Hallow-e'en in Coon-Town (1897)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Release Date:

October 1897 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Documentary

Plot:

"A laughable picture, showing four [colored men] burying their faces in basins filled with flour, in a search for coins." |

Plot Keywords:

African American

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.36 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

American Mutoscope Company

While the title puts some off, it still is a cinematic pioneer of its time

This film has received its share of negative press due to its title and the manner in which it approaches its subject matter. Some may even suggest that this movie is somehow racist. However, this film was a pioneer of its time and paved the way for some of the greatest cinema productions the world has ever seen. Movies such as "Tossing a Niggger in a Blanket", "Dancing Darkey Boy" and "Blazing Saddles" were heavily influenced by this film and the sheer directing genius of the director (who coincidentally is never named). While short and controversial, this film accurately depicts some of the lighter moments of the civil rights movement in its more formative years by allowing the viewer to laugh at the subject while showing empathy for their plight. At first glance, viewers may either dismiss this film for its humorous take on a serious subject or may discount it as a Halloween flick, but to dismiss this as such is only doing a disservice to your perceptions of the Civil Rights movement that spawned such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.