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8 films

The Girl from Chicago is a 1932 American drama race film produced and directed by pioneering African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, with an all-African American cast including lead actors Star Calloway and Carl Mahon. Produced on a shoestring budget, this independent production features a largely non-professional cast. The film contrasts rural and urban Black life, blending crime, romance, and social commentary. As is common in Micheaux's films, the story line is punctuated with period musical numbers, offering a glimpse of African American musical and dancing talent of the time. The fact that Micheaux often lacked sufficient funding for his sound films affected the technical quality of his productions. But his surviving films represent the beginnings of Black Cinema. Plot: A federal agent falls in love while on assignment in Mississippi. He helps his lover escape a local thug. They then go to Harlem where they become involved in the assassination of a Cuban racketeer. Storyline: An undercover government agent on a case in Mississippi meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman who's being menaced by a local crime boss. He rescues the girl, and they leave Mississippi and head to Harlem, but their troubles follow them: they become involved in the murder of a local crime boss there. Review: “Micheaux had the progressive idea of presenting a black man as a Secret Service agent who worked with Scotland Yard—when none existed in real life” —Sergio Mims About the Film: A remake of Micheaux’s now-lost 1926 silent film The Spider’s Web, The Girl from Chicago (1932) is a film that explores the cultural rift between the urban and the rural, set in both Harlem and Batesburg, Mississippi. As had become his forte, Micheaux punctuates the dramatic scenes with musical numbers, set both in domestic parlors and the lively “The Radium Club.” About the Filmmaker: Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an author, film writer and director, and independent producer of more than 44 silent films and sound films from 1919—1948. Micheaux was the first African American filmmaker to produce a full feature-length film and is regarded as a prominent producer of race films, and the most successful African American filmmaker of the first half of the 20th century. Micheaux’s work is not only a milestone in African American cinema, but an incredible insight into American history regarding race in society. Preservation Status: The film is historically significant with a copy held in the Library of Congress collection. The Girl from Chicago is an early all-black talkie, so it has historical value, but amateur acting and low production values hamper this flawed film. While not a masterpiece, it’s worth watching for its cultural importance and Micheaux’s groundbreaking vision. We do not own the rights to any of this film. This film is being used for historical and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Black Excellence:

Starring Carl Mahon, Starr Calloway, Alice B. Russell