Within Our Gates (1920)

 Oscar Micheaux's "Within Our Gates"

After D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" debuted in 1915, anti-black sentiment rose dramatically in the United States. The number of black lynchings and violence against black individuals reached astounding numbers. The sole cause of this racist behavior was not on "The Birth of a Nation" alone, despite it adding more fuel to the already burning fire. Jim Crow laws, the revival of the Ku Klux Kan, and the political power of the Sisters of the Confederacy were factors in the rising numbers of violence against black Americans. 

One such black American, Oscar Micheaux, was a renowned writer and novelist. His 1917 novel "The Homesteader" was a semi-autobiographic self-published work that recounted his experiences in a white America. The novel attracted the attention of George Johnson, the manager of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. Johnson wanted to adapt Micheaux's novel into a film. However, this adaptation never was realized, as Johnson was not pleased with Micheau'x insistence on being directly involved with the production. After the production of the film fell through, Micheaux founded his own production company, The Micheaux Film and Book Company. With his new business venture, Micheaux went ahead and adapted his novel to screen himself, serving as producer, writer, and director. "The Homesteader" ended up being a mild success. However, no copies of this film exist and it is believed to be lost for good. Using the money he gained from "The Homesteader," Micheaux made his second film, "Within Our Gates." 

"Within Our Gates" tells the story of a black woman who travels north to secure funding for a rural black school in the Deep South. Along the way, Micheaux shows us various characters, both black and white. Their behavior, personalities, and values all vary. The viewer witnesses how each character is affected by or affects race relations. Some of the black characters are portrayed as intelligent, stand-up citizens. Other black characters are portrayed in a more negative light, as thieves, crooks, or traitors to the black plight. Reflexively, the white characters are also portrayed in varying ways, as some of them are downright racist and bigoted (sometimes evil), while others are portrayed as supportive and giving to the black community. What's significant about "Within Our Gates" is that it does not portray characters as being black and white (figuratively). Rather, Micheaux demonstrates something far more complex and true to life. The film also showcases the varying contemporary issues of race relations. From the mild racism of stereotyping to the propaganda trying to suppress the black vote, even to the lynching and raping of black people. Micheaux does not shy away from these things, as his renderings of these circumstances remain as provocative today. Many believe that the film is a direct response to "The Birth of a Nation," which debuted only 5 years prior. In "The Birth of a Nation," Griffith shows black Americans as being animalistic, stupid, and even radically violent. However, in "Within Our Gates," Micheaux turns these portrayals on their head. His black citizens, despite being varied in behavior, are always either very intelligent or well-intentioned. One scene in "Within Our Gates" depicts the raping of the protagonist by a white man, while her family are all lynched in the yard. The direction and staging of this scene are incredibly similar to the scene in "Birth of a Nation" in which Lilian Gish's protagonist is being chased around the room and attached by a black man. Micheaux boldly demonstrates how it is not black people that are the animals, but the white. 

Most film scholars criticize Micheaux's aesthetics as a filmmaker, stating that he does not finesse any artistic power with his direction. However, what I noticed when watching the film was the way in which Micheaux treats his viewers. He does not spoonfeed his audience information or treat them as stupid. Normally for films in or before 1920, consistent editing is the norm. Each edit should demonstrate a continuity in time and space that makes plausible sense to the viewer. Flashbacks are welcome, of course, but the consistency of understanding needs to be made available to the viewer. Micheaux, however, is not prudent. Micheaux will show us a scene in which people are talking or something is alluded to, which he will then transition to that which was alluded to, spend a considerable amount of time in that separate time and space, then transition back to the original conversation. For example, there is a scene in which two white women are debating about who to donate money. One woman wants to give the money to the black southern school, while the other wants her to give the money to a black preacher. Micheaux then takes us to the black preacher, and we spend 5-8 minutes with this character, even forgetting the original scene in which the white women were discussing him. In seeing scenes involving the black preacher, we get to know his character, his behavior, his values, and what he's all about. We then transition back to the scene involving the two white women right back where we left on. Most filmmakers would assume this would create confusion for the audience. However, it does not feel confusing at all. Rather, we are right back where we started as if we had never left. Only this time, we now have all the additional context needed to understand the preacher they are discussing. This makes the images much richer, as Micheaux jumps around in time and space to add further visual and situational context for what scenes are referencing. Because Micheaux is able to flow between characters and circumstances, either in the present or past, with such ease, the film becomes more of a tapestry of images, rather than a linear story of one. This tapestry enables the greater themes that Micheaux is trying to demonstrate. When you think of the film afterward, you do not think of a single plot or narrative, but rather a big-picture idea full of varying characters that allows you to see America itself and what it is made up of.

"Within Our Gates" is a tapestry of images that showcases race relations in America. It remains the earliest film written and directed by a black filmmaker. It demonstrated Micheaux not just as a capable filmmaker, but a humanist and advocate for education and social equity. The film has become of the most important films ever made and helped begin the genre of 'race films,' which showcase contemporary racial issues. Its humanist depiction of black and white alike demonstrated to audiences worldwide how bigotry and misinformation can infest the minds of people just like you.