Ellen Scott and the "Regeneration" Exhibition: Unveiling Black Cinema's Hidden History

The "Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898-1971" exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures shines a light on the often-overlooked history of Black participation in American cinema. UCLA's Ellen C. Scott, a scholar specializing in African-American cultural history and film theory, played a vital role as an advisor, lending her expertise to this groundbreaking project.

Genesis of Involvement

Scott's involvement began when Doris Berger, a curator for the exhibition familiar with her work, approached her to serve as an advisor. Her extensive knowledge in the field made her a valuable asset to the curatorial team.

Contributions to the Exhibition

Scott's contributions spanned several aspects of the exhibition, drawing upon her research into lesser-known areas of Black film history.

The "Soundies"

Scott was an early writer on the "soundies," short, three-minute jukebox films that were shown in drugstores and diners. These films offered a glimpse into a different side of Black life, often challenging conventional respectability politics. They also provided a platform for Black musicians, allowing those who couldn't afford live performances to still see their favorite artists. Scott advocated for their inclusion in the exhibition, recognizing their significance in showcasing Black musical talent and cultural expression.

Rediscovering Powell Lindsay

Scott's research also brought attention to Powell Lindsay, a Black filmmaker whose works were long considered lost. Her efforts led to the rediscovery of some of his films, including "That Man of Mine" (1946), at the Library of Congress. A poster of Lindsay's film is featured in the exhibit, highlighting Scott's contribution to the broader scholarship in the field. Lindsay, an African American, Harlemite, and compatriot of Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, developed his style in the 1930s avant-garde and leftist theater and employed Brechtian techniques that produced a provocative and often unresolved African American image. His films and theatrical pieces combine semi-documentary sequences, hostility, music, and satire, exceeding predictable genre-based formations or conclusions. Lindsay was also one of the only Black leftist voices in the cinema of this moment. His critique of class and race-and of America's social problem discourse-are powerfully revealed in his film Souls of Sin (1949).

The Exhibition's Development

The planning for "Regeneration" commenced in June 2017. While the museum's opening faced delays, these challenges ultimately enriched the exhibition. The curators, Doris and Rhea, both academics, adopted a perspective that valued untold stories.

Beyond Existing Scholarship

While Scott's expertise was extensive, the exhibition also presented her with new information. She learned about Sam Lucas, the first African American to portray Uncle Tom in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" on stage and in film. The exhibition explores Lucas's performances in vaudeville, highlighting the connection between early cinema and theater culture. Many of the actors and actresses of the early cinema came from the stage and early films ran on programs that also included vaudeville. The museum uses the immersive qualities of the gallery to remind the visitor of the imbricated nature of cinema with theater culture through figures like Lucas but also through images of Fredi Washington performing in the Cotton Club that were seen in the short Black and Tan Fantasy (1929).

Standout Elements of the Exhibition

"Regeneration" incorporates a variety of materials to tell its story. These include movie posters, a three-screen film installation by Isaac Julien called "Baltimore," and other works of art that reflect on Black film history and segregation. A particularly compelling element is the display of home movies featuring Cab Calloway, Josephine Baker, and the Nicholas Brothers, offering a unique perspective on these iconic figures. The augmented reality section features an unmarked wall of fame, where visitors can scan QR codes to learn about the individuals pictured. The exhibition begins by showcasing "Something Good - Negro Kiss," a recently rediscovered motion picture from 1898 that celebrates Black intimacy and love.

The Silent Era's Significance

Scott emphasizes that Black film was more prolific during the silent era due to lower production costs. The advent of sound led to a decline in Black filmmaking, although some filmmakers, like George Randol, emerged in the late 1930s. Randol, in partnership with Ralph Cooper, formed a film company and produced "Dark Manhattan" (1937), one of the first films made for Black audiences in Hollywood. Randol and Cooper were able to make it during off hours on a Hollywood lot. This model for Black Hollywood filmmaking would later be followed by white filmmakers seeking to make high-quality pictures for Black audiences, like Harry and Leo Popkin. But Randol was the first and showed it could be done.

Scott's Broader Research and Impact

Scott's work extends beyond the "Regeneration" exhibition. As an Academy Film Scholar, she has focused on depictions of slavery in film, a topic that has been massively ignored. Her project, "Cinema's Peculiar Institution," examines the history of slavery on the American screen and is the basis for one of her forthcoming books.

Read also: Discover Agnes Scott College

Depictions of Slavery in Early Cinema

Scott's research delves into the early representations of enslaved people in cinema. Edwin Porter's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1903) is an early example, and the figure of the octoroon (a person who is 1/8 Black) appears frequently. Some films also depict situations that highlight the injustice of slavery, such as "Wife for Wife" (1915), in which an enslaved man seeks retribution after his wife is sold.

Censorship and Sanitized Narratives

By the classical Hollywood era, narratives about slavery became sanitized. Censorship records reveal that the industry discouraged the use of the word "slave." However, there were also competing narratives, such as "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1939), which leftist screenwriters attempted to transform into a tale about abolition. Scott emphasizes that the production history of these films often reveals more about Hollywood than the finished product.

Turning Points in Representation

The Civil Rights movement marked a turning point in the representation of slavery. Zeinabu Davis's "Mother of the River" (1995) was the first film by a Black woman to address the topic of Black women enslaved. Other films, such as Charles Burnett's "To Sleep with Anger" (1990) and Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust" (1991), also incorporate the history of slavery. These films often foreground the present in light of the past, rather than simply retelling the horrors of slavery.

The Obama Era and Beyond

Scott notes that there was a resurgence of films about slavery during the Obama era. Her research continues to explore the cultural meanings and reverberations of film in African-American communities and the relationship of media to the struggle for racial justice and equality.

Scott's Academic Background and Publications

Ellen C. Scott specializes in media history, African-American cultural history, film and media theory, American film history, sound theory, the history of censorship, and cultural studies. She received her B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Program in American Culture at the University of Michigan. Before arriving at UCLA, she was an assistant professor at CUNY-Queen's College. Her publications include "Cinema Civil Rights: Regulation, Repression, and Race in the Classical Hollywood Era" (2015) and "More than a Passing Sophistication: Dress, Film Regulation and the Color Line in 1930s Cinema" (2013).

Black Film Critics and the Therapeutic Value of Cinema

Scott's work also examines the role of Black film critics. She notes that throughout cinema history, movies have been conceived as having therapeutic value. However, Black film critics often view cinema as a less hospitable space, one of negative reflection and segregation. James Baldwin, for example, saw cinema as an escape valve for whites pursuing insidious neglect of Black citizens. Scott's research explores the possibility of Black flourishing through acts of interrogative film criticism, focusing on the work of Almena Davis, editor of the Los Angeles Tribune.

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