Black cinema.

The author overviews and elucidates prominent scholarly works that have been conducted in the field of black cinema studies. Regester reviews the history of black cinema from the origins of the film industry, noting significant films of the period before 1950, through the emergence of black explotation films in the 1970s, to the contemporary black cinema and filmmakers from the 1990s. The author profiles the 1915 film "Birth of a Nation" and its critical reponses, as well as perspectives on black filmmaking by early African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. Prominent themes such as the black moviegoing experience, early black screen representations, black stardom, theories of race and cinema, black feminism and feminist issues in the black cinema experience, and black masculinity and sexuality in the visual culture are explored. Following the essay, a bibliography of recommended reading, a chronology of events from 1889 to 1993, and a glossary are provided.