Silent Era : Home Video Reviews

Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > Pioneers of African-American Cinema

Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

Pioneers of
African-American
Cinema
(1915-1946)

Contents [Blu-ray Disc edition]: Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915), Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918), A Reckless Rover (1918), Screen Snapshots (1920) [excerpt], The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920), Within Our Gates (1920), By Right of Birth (1921) [excerpt], Regeneration (1923) [excerpt], Body and Soul (1925), The Flying Ace (1926), Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926), The Scar of Shame (1927), [Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies] (1924-1928), Eleven P.M. (1928), [Zora Neale Hurston’s Fieldwork Footage] (1928), Hell-Bound Train (circa 1930), The Darktown Revue (1931), The Exile (1931), Hot Biskits (1931), The Girl from Chicago (1932), Ten Minutes to Live (1932), [Veiled Aristocrats Trailer] (1932), Veiled Aristocrats (1932), Verdict: Not Guilty (circa 1933), Heaven-Bound Travelers (circa 1935), We Work Again (1937), [Birthright Trailer] (1938), Birthright (1938), The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, May 1940 [excerpt] (1940), The Blood of Jesus (1941), Dirty Gertie from Harlem, U.S.A. (1946), [The Moses Sisters Interview] (circa 1978) and Tyler Texas Black Film Collection (1985).

This collection includes many films that are making their debut on home video, and several films that have been previously released in inferior home video editions or long out-of-print editions.

Kino Classics
2016 Blu-ray Disc edition

Pioneers of African-American Cinema (1915-1946), black & white and color, 1266 minutes total. not rated, including Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated, Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918), black & white, 12 minutes, not rated, A Reckless Rover (1918), black & white, 14 minutes, not rated, Screen Snapshots (1920) [excerpt], black & white, 1 minute, not rated, The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920), black & white, 59 minutes, not rated, Within Our Gates (1920), black & white, 79 minutes, not rated, By Right of Birth (1921) [excerpt], black & white, 4 minutes, not rated, Regeneration (1923) [excerpt], black & white, 11 minutes, not rated, Body and Soul (1925), black & white, 93 minutes, not rated, The Flying Ace (1926), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated, Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926), black & white, 64 minutes, not rated, The Scar of Shame (1927), black & white, 86 minutes, not rated, [Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies] (1924-1928), black & white, 16 minutes, not rated, Eleven P.M. (1928), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated, [Zora Neale Hurston’s Fieldwork Footage] (1928), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, Hell-Bound Train (circa 1930), black & white, 50 minutes, not rated, The Darktown Revue (1931), black & white, 18 minutes, not rated, The Exile (1931), black & white, 78 minutes, not rated, Hot Biskits (1931), black & white, 10 minutes, not rated, The Girl from Chicago (1932), black & whits, 70 minutes, not rated, Ten Minutes to Live (1932), black & white, 58 minutes, not rated, [Veiled Aristocrats Trailer] (1932), black & white, 4 minutes, not rated, Veiled Aristocrats (1932), black & white, 44 minutes, not rated, Verdict: Not Guilty (circa 1933), black & white, 8 minutes, not rated, Heaven-Bound Travelers (circa 1935), black & white, 15 minutes, not rated, We Work Again (1937), black & white, 15 minutes, not rated, [Birthright Trailer] (1938), black & white, 3 minutes. not rated, Birthright (1938), black & white, 73 minutes. not rated, The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), black & white, 58 minutes, not rated, Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, May 1940 [excerpt] (1940), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, The Blood of Jesus (1941), black & white, 56 minutes, not rated, Dirty Gertie from Harlem, U.S.A. (1946), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated, [The Moses Sisters Interview] (circa 1978), color, 33 minutes, not rated, Tyler Texas Black Film Collection (1985), color, 6 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K20601, UPC 7-38329-20601-7.
Five single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive? scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Mbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; one cardboard wrap with three plastic BD trays in cardboard slipcase; $99.95.
Release date: 26 July 2016.
Country of origin: USA

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered in high-definition from a combination of 35mm prints and 16mm reduction prints from the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, George Eastman Museum, British Film Institute, UCLA Film and Television Archive, the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Southern Methodist University.

The silent films are accompanied by music scores by Donald Sosin, The Alloy Orchestra, Paul D. Miller, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Makia Matsumura, Rob Gal and Max Roach.

The collection is supplemented with an 80-page booklet that includes notes on the films and essays by collection curators Charles Musser and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Kino Classics
2016 DVD edition

Pioneers of African-American Cinema (1915-1946), black & white and color, 952 minutes total. not rated, including Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated, A Reckless Rover (1918), black & white, 14 minutes, not rated, Screen Snapshots (1920) [excerpt], black & white, 1 minute, not rated, The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920), black & white, 59 minutes, not rated, Within Our Gates (1920), black & white, 79 minutes, not rated, By Right of Birth (1921) [excerpt], black & white, 4 minutes, not rated, Regeneration (1923) [excerpt], black & white, 11 minutes, not rated, Body and Soul (1925), black & white, 93 minutes, not rated, The Flying Ace (1926), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated, Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926), black & white, 64 minutes, not rated, The Scar of Shame (1927), black & white, 86 minutes, not rated, [Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies] (1924-1928), black & white, 16 minutes, not rated, Eleven P.M. (1928), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated,Hell-Bound Train (circa 1930), black & white, 50 minutes, not rated, The Darktown Revue (1931), black & white, 18 minutes, not rated, The Exile (1931), black & white, 78 minutes, not rated, Hot Biskits (1931), black & white, 10 minutes, not rated, The Girl from Chicago (1932), black & whits, 70 minutes, not rated, Ten Minutes to Live (1932), black & white, 58 minutes, not rated, [Veiled Aristocrats Trailer] (1932), black & white, 4 minutes, not rated, Veiled Aristocrats (1932), black & white, 44 minutes, not rated, Verdict: Not Guilty (circa 1933), black & white, 8 minutes, not rated, [Birthright Trailer] (1938), black & white, 3 minutes. not rated, Birthright (1938), black & white, 73 minutes. not rated, The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), black & white, 58 minutes, not rated, Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, May 1940 [excerpt] (1940), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, The Blood of Jesus (1941), black & white, 56 minutes, not rated, Dirty Gertie from Harlem, U.S.A. (1946), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated, [The Moses Sisters Interview] (circa 1978), color, 33 minutes, not rated, Tyler Texas Black Film Collection (1985), color, 6 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K20600, UPC 7-38329-20600-0.
Five single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; one cardboard wrap with three plastic DVD trays in cardboard slipcase, $79.95.
Release date: 26 July 2016.
Country of origin: USA

This abbreviated DVD collection has been mastered in high-definition from a combination of 35mm prints, 16mm reduction prints from the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, George Eastman Museum, British Film Institute, UCLA Film and Television Archive, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Southern Methodist University.

The silent films are accompanied by music scores by Donald Sosin, The Alloy Orchestra, Paul D. Miller, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Makia Matsumura, Rob Gal and Max Roach.

The collection is supplemented with an 80-page booklet that includes notes on the films and essays by collection curators Charles Musser and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.