A poster for Oscar Micheaux’s 1939 drama “Lying Lips” starring Edna... (n.d.). Getty Images. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/poster-for-oscar-micheauxs-1939-drama-lying-lips-starring-news-photo/531646959
Image of Micheaux's original movie poster for the 1939 movie Lying Lips.
Bernstein, M. (2004). Oscar Micheaux and Leo Frank: Cinematic justice across the color line. Film Quarterly, 57(4), 8-21. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2004.57.4.8
The article shares how Micheaux drew inspiration for his fictional drama films from both his personal and true life events. It details how much reality influenced his films and how he would lift those narratives into his film. He would create a derivative of the stories he knew.
Black Heritage Stamp Series: Oscar Micheaux. 2010. Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers. The University of North Florida. Thomas G. Carpenter Library. Special Collections and Archives. UNF Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/hurst_stamps/34
Hurst gives detail on the process of getting the USPS stamp of the filmmaker issued and provides a brief biography of Micheaux on his life and career. It also provides information on the artist who designs the stamp and his inspiration to create it.
Body And Soul 1925 silent film. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A9alUp1pa8
The full-length 1925 silent film Body and Soul feature the first film appearance of Paul Robenson.
Cripps T. (1993). Slow fade to black: the negro in American film 1900-1942. Oxford University Press.
The book analyzes the pivotal moments in black cinema from the early 20th century. How black filmmakers progressed despite discrimination and alienation from the mainstream Hollywood scene. Following the release of D.W. Griffins Birth of Nation, the desire to subvert the negative serotypes of the black community became a paramount issue for black creatives.
Flory, D. (2005). Race, rationality, and melodrama: Aesthetic response and the case of oscar Micheaux. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 63(4), 327-338. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8529.2005.00215.
Flory evaluates the research of Stanley Cavell's work on Black Cinema and the quest for agency and autonomy in film narratives. The culture also used racial pseudoscience as means to rationalize the treatment & portrayal of minorities and how it extends in the white film industry. How Oscar Micheaux and use the utilization of the melodrama genre is discussed.
God’s Stepchildren (1938) | Full Movie | Oscar Micheaux, Jacqueline Lewis, Ethel Moses. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcGX0UqhTyk
The restored and complete silent film of the 1939 God's Stepchildren.
Gray, T., & Gray, T. (2020, October 23). Tyler Perry’s Role Model: Pioneering Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. Variety. https://variety.com/2020/film/features/tyler-perry-role-model-oscar-micheaux-1234813511/
Variety covers the future plans of filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry and his desire to create and star in a biopic on Oscar Michaux's life and work as an independent filmmaker. He details how much Micheaux inspired him and influenced his career.
Gustafsson, T. (2008). The visual re-creation of black people in a "white" country: Oscar Micheaux and Swedish film culture in the 1920s. Cinema Journal, 47(4), 30-49. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.0.0022
Gustafsson discusses how Micheaux reached international success in Europe. when three of Micheaux's films received international distribution rights. The article further examines Sweden's censorship laws and its silent film culture.
Hooks, B. (1991). Micheaux: Celebrating Blackness. Black American Literature Forum, 25(2), 351–360. https://doi.org/10.2307/3041692
Feminist scholar bell hooks examine and discuss how Micheaux presented his own brand of blackness and representation in his film. How gender roles, interracial relations, and black masculinity and gender archetypes in his films.
J. Ronald Green. With a Crooked Stick. Indiana University Press, 2004.
With a Crooked Stick (being shrewd) he hit a lick (became successful). Green chronicles Micheaux's personal life and each milestone he has reached in his career, Green provides an in-depth analysis of 15 of his surviving films.
11. Krin Gabbard. Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture. New, Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Gabbard delves into how White Hollywood portrayed the black community through film and the tropes/stereotypes portrayed in the media. He also highlights the work of black filmmakers and their desire to control the narrative of how they are portrayed. He uses extensive examples of movies that reflect negative tropes.
Lying Lips (1939) - Oscar Micheaux Film. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://youtu.be/82lT_aQyUP
The full feature film of of Micheaux's 1939 Lying Lips. It features an early film role of Robert Earl Jones, the father of actor James Earl Jones.
McGilligan, P. (2009). Oscar Micheaux : the Great and Only : The Life of America’s First Black Filmmaker. HarperCollins e-books
The biography delves into the life of Micheaux and how he broke barriers in the industry. It also evaluates his noteworthy films and people critiques to them. How he was able to create his own filmmaking company and his influence to modern black filmmaking.
Micheaux, O., Micheaux, O., Bishop, A., Moses, E., & Tucker, L. (1935, January 1). Temptation. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027082/
The original movie poster for Temptation and production and acting information.
Murder In Harlem (1935). (n.d.). Letterboxd.com. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://letterboxd.com/film/murder-in-harlem/
Murder in Harlem original poster and reviews of the film.
Murguia, Salvador. The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films. Lanham, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018
A comprehensive encyclopedia of films, genres, and actors who are connected, impacted by racism in media.
National Archives NextGen Catalog. (n.d.). Catalog.archives.gov. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7722811
Information on the burial grounds of Oscar Micheaux's headstone.
Oscar Micheaux. (n.d.). AZQuotes.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022, from AZQuotes.com Web site: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/771131
A quote by Micheaux on representation in the media.
Oscar Micheaux Committee - Books. (n.d.). Oscar Micheaux Committee. https://www.micheaux.org/books/
A complete list of all Micheaux's published books and a list of books written about him.
Oscar Micheaux (Short Film). (n.d.). Vimeo.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://vimeo.com/39249759
A short film dramatization of Micheaux's early begins as a filmmaker and start of his independent production company.
Oscar Micheaux. (n.d.). Www.tcm.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/131052%7C119611/Oscar-Micheaux#filmography
A comprehensive list of films that Micheaux has directed and written.
Oscar Micheaux: The First Black Indie Filmmaker. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHRBK3Q23Ek
Evaluates how Micheaux transformed the independent filmmaking industry and how he was intent on showcasing black talent. It examines how his start began with his semi-autobiographical story, Homesteader and would span Micheaux was able to create over 30 films spanning three decades.
"Photos of Oscar Micheaux - Find a Grave Memorial.” Www.findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com/memorial/2540/oscar-micheaux/photo. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
Information and pictures of Micheaux's headstone.
SelfScience. (n.d.-b). The Gunsaulus Mystery (1921) [Lost Film]. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.daaracarchive.org/2016/10/the-gunsaulus-mystery-1921-lost-film.html
Information on the production, cast, and synopsis of the previously lost film.
Smith V. (1997). Representing blackness: issues in film and video. Rutgers University Press.
Smith complies An collection of essay's with contributions of black scholars and the impact of media and its perception of black people.
The Film Detective. (2021). Within Our Gates (1920) | Full Movie | Oscar Micheaux, Evelyn Preer. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMIO121kLNY
The complete film of the film 1920 Within of Our Gates.
The Millionaire (1927) | DREAM13Media. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2022, from https://media.dream13.com/the-millionaire-1927/
Production information of the movie, cast listing, and synopsis of the film listed.
Trenholm, R. (n.d.). Black History Month: A century before Spike Lee, Oscar Micheaux defied Hollywood to make the first all-black feature film. CNET. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/black-history-month-2021-how-oscar-micheaux-defied-hollywood-to-make-the-homesteader/
Trenholm attributes the contemporary milestones of black cinema to the works of Oscar Micheaux and his determination to share his work with people. He details the journey that it took for Micheaux to create his first feature length silent film, The Homesteader. The article also discuss how his personal life influenced the book and subsequent film.
Tyler Perry to star as Oscar Micheaux in HBO Biopic. (n.d.). Tyler Perry. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://tylerperry.com/tyler-perry-to-star-as-oscar-michaeux-in-hbo-biop
The article announces the proposed HBO Biopic that will be produced and starred by famed filmmaker Tyler Perry. It is his way of honoring the pioneering filmmaker.
Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, August 24). Swing (1938 film). Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%281938_film%29#/media/File:Swing_poster.jpg
A Jpeg image of the 1938 film poster of Micheaux''s film.
Within Our Gates. (n.d.). Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs00046435/
Within Our Gates is one of Micheaux's films that has been added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It also is under the alternate title La Negra, as the addition is a copy of the film originally found in Spain. The Mavis Identifier is 46435.
G.R. Little Library
Elizabeth City State University
