23 used & new from $4.90

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

The 50 Most Influential Black Films: A Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination, and Creativity

Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

The 50 Most Influential Black Films: A Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination, and Creativity (Paperback)

~ S. Torriano Berry (Author), Venise T. Berry (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.

9 new from $12.38 14 used from $4.90

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Calling All Indie Filmmakers! Why Wait to Start Selling Your Film? Through CreateSpace, make your film available for sale on-demand through Amazon.com and other channels in DVD and video download formats. No setup fees and no inventory needed. Learn more about selling your video content through CreateSpace.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Black Lenses, Black Voices: African American Film Now (Genre and Beyond)

by Mark Reid

$22.95

Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema

by George Alexander

4.2 out of 5 stars (5)

Black Film As a Signifying Practice: Cinema, Narration and the African American Aesthetic Tradition

by Gladstone Lloyd Yearwood

4.5 out of 5 stars (2) $21.95

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films

by Donald Bogle

4.6 out of 5 stars (14) $26.60

Harlem Double Feature: Paradise in Harlem (1939) / Burlesque in Harlem (1949)

DVD ~ Mamie Smith,Pigmeat Markham Lucky Millinder

4.0 out of 5 stars (3) $7.98

› Explore similar items

Product Details

Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Citadel; illustrated edition edition (November 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0806521333
ISBN-13: 978-0806521336
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #988,142 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Torriano Berry Page

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	81% buy the item featured on this page: The 50 Most Influential Black Films: A Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination, and Creativity 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
	15% buy Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)
	3% buy Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) $26.60

Explore similar items

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Conversation Starter, January 13, 2002

By	Ibochild (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great idea for a book. With roughly a century of black film history, it's about time that somebody documented it in terms of quality and relative importance.

The book starts with a discussion of the Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries heavyweight fight film. The U.S. Congress was apparently so threatened by the sight of Johnson beating up a white man, that they banned all film fights from interstate distribution.

This sets the stage so to speak of the book's discussion of fifty films which it deems important. Rather than rank them numerically, the book groups the films by decade (except for silent films which are grouped together). It begins with THE RAILROAD PORTER (1912) and ends with THE BEST MAN (1999). Also included is a special section on influential independent films.

Invariably in a book like this, there will be disagreement about the selection of films (for example, only three films from the 1950s are included as opposed to a whopping eleven in the 1990s). However, for every time that you scratch your head wondering why a certain film was included (or excluded), there'll be another film that you'll totally agree with the selection. This is the real fun of the book.

This book gives the black film fan ample fuel to promote discussions for hours about the merits of a particular film. Also included are interviews with key participants in several of the films. Some are very informative, some are down right amusing. One in particular is director Euzhan Palcy's interview regarding the making of A DRY WHITE SEASON. In it she talks about working with Marlon Brando (who received an Oscar nomination for his performance). You might be quite surprised by what she says about him.

Because it covers partically the entire span of film history, it's a great introduction for those who know little of black film prior to the 1970s. A wide variety of genres are covered from musicals to historical dramas. The book also provides a mix of commercial films and little seen independent ones. For most people, the book will remind you of some films and make you aware of new ones.

At just 312 pages, the book is a quick read. Unless you're a film scholar, you're bound to discover a wealth of information about a number of films. For the serious film buff, the entries might be too brief.

However, the regular movie goer should be right at home with this book. You'll find it written in plain English, free of technical jargon. If you have a party and things are getting a bit dull, put this book on the coffee table and see if things suddenly perk up.

The only way to find out is to get the book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!, June 3, 2003

By A Customer

Great information presented in an entertaining manner. All about black films -- it answered questions I didn't even know I had.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 2 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }