Film Analysis: Within Our Gates

Film Analysis: Within Our Gates
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Film Analysis: Within our Gates
The central argument that Micheaux presented in the silent movie Within Our gates is that racism is not fueled by ignorance. Rather, the various plots and scenes in the film attribute racism to the bigotry of the Southern Whites and seem to point out that the Northern Whites should dispel the view that there are actions that the Blacks can take to convince the Southern Whites to treat Blacks with respect. To this end, the movie communicates the plight of African Americans under the bigoted views of Southern Whites.
The movie presents a number of political issues that faced African Americans in the 1920s. Notably, the overriding theme of the film is racism that is fueled by White Supremacy. The vignettes of a black preacher known as Old Ned in the film highlights the plight of Blacks as he is forced to admit something that is counter to his belief in order to collect donation from the rich Whites. The vignette paints Old Ned as a character who hypocritically shows deference to the bigoted Whites in order to receive the money he requires to run his church but has significant loathing for his donors. In a large sense, the vignette reveals the pain of the Blacks during the period as they are forced to act in accordance with the expectation of bigoted Whites in order to survive.
In addition, the film touches on the issues of education. The film centers on the inequities faced by black students in the South, highlighting the importance of education and the challenges faced by African Americans in accessing quality education. The film traces the attempts of Sylvia Landry, a young African-American woman to raise funds for an educational institution catering to black children in the South. Sylvia travels to New England to seek the help of her wealthy aunt but is met with resistance and racism. Despite facing many challenges and setbacks, Sylvia remains determined to succeed in her mission.
A notable aspect of "Within Our Gates" is its portrayal of the harsh realities of racism and segregation in the United States and their attribution. Unlike the films produced during the ...