Two New Videos Take Black History Seriously

If you’re looking for recent movies to help celebrate Black History Month, you may find the mainstream fare on video shelves disappointing. Recent efforts haven’t dealt much with serious topics, even if there are a slew that star African-American actors.

But there are two excellent films lurking in the background, if you can find them. “Nightjohn” (Hallmark) and “Once Upon a Time … When We Were Colored” (Republic) didn’t make much money in theaters, but they’re just right for the occasion.

Directed by Tim Reid, “Once Upon a Time …” is the story of the emerging fight for civil rights. Based on an autobiography, it tells the story of a sleepy Mississippi town through the eyes of a boy being taught by his elders to survive in a racist world.

“Nightjohn,” directed by Charles Burnett (“The Glass Shield,” “To Sleep With Anger”), takes a look at the slavery era through the eyes of a young girl who dares to learn to read. Her elders also try to hold her back, but she looks to the one man who can read (Carl Lumbly, who received a CableAce nomination) as her savior.

These stories are told uncompromisingly from an African-American perspective. Unlike mainstream thrillers about racism that seek to explain white motivation for atrocities or even ‘hood movies that play to white fears with depictions of violence, this pair make no concession to white audiences. That quality alone should get them cheered instead of stuck on back shelves.