Souls of Sin & Miracle in Harlem (Greaves, 1948-49): Barbican Cinema, 6.10pm
Barbican Cinema intrduction:
These two 35mm 'race films' from the late 1940s
feature all-Black casts, and a young William Greaves as he was
establishing his career on screen and Broadway. Screened
in segregated cinemas for Black audiences from 1915–1950s, ‘race films’
provided opportunities for more authentic representations of Black life
and a wider range of roles for Black performers in 1900s America. Miracle in Harlem blends
music, romance, and comedy; telling a story of a shipowner who is
tricked by a corrupt real estate mogul. Greaves plays the romantic lead,
straight-laced Bert, who must fend for his fiancée as they are swept up
in a murder. The film stars legendary vaudevillian star Stepin Fetchit. In Souls of Sin,
Greaves showcases his singing as guitar-playing blues musician Isaiah
'Alabama' Lee, one of three young men seeking fame and success in
Harlem.
Here (and above) is an extract.
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