Separate Cinema: The First 100 Years of Black Poster Art

by John Kisch, Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Foreword), Spike Lee (Afterword)

A visual feast, these images recount the diverse and historic journey of the Black film industry from the earliest days of Hollywood to the present day This magnificent volume is a celebration of the first 100 years of black film poster art. A visual feast, these images recount the diverse and historic journey of the black film industry from the earliest days of Hollywood to the present day, accompanied by insightful accompanying text, a foreword by black history authority and renowned academic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and an afterword by Hollywood director Spike Lee. These posters have meaning for young and old alike, and possess the power to transcend ethnicity. They capture the spirit and energy of an earlier time, reminding people of the pioneers of the past, those courageous and daring African American filmmakers, entertainers and artists whose dreams and struggles paved the way for future generations. The wealth of imagery on these pages is taken from the Separate Cinema Archive, maintained by archive director John Kisch. The most extensive private holdings of African-American film memorabilia in the world, it contains over 35,000 authentic movie posters and photographs from over 30 countries. This stunning coffee table book represents some of the archive's greatest highlights.

Genres: Art, Film, Nonfiction, History, African American, Coffee Table Books, Race

317 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Creolecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got a copy of this book. Now I would love to have a few of these posters to frame and display.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great coffee table book, with tons of samples I've never seen. Also, even though Spike Lee writes an epilogue, it's clear his mind is elsewhere, as he buried his brother right before the blurb was due.

[Brian Dukes · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot more interesting history to pick up (especially from the introduction) than I was expecting from a book of posters. I enjoyed seeing the progression of history through the lens of film.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visually quite appealing and interesting.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great survey of posters of "race movies" (as they're sometimes called). A nice introduction of about 20 pages is followed by many posters from the author's collection, with helpful captions.