmmakers to the current success of African American filmmakers, and examines how African Americans have been affected by changes that have taken place in the industry as a whole. It focuses on the crucial role of distribution companies, the difficulty of raising money for production, the compromises that directors and writers must make to get funding, and the effect of negative, sensationalistic images on the black community. Well-known directors such as Spike Lee, Reginald Hudlin, and Grace Blake are interviewed - allowing Rhines to provide an inside look at how deal making does - or does not - work. Rhines surveys significant eras in film history and their impact on African Americans, from the silent era and the impact of "The Birth of a Nation", through the emergence of the black-owned "Lincoln Motion Picture Company", and the latter introduction of sound, to the postwar era, the antitrust suit against Paramount Pictures, the introduction of television and Blaxploitation movies that won audiences back. The story is brought up-to-date with present day blockbusters and the success of Spike Lee - who began as an independent and became a force in the industry, and others who hope to follow in Lee's footsteps. Rhines, who has worked behind the camera himself, reflects on independent filmmaking, the risks of both failure and success, and his hope for positive change in the African American community if more African filmmakers can come to the forefront of the business.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; First Edition edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813522676
• ISBN-13: 978-0813522678
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #900,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars informative and smart, June 13, 1998

By A Customer

This book chronicles the evolution of Black Film and Black people in films from the racist depiction of Blacks in Griffith's Birth of a Nation through the Black Diaspora to Spike Lee.

A great read

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding research, March 5, 1999

By	David J. Bondelevitch "bondelev" (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Film/White Money (Hardcover)

This is an extremely well researched book regarding the African-American film industry, which is a very neglected area of the business. I highly recommend it.