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Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1935 Vision of Oscar Micheaux
Peeling back the layers of Oscar Micheaux's Temptation exposes the technical innovation that Oscar Micheaux introduced to the Crime format. Driven by an uncompromising commitment to Crime excellence, it stands as the definitive 1935 statement on Crime identity.
In Temptation, Oscar Micheaux pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
The visual language of Temptation is defined by its use of shadows and framing, a hallmark of Oscar Micheaux's style. By utilizing a 1935-era palette, the film creates an immersive experience that perfectly complements its Crime themes.
| Cinematography | Handheld |
| Soundtrack | Orchestral |
| Editing | Invisible |
| Art Direction | Kitsch |
Visualizing the convergence of Oscar Micheaux's style and the core Crime narrative.
Helen Ware, an artist's model, known as the Brown Venus is sad, discouraged and unhappy. When her men friends learn that she often poses nude, they try to become unduly "friendly" or just shun her, with the result that a beautiful girl with the figure of a Goddess finds herself without a lover. In desperation, she goes to a notorious night club and is later seen about to start on the downward trail. In New York's Harlem section, gangdom is running riot. Gangster Kid Cotton kills a man and runs away with the man's sweetheart, who is unaware of the crime until she reads about it in a newspaper at the "Mad Mullah" club in Chicago. Helen is near their table, overhears their discussion of the killing, and later finds herself involved in the case. Government undercover man Robert Fletcher trails Cotton to Chicago, and a peculiar twist of fate brings Helen to his hotel room, and a most intimate situation follows. Cotton sets up a numbers bank in Chicago in opposition the the policy gang, and a gang war breaks out. Gomez and his gang are rubbed out and Cotton becomes the king of the underworld. But the dragnet, thrown around him by Fletcher, begins to tighten.
Decades after its release, Temptation remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Oscar Micheaux's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.