Veiled Aristocrats
Encyclopedia
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.
lawyer
, returns to his family in North Carolina
after being away for 20 years. Walden has passed as white and been successful. He discovers domestic turmoil: his mother is trying to dissuade his sister Rena, who is also light skinned, from being romantically involved with Frank Fowler (Carl Mahon), a dark-skinned African-American businessman. With his mother’s blessing, Walden suggest that Rena abandon Fowler and move with him to another part of the city, where she would be able to pass for white.
After Rena reluctantly agrees, her brother sets her up in a fancy home with African-American servants, who are initially unaware of Rena's race. Rena is pursued by a white high-class man who proposes marriage. Becoming uncomfortable with the situation, Rena tells her brother that she is a "negress" and is "tired of being a liar and a cheat". Rena reunites with Frank and they elope.
by the author Charles W. Chesnutt
. In 1927 he made a silent film production of it (no print of that film is known to exist today). In his 1932 version, Micheaux altered the Chesnutt story by having Rena and Frank get married (Chesnutt’s book ends with Rena’s death). Micheaux's screenplay is often blunt in its exploration of color lines within the African-American community; at one point John says: "I've heard, right on the street, a coal black Negro declares he loves her!"
Micheaux shot much of Veiled Aristocrats at his mother-in-law’s home in Montclair, New Jersey
. Lorenzo Tucker
, who played John Walden, was a popular leading man of the race film genre and was dubbed the "black Valentino" because of his striking good looks. Laura Bowman, who played Rena Walden, was the leading lady in several of Micheaux’s films during the 1930s, including Ten Minutes to Live (1932) and Murder in Harlem
(1935).
for many years, but a trailer and fragments from two reels were discovered in a Tennessee
garage in 1992. The surviving footage was restored by the George Eastman House
in Rochester, New York
, and has been preserved in the Library of Congress
. The original film’s running time is unknown. Most of the final ten minutes of the surviving incomplete version consists of musical numbers performed by Rena’s house servants, including a rendition of the song River, Stay Away from My Door.
1932 in film
-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
race film directed, written, produced and distributed by Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films...
. It dealt with the theme of "passing
Passing (racial identity)
Racial passing refers to a person classified as a member of one racial group attempting to be accepted as a member of a different racial group...
" by mixed-race African Americans to avoid racial discrimination.
Plot
John Walden, a light-skinned 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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, returns to his family in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
after being away for 20 years. Walden has passed as white and been successful. He discovers domestic turmoil: his mother is trying to dissuade his sister Rena, who is also light skinned, from being romantically involved with Frank Fowler (Carl Mahon), a dark-skinned African-American businessman. With his mother’s blessing, Walden suggest that Rena abandon Fowler and move with him to another part of the city, where she would be able to pass for white.
After Rena reluctantly agrees, her brother sets her up in a fancy home with African-American servants, who are initially unaware of Rena's race. Rena is pursued by a white high-class man who proposes marriage. Becoming uncomfortable with the situation, Rena tells her brother that she is a "negress" and is "tired of being a liar and a cheat". Rena reunites with Frank and they elope.
Production
Veiled Aristocrats was Oscar Micheaux's second film adaptation of the 1900 novel The House Behind the CedarsThe House Behind the Cedars
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...
by the author 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...
. In 1927 he made a silent film production of it (no print of that film is known to exist today). In his 1932 version, Micheaux altered the Chesnutt story by having Rena and Frank get married (Chesnutt’s book ends with Rena’s death). Micheaux's screenplay is often blunt in its exploration of color lines within the African-American community; at one point John says: "I've heard, right on the street, a coal black Negro declares he loves her!"
Micheaux shot much of Veiled Aristocrats at his mother-in-law’s home in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. Lorenzo Tucker
Lorenzo Tucker
Lorenzo Tucker , known as the "Black Valentino," was an African-American stage and screen actor who played the romantic lead in the early black films of Oscar Micheaux.-Acting career:...
, who played John Walden, was a popular leading man of the race film genre and was dubbed the "black Valentino" because of his striking good looks. Laura Bowman, who played Rena Walden, was the leading lady in several of Micheaux’s films during the 1930s, including Ten Minutes to Live (1932) and Murder in Harlem
Murder in Harlem
Murder in Harlem is a 1935 American race film written, produced and directed by Oscar Micheaux, who also appears in the film...
(1935).
Surviving copy
No extant print of Veiled Aristocrats is known to exist. It was presumed to be a lost filmLost 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...
for many years, but a trailer and fragments from two reels were discovered in a Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
garage in 1992. The surviving footage was restored by the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, and has been preserved in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. The original film’s running time is unknown. Most of the final ten minutes of the surviving incomplete version consists of musical numbers performed by Rena’s house servants, including a rendition of the song River, Stay Away from My Door.