Collection | Films by Title: "H"
Listed by title followed by year of release, annotation, genre, running time, format, and director
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Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People (1984) - Chenzira's animated satire explores the "hair problem" among African Americans. This historical overview examines the various techniques black men and women have used to change the texture of their hair. Drama, 10 min., 16mm, dir: Ayoka Chenzira.
Half Slave, Half Free [aka Solomon Northup's Odyssey] (1985) - Adapted from the 19th century autobiographical "Narrative of the Life of Solomon Northup," the film dramatizes Northup's (Avery Brooks) experiences as a free man sold into slavery by two kidnappers. After 12 years as a slave in Louisiana, he is finally returned to Saratoga, New York, where his wife and three children, now grown, await him. Drama, 118 min., VHS, dir: Gordon Parks.
Hallelujah! (1929) - Hollywood's second all-black cast film. Zeke (Daniel Haynes) becomes an evangelist after his brother is killed in a brawl, but he falls in love with beautiful Chick (Nina Mae McKinney) and wanders from the path for a time. After much travail, including a stint on the chain gang, he returns to family and the "good" woman, Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey). Musical, 100 min., 16mm, VHS, DVD, dir: King Vidor.
Hang Time (2001) - A Nigerian high-school youngster, Kwame Achebe (Brian Biragi), hopes to go to an American college to play basketball, and thus to help his family out of poverty. He needs new sneakers to impress the American talent scout, but because has no money gets them by a crime that costs a human life. The feature is the second part of the compilation Mama Africa, the other two being Uno’s World (directed by Bridget Pickering) and Raya (Zulfa Otto-Sallies). Drama, 26 min., DVD, dir: Ngozi Onwurah.
Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991) - The film depicts one night in the life of four South Bronx youths, a night in which alcohol, women, nightclubs, and boredom force each to examine the reality of his harsh urban existence. Willie (Doug E. Doug) is the phony militant; Tommy (Mario Joyner), an aspiring actor; Vinny (Nestor Serrano), a Puerto-Rican who attempts to disguise his ethnicity; Johnny (John Leguizamo), a naive innocent. Comedy, 88 min., VHS, dir: Joseph B. Vasquez.
Hannah and the Dog Ghost (1981) - Drama, 30 min., 16mm, dir: Kenneth Harrison.
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Craig (1971) - This film is a beautifully documented memorial to Mrs. Lulu Sadler Craig on her 102nd birthday. Told primarily from the perspective of great-granddaughter Marjorie Owens, the lifetime of Mrs. Craig is vividly illustrated through the interviews, still photos, and landscape sequences as a living, organic part of American history. Mrs. Craig speaks of slavery, marriage, children, education, freedom, and love with the keen eye of an adept mind. The film also introduces many of Mrs. Craig's ancestors as well as descendants.....soldiers, farmers, teachers, mothers and fathers. Documentary, 54 min., 3/4", VHS, dir: Richard Kaplan.
Haramuya (1995) Comedy, 87 min., DVD, dir: Drissa Toure.
Hard Road to Glory, A: The Black Athlete in America (1988) - Arthur Ashe hosts on camera and James Earl Jones narrates off camera this documentary history of black athletes adapted from Ashe's book, "A Hard Road to Glory." Some moments are re-enacted, others are from selected TV and newsreel clips. Among the most famous are boxers Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Muhammed Ali; track star Jesse Owens; tennis player Althea Gibson; and baseball player Jackie Robinson. Documentary, 60 min., VHS, dir: Stephen E. Goodrick.
Harder They Come, The (1973) - First feature film made by Jamaicans stars Jimmy Cliff (who also wrote the music) as Ivan, a young black man from the country with musical ambitions and talent who runs up against the police in Kingston after being thwarted by the corruption of the city. Based on the career of Rhygin, a criminal-hero who terrorized and fascinated Jamaica in the fifties, the film captures the plight of a people with little hope for the future, whose economy and government are controlled by foreign investment interests. Drama, 93 min., DVD, dir: Perry Henzell.
Harlem Globetrotters (1951) - A college student leaves school to tour with the famous Globetrotters basketball team. Comedy, 80 min., 16mm, dir: Phil Brown.
Harlem is Heaven (1932) - Bill Robinson's first film is a musical comedy in which he plays the role of director and star of a Harlem theatre who altruistically helps along the romance of Henri Wresell, as Chummy Walker, and Anise Boyer, as Jean Stratton. Music performed by Eubie Blake and his orchestra. Musical, 57 min., DVD, dir: Irwin Franklyn.
Harlem Nights (1989) - Quick (Eddie Murphy) and Sugar (Richard Pryor) are two Harlem nightclub owners who outsmart both the mob and corrupt police. Lela Rochon plays Sunshine; Jasmine Guy is Dominique; Della Reese, a madame. The film is set during the 1930s. Comedy, 116 min., VHS, dir: Eddie Murphy.
Harlem Rides the Range (1939) - A western musical with the hero (Herb Jeffries) struggling to keep the villain (Clarence Brooks) from getting control of a uranium mine which belongs to his girlfriend's father. Western, 58 min., 16mm, DVD, dir: Richard C. Kahn.
Harvest: 3,000 Years [aka Mirt Sost Shi Amit] (1975) - A drama on life in contemporary Ethiopia; the story of a peasant family's struggle for survival on the farm of a rich and tyrannical landlord. The film received numerous International awards. With English subtitles. Drama, 125 min., VHS, dir: Haile Gerima.
Hate [aka La haine] (1995) - The film explores the animosity between Paris' disenfranchised youth and their strained relations with authority. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995 to great critical acclaim, including Jodie Foster who was so impressed by the movie she arranged to have it distributed in the U.S. Drama, 95 min., VHS, dir: Mathieu Kassovitz.
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999) - Adapted from Amy Hill Hearth's book about Sadie (Diahann Carroll) and Bessie (Ruby Dee) Delaney, ages 103 and 101 respectively. What started out as an article for the New York Times, developed into a book and broadway play. The story focuses on flashbacks from 1896 to 1991. Lonette McKee is the mother and Mykelti Williamson plays the father. Drama, 90 min., VHS, dir: Lynne Littman.
He Got Game (1998) - Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is doing time for accidentally killing his wife Martha (Lonette McKee). He is promised a lighter sentence by prison officials if he can coax his son Jesus (Ray Allen) to take a basketball scholarship at Big State, a college in the city he's serving time in. The only problem is the son can't stand his father. Drama, 136 min., DVD, dir: Spike Lee.
Head of State (2003) Comedy, 95 min., DVD, dir: Chris Rock.
Healing Passage, The: Voices From the Water (2004) - Directed by writer, actress, and filmmaker S. Pearl Sharp, this documentary explores the healing that still needs to take place among the descendents of slavery from the repurcussions of the Middle Passage. Documentary, 90 min., VHS, dir: Saundra Pearl Sharp.
Heart of Southern Sudan, The (2004) - Southern Sudanese women now living in the United States discuss life in southern Sudan and adapting to a new culture. This short documentary was Erica Lee Benson's master's thesis project at Florida State University. Documentary, 10 min., DVD, dir: Erica Lee Benson.
Hearts and Minds (1974) - Peter Davis' controversial Academy Award winning film examines the Vietnam War through news footage and interviews. Documentary, 112 min., VHS, dir: Peter Davis.
Hearts Are Thump (1937) Comedy, 10 min., DVD, dir: Gordon Douglas.
Heaven, Earth, & Hell (1994) - The documentary deals with the figure of the trickster in African and Native-American culture by using texts by cultural critics Frantz Fanon, bell hooks, and James Baldwin. Documentary, 26 min., VHS, dir: Thomas Allen Harris.
Heavy Traffic (1973) Drama, 76 min., DVD, dir: Ralph Bakshi.
Hell Up In Harlem (1973) - Action, 94 min., DVD, dir: Larry Cohen.
Helping Grandma (1931) Comedy, 20 min., DVD, dir: Robert F. McGowan.
Henry Browne, Farmer (1942) Documentary, 11 min., DVD, dir: Roger Barlow.
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1991) - African American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) is the subject of this short documentary, which traces the artist's life through his childhood, education in Philadelphia and later Paris, and diminished status during the Harlem Renaissance. Documentary, 16 min., VHS, dir: Casey King.
Heritage in Black (1969) - Examines the contributions of black people to every area of American culture from the discovery of America to modern times. Includes references to Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Sojourner Truth, and Jesse Owens, among many others, and tells of their specific contributions. Documentary, 27 min., 16mm, dir: Shelby Newhouse.
Heritage of the Black West (1995) - Heritage of the Black West is a new film that examines the past and contemporary presence of African Americans in the American West. The film includes interviews African, African-American and Native Americans in the history that black men and women have played in the expansion of the West and cattle ranching. This educational documentary is designed especially for use in the classroom. Documentary, 25 min., VHS, dir: St. Clair Bourne.
Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich, A (1977) - Thirteen year old Benjie who lives in the Watts area of Los Angeles with his mother (Cicely Tyson) suffers from resentment of his mother's live-in friend (Paul Winfield). Major problems arise when Benjie (Larry B. Scott) turns to drugs. Drama, 107 min., VHS, dir: Ralph Nelson.
Heroi, O (2004) Drama, 97 min., DVD, dir: Zeze Gamboa.
Hey, Hey Fever (1935) - Children, 8 min., VHS, dir: Hugh Harman.
Hi De Ho (1947) - Cab Calloway is pressured into leaving the Brass Hot Club in favor of a criminally run establishment across the street. Calloway’s jealous ex-girlfriend works with Boss Mason to get Calloway to move to the rival club. Musical, 63 min., DVD, dir: Josh Binney.
Hi De Ho (1937) - A young man (Cab Calloway) who yearns to be a music conductor gets his fortune read by a psychic. She tells him he will have his own band. Calloway and his Orchestra perform several songs including "Hi-De-Ho" and "Miracle Man." Musical, 11 min., 16mm, dir: Roy Mack.
Hi Neighbor (1934) Comedy, 20 min., DVD, dir: Gus Meins.
Hide and Shriek (1938) - Sleuthing for the crook who stole Darla's candy, Alfalfa gets his assistants, Porky and Buckwheat into trouble in the haunted house at an amusement pier. Billie Thomas stars as Buckwheat. Comedy, 10 min., 16mm, DVD, dir: Gordon Douglas.
High School Students Discuss Racism (1978) - Documentary, 17 min., 16mm, dir: n/a.
Higher Learning (1995) - Violence erupts on the campus of fictional Columbus University when neo-Nazis attack students celebrating diversity. Omar Epps is featured as Malik Williams, an athletic scholarship student who learns in and out of the classroom from political science professor Maurice Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), Fudge (Ice Cube), a sixth year policized student, his girlfriend Deja (Tyra Banks), and his coach (John Walton Smith, Jr.). Drama, 127 min., VHS, dir: John Singleton.
Highlights of Famous Fights (1970) - This film contains clips from two boxing matches: Jack Johnson vs. Stanley Ketchel (Oct. 16, 1909 in Colma, CA) and Cassius Clay vs. Cleveland Williams (Nov. 16, 1966 in Houston, TX). Documentary, 11 min., 16mm, dir: n/a.
Highlights of the 1936 Olympics (1936) Documentary, 10 min., DVD, dir: N/A.
Hip Hop: The New World Order (1999) - This documentary profiles hip hop and rap artists from across the globe including Japan, Cuba, and parts of Europe (London, Paris, Hamburg, and Amsterdam). One segment features Chuck D of Public Enemy. The documentary finds common themes in hip hop music that span geography and culture. Released for home video on Afrocentricity, Vol. 1. Documentary, 18 min., DVD, dir: Muhammida El Muhajir.
His Trust (1911) - Wilfred Lucan plays George, the faithful retainer (in blackface), in a story of the Civil War. For his great loyalty to his departed master, saving his widow and daughter, protecting them from assorted evils, turning over his house and savings to them, George is at the end of the film rewarded with a handshake from a white man. Drama, 12 min., 16mm, dir: D.W. Griffith.
History of the World, Part 1 (1981) - In Mel Brooks' satire, Josephus (Gregory Hines) is a slave who claims he cannot be thrown to the lions because he is Jewish, not Christian. When this does not save his life he tap dances the Ethiopian Slim Slam and is consequently hired as a palace wine steward. Comedy, 93 min., 16mm, dir: Mel Brooks.
Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931) - Comedy, 7 min., DVD, dir: Rudolf Ising.
Ho Ea Rona [aka We Are Going Forward] (2002) - Three HIV-positive friends meet, reminisce, and laugh at their situation. Thabiso was a boxer; Thabo, also known as Kwasa Kwasa, is a DJ at a local radio station; and Bimbo is an intellectual. Phakathi worked as a newspaper journalist, TV director, and theater actor, before he began making TV documentaries. Documentary, 17 min., VHS, dir: Dumisani Phakathi.
Hold Anything (1930) - Children, 6 min., VHS, dir: Hugh Harman.
Hollow City (2004) - Drama, 88 min., DVD, dir: Mario Joao Ganga.
Hollywood Chronicles: Stereotypes & Minorities (1990) - The film looks at the use of stereotypes in early Hollywood films focussing on the black experience. Documentary, 23 min., VHS, dir: James Forsher.
Hollywood Chronicles: Familiar Faces, n/a Names (1990) - This documentary looks at familiar character actors and actresses in film history. Documentary, 23 min., VHS, dir: James Forsher.
Hollywood Shuffle (1987) - Bobby Taylor's (Robert Townsend) greatest dream is to make it as a Hollywood superstar. However, the studios insist on his being "Hollywood black"--clown, pimp, drug pusher. He finally makes a decision about his future. Ann Marie Johnson plays his love interest; John Witherspoon and Keenen Ivory Wayans his co-workers; Helen Martin his grandmother. Comedy, 82 min., VHS, dir: Robert Townsend.
Home of the Brave (1949) - While on special mission, Pete Moss (James Edwards), the only black soldier in a U.S. Army patrol, becomes psychologically disabled as a result of his best friend being killed. Through flashbacks and analysis, the various nuances of racism are examined. Drama, 86 min., 16mm, VHS, dir: Mark Robson.
Homo Sapiens 1900 (1998) Documentary, 88 min., DVD, dir: Peter Cohen.
Honkey Donkey (1934) Comedy, 20 min., DVD, dir: Gus Meins.
Hoodlum (1997) - In 1934, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Laurence Fishburne) is released from Sing Sing prison to become one of Harlem's notorious gangster. He befriends Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson), Queen of Policy and the numbers racket. When St. Clair is sent to jail, "Bumpy" takes over the racket and is pitted against mobsters Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) and "Lucky" Luciano (Andy Garcia). Drama, 130 min., VHS, dir: Bill Duke.
Hook and Ladder (1932) Comedy, 20 min., DVD, dir: Robert F. McGowan.
Hoop Dreams (1994) - The documentary explores five years in the lives of two young African American basketball players, Arthur Agee and William Gates, from inner-city Chicago. Documentary, 176 min., VHS, dir: Steve James.
Hotel Rwanda (2004) - The true story of a hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), in Rwanda who provided shelter for over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their conflict with the Hutu militia. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Don Cheadle), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Sophie Okonedo), and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Keir Pearson and Terry George). Drama, 110 min., DVD, dir: Terry George.
Hour Glass (1971) - This short film is Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima's first film made while a graduate student at UCLA. Drama, 10 min., VHS, dir: Haile Gerima.
Hot Shots / Cool Cuts (1995) - This demo tape is a montage of locations, newsreel, wildlife, and historical footage compiled by the Contemporary and Historical Film Library. Documentary, 9 min., VHS, dir: n/a.
House Party (1990) - Kid (Christopher Reid) and his father (Robin Harris) represent the problems all teenagers encounter with their parents. Kid wants to show his peers that he can be "cool" and instead gets himself into trouble at home, school, and parties. Play (Christopher Martin) is his competition and best friend; Sidney (Tisha Campbell) his love interest; Adrienne-Joi Johnson plays a Projects girl. Comedy, 100 min., VHS, dir: Reginald Hudlin.
House Party 2: The Pajama Jam (1991) - Kid (Christopher Reid) is off to college and Play (Christopher Martin) remains behind, hoping to launch his musical career. When con artist Sheila Landrau (Iman) poses as a big record producer, Play falls for her scheme. To save Kid from being expelled, the boys plan the biggest house party on campus. Georg Stanford Brown plays a college professor; Queen Latifah plays Sydney's (Tisha Campbell) roommate. Whoopi Goldberg plays a satan-like character. Comedy, 94 min., VHS, dir: George Jackson & Doug McHenry.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) - Loosely based on book author, Terry McMillan's vacation to Jamaica where Stella (Angela Bassett) falls in love with a much younger man (Taye Diggs) and pulls her life back together. Regina King and Whoopi Goldberg star. Drama, 124 min., VHS, dir: Kevin Rodney Sullivan.
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005) - Combining interviews, film clips, and archival footage, this biographical documentary explores the life of maverick filmmaker Melvin van Peebles, best known as the creator of the independent film classic Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Interviewees include Spike Lee, Gil Scott-Heron, and Mario van Peebles, Melvin's filmmaking son. Documentary, 85 min., DVD, dir: Joe Angio.
How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired (1989) - The film chronicles the daily life of Man (Isaach De Bankole), an African writer in exile in Montreal, Canada. While writing his novel, Man engages in casual interracial sexual relationships, and comes to terms with the residual effects of slavery, colonialism, inequality, and social taboos. Man's friend Bouba (Maka Kotto) is the philosophizing Muslim who provides some small measure of a critical voice but on the whole the film barely scratches the surface of interracial sexual issues. Comedy, 97 min., VHS, dir: Jacques W. Benoit.
Huey P. Newton Story, A (2001) - This is an adaptation of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show about the life and times of Huey P. Newton, co-founder and one of the leaders of the Black Panther Party. Footage of Smith's performance in front of a live audience is augmented with newsreel clips of Newton at the apex of his popularity in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Drama, 86 min., DVD, dir: Spike Lee.
Human Stain, The (2003) - Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) is a classics professor at a small college in New England who resigns in protest after he is accused of making a racist remark about two of his students. Following his wife's death after learning the news of his persecution, Silk befriends writer Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise) in order to convince him to write the story of her "murder". Silk soon becomes involved with Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman), a middle-aged janitor at the college, and following their death in a car accident, Zuckerman discovers a secret about Silk's racial identity that he has maintained throughout his adult life. Harry J. Lennix plays Coleman's father, Anna Deavere Smith his mother, and Lizan Mitchell his sister Ernestine. Based upon the novel of the same title by Philip Roth. Drama, 106 min., DVD, dir: Robert Benton.
Human Tornado (1976) - Sequel to Dolemite. When the white sheriff discovers Dolemite (Rudy Ray Moore) sleeping with his wife, he immediately leaves town. In California, he joins forces with Kung Fu-fighting girls to fend off mobsters. Action, 85 min., VHS, dir: Cliff Roquemore.
Hurricane, The (1999) - Drama, 146 min., DVD, dir: Norman Jewison.
Hustle & Flow (2005) - Drama, 116 min., DVD, dir: Craig Brewer.
Hyenas (1992) -- Millionairess Linguere Ramatou (Ami Diakhate) returns to the village from which she was banished seeking revenge against the man who impregnated and abandoned her thirty years before. Comedy, 113 min., DVD, dir: Djibril Diop Mambéty.
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