Historic Black Cinema (4 DVD set)
Price 17.98 - 20.44 USD
Join us as we celebrate Black History Month! This 4 DVD package includes: The Joe Louis Story, The Jackie Robinson Story, The Duke is Tops and The Emperor Jones. Disc #1. The Joe Louis Story (1953) There is seldom debate over who is the greatest fighter of all time, and this is that man"s story. With Coley Wallace (a former boxer himself) in the role of Joe Louis, this inspiring film follows the fighter"s rise from poor family background to world heavyweight champion. Over the course of 12 years, Louis would successfully defend his title a record 25 times. But he would face equally-important challenges outside the ring, struggling to overcome racism. Ultimately, he would help change the way black men were perceived and become America"s first true black sports hero. Disc #2. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Baseball legend Jackie Robinson stars as himself in this compelling biopic of the man who bravely challenged (and broke) the color barrier that existed in America"s greatest pastime. The film starts with his college athletic career and proceeds to document his rocky and abuse-ridden tenure in the minors, his relationship with supportive Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (Minor Watson), and his eventual big league debut, in 1947. That season he would be named Rookie of the Year and, in subsequent seasons, go on to be named league MVP, play in several All-Star games, and lead the Dodgers to a World Championship. Disc #3 The Duke is Tops (1938) A popular small-town singer dubbed "The Bronze Venus" gets offered a shot at the big time in New York City, but it will mean leaving behind the loyal promoter who helped her make it this far. This remarkable film, one of the many so-called "race movies" made in the 1930s and "40s for the all-black theaters in existence at the time, also marks the screen debut of a 20 year-old Lena Horne, and co-stars Ralph Cooper, longtime host of "Amateur Night At The Apollo". Disc #4 The Emperor Jones (1933) Eugene O"Neill"s controversial play about the rise and fall of Brutus Jones, an upwardly-mobile African-American whose life careens from railroad porter to convict to a corrupt island ruler in Haiti, made for an even more daring film adaptation in 1933. Actor Paul Robeson (who also played Jones on stage) delivers a career performance that features several musical numbers and climaxes with a 25-minute monologue delivered as his life unravels before him. In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry after the Library of Congress deemed it "culturally significant" for its portrayal of black characters.This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com"s standard return policy will apply.