Justin Simien’s ‘Hollywood Black’ Urges Us to Rethink Cinema’s Past and Future

“What is a Black movie?”

It’s the question Justin Simien first posed when he gained Hollywood’s attention with his debut feature, the 2014 HBCU comedy “Dear White People.” He sampled opinions from several top-tier filmmakers but received varied answers:

“A movie typically with African Americans in leading roles.”

“A movie inspired by, rooted in, influenced, and told by Black people.”

“I know one when I see one.”

Simien’s exploration of this question forms the core of “Hollywood Black,” a series examining the history of Black cinema and the triumphs and challenges faced by Black artists. This four-part MGM+ documentary premiered in August and will conclude Sunday with the episode “Dear Black People,” which highlights recent successes by Black filmmakers, like “Get Out” and “Black Panther.”

Inspired by historian Donald Bogle’s book “Hollywood Black,” and enriched with insights from prominent artists like directors Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), and actor Giancarlo Esposito, the project traces Black film’s evolution from the silent era to today. A primary goal was to honor artists and movies that have often been “hidden in plain sight.”

“I want everyone to rethink cinema history,” said Simien, who also directed the 2023 reboot of Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion,” when introducing the series. “Because whoever controls cinema controls history.”

Discussing the documentary in his Hollywood office, Simien touched upon the challenges of making the series, the impact of last year’s Hollywood labor strikes, and the complexity of having multiple film versions of “The Color Purple.” These are edited remarks from his conversation.

The journey of encapsulating the history of Black cinema in just four hours proved to be a considerable task. Simien highlighted, “This entertainment industry is built on top of popular culture that Black people are at the center of. You see it never being in our hands, but you can’t remove us completely because we are the secret sauce in every stage of its development and evolution. So the story is how these people who are so important in the creation of this art form gain and lose and regain control over it. It ends up being a political story, more than anything.”

For many, “The Wiz” holds significant influence, despite not being a commercial or critical success. Simien notes, “The metrics of success we are all taught on how to value certain films has to go out the window when it comes to Black stuff. It really does, particularly when it comes to something like ‘The Wiz,’ which had a gigantic cultural impact. It’s almost like the Bible, culturally and artistically. That movie has so many accomplishments, not the least of which is bringing Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones together. I would argue it’s one of the earliest representations of ballroom culture in the famous Emerald City sequence. It is one of the most expensive movies ever made with Black people on the screen.”

On the topic of the 2023 musical version of “The Color Purple,” produced by Oprah Winfrey, Simien shared a nuanced view. He appreciates that director Blitz Bazawule had the rare opportunity to make his first major feature film, and he values the potential for multiple adaptations. “I long for an adaptation of ‘The Color Purple’ that appropriately elevates the queer message in that text that Alice Walker wrote. If we want to keep making ‘The Color Purple,’ I’m OK. There’s more to be teased out of that text.”

One remarkable aspect of the documentary is its focus on under-recognized artists and films, like Charles Lane’s 1989 black-and-white silent film “Sidewalk Stories.” Simien expressed frustration and amazement at discovering such works. “The impetus for this project was seeing these movies and being both awestruck and furious, actually enraged. ‘Sidewalk Stories’ came out in 1989. That was a big year for Black cinema — the year of [Spike Lee’s] ‘Do the Right Thing.’ But nobody mentions this other film that happened that did not spawn its own genre of movie that way ‘Do the Right Thing’ did. Part of the reason why is that it didn’t fit in with what was in vogue about Blackness at that time. But it is a masterpiece.”

Addressing the impact of the Hollywood strikes, Simien acknowledged the severe toll it has taken on Black and queer artists. “Yes. It’s harder than it’s ever been. And it has hit queer artists even harder. I rode that pendulum swing in with ‘Dear White People’ [the film] and felt it swing back out. Then I swung back in by making ‘Dear White People’ into a TV series. I felt it go back and forth during those years, and it is definitely swinging back. It is so difficult.”

Discussing Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Oscar win for “The Holdovers,” Simien recognized the controversy around honoring Black women in subservient roles to white characters, but he emphasized, “We’re not rewarding the representation, the caricature, or the stereotype. We are rewarding the person inside a pretty not-so-great system that constantly is representing Black people in a very negative way. Inside of that, she was able to do something pretty magnificent and steal the attention from the other white co-stars.”

When asked about the potential for more “Hollywood Black” episodes, Simien expressed openness to the idea. “I think it would be great. It’s up to MGM and MGM+. You could honestly go over the same periods and talk about completely different artists and still not have enough time. Or you could pick one artist per episode. If someone wants to give me some Ken Burns documentary money, then we can really go.”

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

Source: Los Angeles Times