Within Our Gates (partially found silent film; 1920)
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"Within Our Gates", directed by Oscar Micheaux, is the oldest surviving film by an African American. [1] Released in 1920, the film was extremely controversial with various scenes being cut at different screenings.[2] Shortly after the film's release, it was lost for decades.[2]
In 1970, a print was found in Spain. However, all but four of the original English intertitles had been replaced with Spanish.[2] In 1992 "Within Our Gates" was selected by the Library of Congress to be restored and added to the National Film Registry.[3]
Aside from the four surviving English intertitles, Micheaux's original text remains lost. The Library of Congress's restoration of "Within Our Gates" contains only approximations of what Micheaux originally said.[1]