Remembrance Wall

Title: The Homesteader

Date: 1919

Distributor: Micheaux Book and Film Co

Director: Oscar Micheaux

Cast: Charles D. Lucas, Evelyn Peer, Iris Hall, Inez Smith, Vernon S. Duncan, Charles S. Moore, Trevy Woods, William George

Summary: Jean Baptiste, a black man, and Agnes Stewart, a Scottish girl, fall in love in South Dakota after she rescues him during a blizzard. Fearful of the many obstacles to their relationship, Baptiste moves back East to his family and marries Orlean, a preacher’s daughter. Orlean’s father tries to discredit Baptiste. Unable to stand up to her father, Orlean goes insane, killing her father and herself. Baptiste returns to South Dakota and finds love again with Agnes, who has learned that she is black.

Notes: The first film by the pioneering African-American filmmaker. Based on Micheaux’s autobiographical novel.