Hollywood Black: The Stars, the Films, the Filmmakers

This book offers a overview of the Black experience in film, spanning from the silent era to the present. It begins with White actors in blackface portraying Black characters, but also highlights the rise of independent African American filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux. The book follows the film industry’s transformations, including the advent of sound and the Great Depression. It delves into Blaxploitation, featuring movies like Shaft and Super Fly, and the emergence of stars like Cicely Tyson, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as directors Spike Lee and John Singleton. The book concludes with filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Ava Du Vernay, and Ryan Coogler; megastars like Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Morgan Freeman and others. Evocative photographs and stories of stars and filmmakers illuminate this often-overlooked history.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)