Includes bibliographical references (pages 238-245), filmography (pages 230-237) and index.
Contents:
Appendix: Non-fiction films made in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1897-1925. Kevin Brownlow -- Introduction -- 1. I.W. Schlesinger and African films -- 2. Bioscope comes of age, 1910-1913 -- 3. I.W. Schlesinger and Killarney studios, 1913-15 -- 4. Early films of Lorimer Johnston, 1916 -- 5. Comedy films of B.F. Clinton, 1916 -- 6. Later films of Lorimer Johnston, 1916 -- 7. Harold Shaw's De Voortrekkers / Winning a Continent, 1916-17 -- 8. A Border Scourge and Dick Cruikshanks' Zulutown, 1917 -- 9. Cruikshanks' comedies and Norman H. Lee's cartoons, 1917 -- 10. Harold Shaw's The Rose of Rhodesia, 1917-18 -- 11. The Symbol of Sacrifice, or The Story of the Flag and Its Glory, 1918 -- 12. Lisle Lucoque's King Solomon's Mines, 1918-19 -- 13. Melodrama films of Dick Cruikshanks, 1918-19 -- 14. Melodrama films of Joseph Albrecht, 1918-20 -- 15. Dick Cruikshanks' Prester John, 1920 -- 16. The Man Who Was Afraid and The Madcap of the Veld, 1920 -- 17. Leander de Cordova's Swallow and the filming of Sam's Kid, 1921 -- 18. The Blue Lagoon and other Stacpoole movies, 1922-23 -- 19. Beyond Schlesinger: other films and bioscopes, 1920-25 -- Conclusion: I.W. Schlesinger and African films -- Appendix: Non-fiction films made in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1897-1925.
Summary:
Black and White Bioscope recovers a neglected chapter in the histories of world cinema and Africa. It tells the story of movie production in Africa that long predated francophone African films and Nollywood that are the focus of most histories of this industry. At the same time as Hollywood was starting, a film industry in Southern Africa was surging ahead in integrating production, distribution, and exhibition. African Film Productions Limited made silent movies using technical and acting talent from Britain, the United States, and Australia, as well as from Africa. These included not only the original "long trek movie" and the prototype for the movies Zulu and Zulu Dawn but also the first King Solomon's Mines and the original Blue Lagoon, featuring African actors such as Goba, Tom Zulu, and Msoga Mwana, who starred as the black revolutionary in Prester John. In this lavishly illustrated book, fifty movies are reconstructed with graphic photographs and plot synopses - plus quotations from reviews - so that readers can rediscover this long-lost treasure trove of silent cinema.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.