Search - Harlem Double Feature: Girl in Room 20 (1942) / God's Step Children (1938) on DVD

Interesting early black double feature

Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 03/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a pair of early black films form the 30s and 40s. Both were directed by pioneer black directors, the first was by Specner Williams (Andy of Amos & Andy) and the second was by Oscar Micheaux.

"The Girl in Room 20" (c. 1946) is a somewhat timeworn tale (even then) of a small town girl who goes to the city to seek fame and fortune and-you can guess the rest. The suriving print is in pretty poor shape, but not bad ot watch if you can overlook this flaw.

"God's Stepchildren" (1938) is one of the most disturbing (but fascinating) films of this genre. A girl named Naomi of mixed white and black blood is left on the doorstep of a goodhearted black woman and her son. Naomi grows up to be a holy terror running wild, slandering her teacher, picking fights, filled with hatred toward the black race she lives among, and is sent to live with the nuns. She comes back as an adult and inflicts further damage (she also falls in love with her stepbrother). The ending of this film, which I will not describe here, is one of the most psychologically troubling you will ever see for such a low-budget film. A deep message about self-hatred among blacks and one of Micheaux's best surviving films.

See these on a lazy Sunday afternoon."