Classic Black Cinema Series - The Green Pastures

In 1936, director Marc Connelly adapted his Pulitzer prize-winning play for the screen with an all-black cast. Presented as a Deep South folk tale, this lively recreation of Old Testament Bible stories opens with George Reed starring as Reverend Deshee, a Baptist preacher in Louisiana who is determined to teach his congregation in a manner they can easily relate to. Imagine, if you can, a "Southern-style Heaven" where black English vernacular is spoken, fish fries and free cigars are plentiful, and the Hall Johnson Choir sings spirituals in the background all day. In other words, you have a broadly played black miracle play, which should be seen in the context of when it was made to best appreciate its many virtues. The movie also starred Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Oscar Polk, Edna Mae Harris, and Rex Ingram as De Lawd.

Specifically designed as a vehicle to expose the community to the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years, the goal of the film series is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of Black cinema.

Curator and host, Felix Curtis, came to Charlotte from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area where he curated The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks, the annual film festival component of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, where he later served as Executive Director.