Oscar Micheaux’s three surviving films, Within our Gates, The Symbol of the Unconquered, and Body and Soul starkly contrast his pieces of sound work from the early 1930’s on. His silence films represent a “race melodrama” that attempts to tackle the recognition of blood as part of the narrative. While films like Within Our Gates gravitate away from the blatant oppression of black people to a newer opportunity-based narrative, there still remains relics of the concept of melos, or being wronged by one’s own. Overall, there was a shift from sentimentality and an emphasis on feelings in the race melodrama to one of respectability, thus revealing the legacy of the slave story which spurred American race melodrama. This idea can be seen through comparisons between D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation and Micheaux’s Within our Gates.
The Birth of a Nation has been examined in many lights, from feminist film theory to psychoanalysis, but it is often overlooked for its place as the first feature film melodrama to be done on such a large scale. Much of the power that is derived from the melodrama stems from the rhetoric produced by cinematography and the effect it has on the audience. The film employed a composite musical score, one created from existing instead of original music, and while it was wholly overlooked in critical reviews, it had a huge impact on creating the emotional effect of the melodrama. Micheaux’s film was the only response to the Birth of a Nation that demonstrated the true nature of the white mob and did so through dynamic cinematography. Micheaux’s work has been deemed particularly valuable because not only does it help to dispel negative perspectives of black people, but it also offers alternative narratives
Many race melodramas examine the reunification of displaced families, a common occurrence in the existence of slaves, but in doing so, they bring to light the trouble that lies within families and how narratives centered around that can prove to be more outraging and emotive because it is worse to be wronged by a loved one rather than a stranger. Mixed race marriages and children help bring to light common archetypes in melodramas: the “irrevocable deed” and the “permanent stain”
Another huge shift that occurred from the traditional Victorian melodrama to the race melodrama is the removal of the figure of “pity” who elicits a call to action from the audience; instead there is a call for community or personal change. Micheaux employed flashback as a way to dispel the victim character by creating distance between the worst fears and their dreams, and accomplish his goal of a more positive, respectable character and narrative.
Rather than blatantly criticizing white society, Micheaux presents his lamentations through negative white figures to show what undesirable products have come out of this society. The scoundrels of these films are used to deter the upright character who is at risk for succumbing to temptation and is someone who others depend on in the narrative. Micheaux’s work attempts to highlight the progress of his people against the adverse doings of those who want to bring the race down.
Overall, the author highlights Micheaux’s distinct film qualities that highlight the nuances of the race melodrama by putting it in the context of a concurrent melodrama, The Birth of a Nation, and how these distinct characteristics helped to provide a new, more positive perspective on the slave narrative in film.
Great synopsis. This question about how Micheaux worked with, adapted, and rejected stylistic features from “mainstream” film is fascinating, and the source of a lot of contention. Melodrama in particular is a fascinating genre, because its features are so pronounced. When people first started looking at Micheaux films again, there was a prevailing view that Micheaux’s storytelling was “crude” because he didn’t adopt some of the same formal features of filmmaking. But more recently, people have begun to talk about the way that Micheaux has purposely adapted and played with filmic conventions to make something totally new and different.
This is a really useful summary of Micheaux’s film qualities and how they differed from previous melodrama. I really enjoyed watching “Within Our Gates” last week; it was so different from other films I have seen, so it would have been great to have some more of this background information about Micheaux in mind before I watched it.
Thank your for sharing this reading! My reading briefly mentioned Micheaux’s films, but I would not be able to understand the dynamics and transition of the slave narrative without reading your post. It is really fascinating to see the changing motives, and I believe that the attitude held by the black community must have been evolving as well.