Within Our Gates

"Within Our Gates" is of enormous historical interest as a remnant of a brief period in the early twenties/late teens when there were (due to segregation laws) films made and distributed specifically by and for African-Americans. In this way, it has most deservedly been chosen for placement in the National Film Registry.

By today's standards the film is as silly, half-baked, and paper-thin as something by a high school playwright. The performances are pretty atrocious, but for the most part they are at home with the style of acting that pervaded films of the silent era.

It dealt with provocative issues of the time, such as overt racism, lynching, and the sorry state of education for the black community. Eighty years later we may have done a bit of shoring up, but no one's foolish enough to say that we're doing any better today. One positive thing that can be said is that a film dealing with these subjects today is encouraged, whereas in 1920 "Within Our Gates" was crushed by disapproving educators, legislators, and spineless distributors.

I was deeply affected by parts of this story about the plight of negroes as told for negroes by negro director Oscar Micheaux. Ostensibly, it's about a woman who tries to help a poor southern school for negroes by getting financial help to supplement the meager amount the state provides, but it is laced with observations about racial prejudice. One bigoted southern woman living in the north is against the women's suffrage movement for fear that negro women will get the right to vote. And she expresses her negative sentiment about educating negroes: "Thinking will give them a headache." Micheaux gets more points across in the best part of the film, the flashback scene near the end prefaced with a title card "Sylvia's Story." We see how a negro preacher agrees with some condescending whites that the negroes should keep their place, but privately condemns himself for doing so, announcing that "negroes and whites are equal" to himself. We see how injustice reigns with a lynch mob and how the innocent, even an innocent bystander, can easily become victims of racial prejudice. The film is worth seeing for this sequence alone, providing images that caused me to lose some sleep. Micheaux also slips in comments about the negroes' accomplishments in the Spanish-American and Mexican wars and WWI, as if to bolster the low self-image of his negro viewers. The film may be primitive by some standards, but Oscar Micheaux tells a powerful story.

The film was intended for negro audiences, but because of some controversial parts (rape and lynching) many exhibitors refused to show it, so very few saw it when it was released. This being the earliest surviving film made by an African American, it was placed on the National Film Registry and lovingly restored from the only surviving copy in Spain (see the alternative version listing for details). The Library of Congress is to be commended for doing such a fine job.

Before the film even begins, 'Within our gates' is a bit of a marvel. Seemingly the oldest surviving film directed by an African American in an industry that was (...and remains) predominantly white, the picture was nearly lost in the memory hole of time. Available background information indicates that the restoration archived by the Library of Congress is still only an approximation of Oscar Micheaux's original work. Moreover, the title claims a predominantly black cast, and the practical limitations under which the production operated make it somewhat extraordinary that the movie ever came into being in the first place. Without even considering the content - from a cultural and historical standpoint, 'Within our gates' is frankly essential.

Any regard for the film must necessarily take into account the difficulties of its completion and unfortunate shortcomings of its restoration. With that said, on the face of things, the feature does suffer from what feels like a staggered and stilted presentation. Each subsequent scene builds a cohesive narrative, yet the frequency of cuts between shots, scenes, and intertitles makes for a bit of a rough, choppy appearance, and a sense that every element is indelicately forced. Plot development is less than smooth or natural, and given the number of characters that are introduced, and the many ideas broached in the narrative, the viewing experience is unquestionably one that requires active, attentive, and indeed forgiving engagement.

Still, with all that said - provided one can abide the regrettable deficiencies, there is much to admire about 'Within the gates.' Micheaux approaches the topic of race relations with a blunt and unfiltered sensibility that squarely opposes the broad bigotry in society, and white supremacy as a personal and institutional prejudice, and that was sometimes mirrored in the uglier side of early cinema. The hypocrisy and indifference in northern cities is examined as much as the brutality of southern lands, and the cruel selfishness and betrayal of well-positioned black individuals as much as the utmost ignorance and iniquity of whites. 'Within our gates' champions education, advancement, and equality within a story that does not hold back from illustrating the dire obstacles and obstinacy that inhibit such progress, including violence not least of all. It's a narrative, and a movie, that if made in 2021 would be a beacon of passionate defiance in a world that's still all too complacent with the tawdry racism rampant throughout society - and there can be no doubt that in 1920, it signified a still greater turnabout.

Even keeping in mind and putting aside the issues thrust upon the film in light of its production and restoration, it's not unblemished. The inelegance in the presentation can surely be chalked up at least in part to not just its rediscovery decades later, but also imperfections in Micheaux's craft - writing, direction, and editing. For all the value herein, I'd be lying if I said it weren't a bumpy ride. To be fair, however, this was only Micheaux's second picture - and considering the remarkable circumstances and context in which this was made in the first place, it's easy enough to both acknowledge and largely overlook the weaknesses as they present. The strengths far outshine and outweigh the disadvantages, and the result is a feature that was both of and ahead of its time - and an important watch for all, for nigh every possible reason.

Yes, some of the subject matter is difficult; obvious content warnings abound for racism, and racial violence including lynching. And any viewer who can't parse the idiosyncrasies of the silent era, or handle a less than pristine exhibition, will likely be put off by what we see here. Yet the worth far exceeds the burden, and I'm hard-pressed not to recommend this to just about anyone. Wherever you can watch it, 'Within our gates' is a substantial, imperative classic of cinema that even 100 years later deserves far greater recognition.

The best word to describe this film is "amateurish". While it does have a central focus, the muddled, confused and confusing plot proceeds in fits and starts. Characters drop in and out of the narrative seemingly at random and sometimes change outlook right in the middle of a scene.

Worse still, the film has been edited with a proverbial meat-ax. Odd bits and pieces of irrelevant action are often spliced without rhyme or reason into the movie, further adding to the viewer's difficulties in following the plot.

Despite all obstacles, however, individual scenes do succeed. The lynch sequence exerts a terrible power because—whether by design or accident—it looks like an actual newsreel event.

Acting too is mighty variable. Evelyn Preer does good work as the unsettled heroine, Bernice Ladd makes a forceful bigot, and there are two outstanding actors among the ranks of obvious amateurs in the support cast: E.G. Tatum and the uncredited Old Ned.

Which brings me to the most amazing aspect of Micheaux' vision. "Within Our Gates" is a cry for justice, but no apologia. In fact it often seems to go out of its way to present a surprisingly warts and all take on African-Americans. The two men just mentioned, for instance, enact self-seeking traitors (and do so brilliantly). The little spiv, Jack Chenault, is a despicable criminal, and even the second female lead seems somewhat unsympathetic (especially in the film's original uncensored version which has unfortunately been lost).

I disagree with the first comment. I did not find this movie silly at all. I believe it was up to par with any other silent movie of this same period, and the acting was not atrocious. I think it was a very provocative movie for its time and, whether it was purposefully or not, a great response to DW Griffith's "Birth of a Nation." That movie showed a mulatto man trying to force himself on a White woman, along with numerous other stereotypes of Black people in that movie. "Within Our Gates" showed the true side of what really happened, especially with the lynching, and the main character and her *real* father. I feel privileged to have seen a Black silent film, especially one of such high caliber.