Spencer Williams Collection - 4 Movies
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Herb Jeffries, July Jones, Lucius Brooks, Spencer Williams, The Four TonesBrand: Echo
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 232 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-01
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Spencer Williams Collection - 4 Movies
Movie Review: Historic Black Movies made in Texas
Summary: 5 Stars
These films were thought to be lost for decades but original prints were then found in an East Texas warehouse in the mid-1980s. They were given to and preserved by SMU in Dallas so over the years these copies emerged and are now readily available. Each one is an artifact of times gone by the way many movies are but the three Spencer Williams films in this set are priceless tributes to a man too long overlooked. They are each dated naturally but well worth the cost to have them together on one disc. They deal with different topics, two being well known for their religious contexts. Both were filmed in San Antonio, Tx. and "Go Down Death" is especially neat for its views of vanishing black neighborhoods, a prominent church since torn down, etc. It also features a young preacher named Samuel H. James who went on to become San Antonio's first African American city councilman in the mid-1970s. The third is a silly soap opera/comedy set in Dallas, Tx. that some may find offensive due to its stereotypical black portrayals. The movies do suffer a bit in transfer but were never of high quality due to being produced on low budgets so both audio and video were compromised during production. Mr. Williams always used locals or amateur actors so again the movies may seem cheaply done; they were but with lot;s of heart. Knowing how and why these movies were made is important as the nation as changed dramatically from their day. The 4th title was made by a Hollywood studio using the considerable talents of the one and only Herb Jeffries "The Bronze Buckaroo" himself. Again the movie was made on a tight budget but stars a truly talented man who was very popular at the time as an actor and singer. Buckaroo is a typical "horse opera" much like all the Gene Autry or Roy Rogers movies made during the 1930s and early '40s. The only difference is the all black cast and Herb J, who could sing as good as either of the other singing cowboys, maybe better. His movie was shot in California while the three Spencer Williams films were created in Texas; that's an interesting story unto itself. If you have any affection or respect for black history then this set is a must have. There are some other Spencer Williams movies also available and I have them all thanks to DVDs like this one. My favorite is the hardest to find and will be featured in a book I'm writing about San Antonio's historic black community. That other Spencer W movie is titled "Beale Street Mama", which is probably the most important of Spencer Williams movies but that's another story.
Enjoy, Mel B
ps; In a funeral scene near the end of "Go Down Death" my father's gas station appears just outside the cemetery so I have a personal connection to that film
Summary of Spencer Williams Collection - 4 Movies
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