In honor of Black History Month, Time has compiled a list of 25 influential movies starring, about, and/or for African Americans since Paul Robeson made his first silent films in the 1920s. I say "list," but it's really an article; Time offers a thoughtful (and at times nicely sarcastic) look at the films and actors in their historical and cinematic context.

As the article points out, in a day when Morgan Freeman plays God and Will Smith beats George Clooney as a box-office draw, times have improved. Hollywood has come a long way since setting Lena Horne's performances as vignettes that could be excised for screenings in all-white communities. (No wonder she gave up on the business.)

So here are a few of the titles (i.e., movies starring women) I found interesting. Some I've seen, some I need to.

Imitation of Life (1934)

At the heart of this adaptation of a Fannie Hurst novel is the conflict between Delilah (Louise Beavers), a maid and single mother, and her light-skinned daughter Peola (Fredi Washington). Finding she can pass for white, Peola decides to leave her family to live as a white woman, telling her darker-skinned mother, "Even if you pass me on the street, you'll have to pass me by." When Delilah dies, presumably of a broken heart, Peola is overcome with guilt.

The moral dilemma of passing to achieve social success but leaving behind one's family is its own subgenre in literature of that time, and the movie was one of the first films to offer a (somewhat) sympathetic view of a protagonist stuck between family and a whitewashed American dream.

Gone With the Wind (1939)

I was a little surprised to see this one on the list, given the subject matter (former slave-owners and the former slaves who love them). But it makes sense that Hattie McDaniel made the list for her role as Mammy, “the movie's moral center and the stern arbiter of Scarlett's strategies and whims.” … continue reading

This week on the set of Baz Luhrmann's new period drama, Australia, co-star Bill Hunter offered AfterEllen Hottie No. 94 Nicole Kidman a friendly hand. Australian papers couldn't help but caption this (and clearly, nor can I):

Northern Territory News: "Nicole Earns a Territory Handshake"
Daily Telegraph: "Nicole's Bum Steer in Outback"
Me: "Nicole's Helping Hand Down Under"

We can anticipate a big-screen tweaking of Kidman's bum when Australia opens in 2008. Set during WWII, this scene from the movie is designed to show the difficulties that her character, Lady Sarah Ashley, faces in a male-dominated world. (Gee, I wonder what that's like?) … continue reading