
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Actor, writer, director and activist Ossie Davis narrates this look at the history of race films, those produced from the 1920s-50s catered to a primarily Black audience.
Where to Watch
Availability: United States
No regional provider information is available for United States.
Streaming availability data provided by JustWatch.
Top Cast

Ossie Davis
Narrator
George Johnson
Self (archive sound)

Lorenzo Tucker
Self (archive sound)
Lucia Lynn Moses
Self (archive sound)

Fredi Washington
Self (archive sound)
Henry Armstrong
Self (archive footage)

Josephine Baker
Self (archive footage)

Leslie Banks
Self (archive footage)

Clarence Brooks
Self (archive footage)

Cab Calloway
Self (archive footage)

Walter Connolly
Self (archive footage)

Miriam Cooper
Self (archive footage)

Dudley Digges
Self (archive footage)

Duke Ellington
Self (archive footage)

Marcus Garvey
Self (archive footage)

Lillian Gish
Self (archive footage)
Jack Johnson
Self (archive footage)

Noble Johnson
Self (archive footage)

Walter Long
Self (archive footage)

William Lundigan
Self (archive footage)
Crew
Directors
Writers
Editors
More Like This

McQueen
2018 · ★ 7.4

Directed by John Ford
1971 · ★ 7.0

Fuck
2006 · ★ 6.4

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
2000 · ★ 7.8

Come See Me in the Good Light
2025 · ★ 7.0

A Decade Under the Influence
2003 · ★ 7.9

To Kill a Tiger
2023 · ★ 7.6

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince
1978 · ★ 6.7

The U.S. vs. John Lennon
2006 · ★ 6.6

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
2023 · ★ 6.1

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
2006 · ★ 6.8

Tabloid
2011 · ★ 6.4

Sidney
2022 · ★ 6.9

The Class of ‘92
2013 · ★ 7.1

Night Will Fall
2014 · ★ 7.6

28 Up
1985 · ★ 7.5

Love, Marilyn
2013 · ★ 6.5

In the Realms of the Unreal
2004 · ★ 7.2

Tupac: Resurrection
2003 · ★ 7.9

OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)
2022 · ★ 7.8
More Featuring Ossie Davis

Dinosaur
2000 · ★ 6.6

Do the Right Thing
1989 · ★ 7.8

Malcolm X
1992 · ★ 7.6

Gladiator
1992 · ★ 7.7

Doctor Dolittle
1998 · ★ 5.7

The Client
1994 · ★ 6.7

12 Angry Men
1997 · ★ 7.7

Grumpy Old Men
1993 · ★ 6.7

Joe Versus the Volcano
1990 · ★ 5.8

Jungle Fever
1991 · ★ 6.4

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022 · ★ 6.6

Bubba Ho-tep
2002 · ★ 6.5

Cop & ½
1993 · ★ 4.6

Get on the Bus
1996 · ★ 6.4

She Hate Me
2004 · ★ 5.2