Reading Reid, Meaningful Concepts

The most meaningful concept in the first Reid reading was that of the dual identity of early American film. The films of the Foster Photoplay Company and the Micheaux Film Corporation were not something I had ever heard of, and it seems that the entire phenomenon of 'race films' has been given far less space in the history of film than it should. When very small parts hampered by stereotyping is all most Americans think of when they reference pre-WWII film, I think it would be beneficial to the most casual film fan or any film scholar to know more about this period. It seems there was a parallel industry developing with seperate concerns before economic and social factors grounded it. Insofar as these early groups were continually limited in terms of production, one of the reasons I find this obscure history so compelling is that interesting results often are born from limited finances. I would love to see some of these films to study them, and it is unfortunate there isn't wider access to them.