The House Behind the Cedars
Encyclopedia
The House Behind the Cedars is a 1927
silent
race film directed, written, produced and distributed by the noted director Oscar Micheaux
. It was adapted from the 1900 novel of the same name by the African-American writer Charles W. Chesnutt
, who explored issues of race, class and identity in the post-Civil War
South
. No print of the film is known to exist and it is considered lost. Micheaux remade the film in 1932 under the title Veiled Aristocrats
.
The Virginia Censorship Board, an arm of white supremacy
, at first banned the film from being shown in the state, saying it would threaten race relations. In 1924, the state had passed the Racial Integrity Act incorporating the one-drop rule
into law for the first time. Any person with any known African ancestry was classified as "black" for state record-keeping. Although Micheaux made some cuts to get the film distributed, he wrote to the board: "There has been but one picture that incited the colored people to riot and that still does. [T]hat picture is Birth of a Nation."
named Frank (C.D. Griffith), Rena does not decided in his favor. Her light skin and appearance allow her to avoid any mention of her black heritage and pass for white. She meets and falls in love with John Walden, a young white aristocrat (Lawrence Chenault
). But as their relationship deepens, Rena is unable to deny her racial identity. She leaves John and returns to Frank, yet her decision creates great inner turmoil. As she accepts Frank as her life partner, she confesses: “Frank, I am miserable.”
. Chesnutt himself, pontificated upon the question of race in his own life as he was multi-ethnic. This is the second of two Oscar Micheaux films based on Chesnutt’s books. His 1926 production of The Conjure Woman
was the first, and it was based on a story in Chesnutt's collection by that name published in 1899.
Micheaux promoted The House Behind the Cedars by calling attention to a then-prominent New York scandal related to the legal proceedings of Leonard Rhinelander, a wealthy socialite who sought to have his marriage to Alice Jones annulled when he discovered her mixed-race parentage after the couple’s wedding. Although the plot of The House Behind the Cedars differed significantly from the Rhinelander case, the film's advertising campaign noted its similarities to the contemporary legal case. Some of the advertising included statements such as "An Amazing Parallel to the Famous Rhinelander Case!", and "Rhinelander Case at the Regent". A longer account said, "The House Behind the Cedars is a remarkable parallel to the famous Rhinelander Case.... It tells the story of a beautiful mulatto
girl who poses as white, and is wooed and won by a young white millionaire. Although worried, she does not betray her secret. Then comes the discovery as in the Rhinelander case."
Lawrence Chenault, who played the white aristocrat, was a light-skinned, mixed-race African American actor. Shingzie Howard, who played Rena, also of mixed race, had previously starred in Micheaux’s films The Virgin of the Seminole
and Uncle Jasper's Will
.
Micheaux shot The House Behind the Cedars in Roanoke, Virginia
. When he returned to the state to secure exhibition locales, he found that the three-man Virginia Board of Censors banned the film from theaters because the Board found it "so objectionable, in fact, as to necessitate its total rejection". This was only a few years after the white Democratic legislature, which had disfranchised most black voters earlier in the century, had passed its Racial Integrity Act of 1924. This instituted the one-drop rule
, by which any person with any African heritage was classified as black for state record-keeping. The board called in other state officials to help them review the film, including Walter Plecker, a supporter of eugenics
who implemented the new act, and other known supporters of white supremacy
. All were white. Officials found the film's story too threatening to its Jim Crow social order, despite the well-documented history of miscegenation
under slavery in colonial and antebellum Virginia. They suggested it would threaten current relations between the races.
Micheaux agreed to make some cuts in the film, while remarking that no other state or censorship board had objected or required changes. He said it had been screened in many areas "without incident." He also noted that when the Chesnutt novel had been published 30 years earlier, it was "read by over a thousand white people to every colored person." He further said, "There has been but one picture that incited the colored people to riot and that still does. [T]hat picture is Birth of a Nation." After his cuts, the film was shown in Virginia.
Afterward, the board turned used its review of the film into "a litmus test for the proper allegiance of white civil servants to the Racial Integrity Act." Finding some of board member Arthur James' comments insufficiently critical of the film, they released them to John Powell, leader of the Anglo-Saxon Clubs, an organization devoted to white supremacy. Powell initiated threats to James' position and generated letters of strong criticism by the members of the Anglo-Saxon Clubs. James survived and he later was appointed as commissioner of Public Welfare.
Micheaux remade The House Behind the Cedars in 1932 under the title Veiled Aristocrats
. No print of The House Behind the Cedars is known to exist, and it is presumed to be a lost film
.
1927 in film
-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
race film directed, written, produced and distributed by the noted director Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films...
. It was adapted from the 1900 novel of the same name by the African-American writer Charles W. Chesnutt
Charles W. Chesnutt
Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South, where the legacy of slavery and interracial relations had resulted in many free...
, who explored issues of race, class and identity in the post-Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
South
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
. No print of the film is known to exist and it is considered lost. Micheaux remade the film in 1932 under the title Veiled Aristocrats
Veiled Aristocrats
Veiled Aristocrats is a 1932 race film directed, written, produced and distributed by Oscar Micheaux. It dealt with the theme of "passing" by mixed-race African Americans to avoid racial discrimination.-Plot:...
.
The Virginia Censorship Board, an arm of white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
, at first banned the film from being shown in the state, saying it would threaten race relations. In 1924, the state had passed the Racial Integrity Act incorporating the one-drop rule
One-drop rule
The one-drop rule is a historical colloquial term in the United States for the social classification as black of individuals with any African ancestry; meaning any person with "one drop of black blood" was considered black...
into law for the first time. Any person with any known African ancestry was classified as "black" for state record-keeping. Although Micheaux made some cuts to get the film distributed, he wrote to the board: "There has been but one picture that incited the colored people to riot and that still does. [T]hat picture is Birth of a Nation."
Plot
Rena (Shingzie Howard) is a young woman of mixed race. Although she is romantically pursued by an upwardly mobile African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
named Frank (C.D. Griffith), Rena does not decided in his favor. Her light skin and appearance allow her to avoid any mention of her black heritage and pass for white. She meets and falls in love with John Walden, a young white aristocrat (Lawrence Chenault
Lawrence Chenault
Lawrence Chenault was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He appeared in 22 films between years 1920 and 1934.-External links:*...
). But as their relationship deepens, Rena is unable to deny her racial identity. She leaves John and returns to Frank, yet her decision creates great inner turmoil. As she accepts Frank as her life partner, she confesses: “Frank, I am miserable.”
Production
The House Behind the Cedars was adapted from the 1900 novel by the American writer Charles W. ChesnuttCharles W. Chesnutt
Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South, where the legacy of slavery and interracial relations had resulted in many free...
. Chesnutt himself, pontificated upon the question of race in his own life as he was multi-ethnic. This is the second of two Oscar Micheaux films based on Chesnutt’s books. His 1926 production of The Conjure Woman
The Conjure Woman
The Conjure Woman is a 1926 race film directed, written, produced and distributed by Oscar Micheaux. The film, which stars Evelyn Preer, is based on the 1899 short story collection by the African American writer Charles W. Chesnutt....
was the first, and it was based on a story in Chesnutt's collection by that name published in 1899.
Micheaux promoted The House Behind the Cedars by calling attention to a then-prominent New York scandal related to the legal proceedings of Leonard Rhinelander, a wealthy socialite who sought to have his marriage to Alice Jones annulled when he discovered her mixed-race parentage after the couple’s wedding. Although the plot of The House Behind the Cedars differed significantly from the Rhinelander case, the film's advertising campaign noted its similarities to the contemporary legal case. Some of the advertising included statements such as "An Amazing Parallel to the Famous Rhinelander Case!", and "Rhinelander Case at the Regent". A longer account said, "The House Behind the Cedars is a remarkable parallel to the famous Rhinelander Case.... It tells the story of a beautiful mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
girl who poses as white, and is wooed and won by a young white millionaire. Although worried, she does not betray her secret. Then comes the discovery as in the Rhinelander case."
Lawrence Chenault, who played the white aristocrat, was a light-skinned, mixed-race African American actor. Shingzie Howard, who played Rena, also of mixed race, had previously starred in Micheaux’s films The Virgin of the Seminole
The Virgin of the Seminole
The Virgin of the Seminole was a 1922 race film directed, written and produced by Oscar Micheaux. The film focused on a young black man who joins the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and becomes a hero by rescuing a captive mixed-race woman from a hostile American Indian tribe...
and Uncle Jasper's Will
Uncle Jasper's Will
Uncle Jasper's Will is a 1922 race film directed, produced and written by Oscar Micheaux. The film is a drama about the contents of a last will and testament left behind by an African American sharecropper who was lynched after being falsely accused of the murder of a white plantation owner...
.
Micheaux shot The House Behind the Cedars in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. When he returned to the state to secure exhibition locales, he found that the three-man Virginia Board of Censors banned the film from theaters because the Board found it "so objectionable, in fact, as to necessitate its total rejection". This was only a few years after the white Democratic legislature, which had disfranchised most black voters earlier in the century, had passed its Racial Integrity Act of 1924. This instituted the one-drop rule
One-drop rule
The one-drop rule is a historical colloquial term in the United States for the social classification as black of individuals with any African ancestry; meaning any person with "one drop of black blood" was considered black...
, by which any person with any African heritage was classified as black for state record-keeping. The board called in other state officials to help them review the film, including Walter Plecker, a supporter of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
who implemented the new act, and other known supporters of white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
. All were white. Officials found the film's story too threatening to its Jim Crow social order, despite the well-documented history of miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
under slavery in colonial and antebellum Virginia. They suggested it would threaten current relations between the races.
Micheaux agreed to make some cuts in the film, while remarking that no other state or censorship board had objected or required changes. He said it had been screened in many areas "without incident." He also noted that when the Chesnutt novel had been published 30 years earlier, it was "read by over a thousand white people to every colored person." He further said, "There has been but one picture that incited the colored people to riot and that still does. [T]hat picture is Birth of a Nation." After his cuts, the film was shown in Virginia.
Afterward, the board turned used its review of the film into "a litmus test for the proper allegiance of white civil servants to the Racial Integrity Act." Finding some of board member Arthur James' comments insufficiently critical of the film, they released them to John Powell, leader of the Anglo-Saxon Clubs, an organization devoted to white supremacy. Powell initiated threats to James' position and generated letters of strong criticism by the members of the Anglo-Saxon Clubs. James survived and he later was appointed as commissioner of Public Welfare.
Micheaux remade The House Behind the Cedars in 1932 under the title Veiled Aristocrats
Veiled Aristocrats
Veiled Aristocrats is a 1932 race film directed, written, produced and distributed by Oscar Micheaux. It dealt with the theme of "passing" by mixed-race African Americans to avoid racial discrimination.-Plot:...
. No print of The House Behind the Cedars is known to exist, and it is presumed to be a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.