Oscar’s Black Odyssey
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Main Program: C+
The battle for African Americans to be noticed and
rewarded for their work in Hollywood is still an issue and a problem. In one generation, some permanent strides
have been taken and Oscar’s Black Odyssey reexamines the issue now that
more actors have recently won awards.
The “Hattie to Halle” title tries to mark some great period of progress,
and though some change has happened for the better, there is still a sense that
there is a long way to go as there was before the recent success.
As compared to A Century Of Black Cinema (reviewed
elsewhere on this site), this program is not as good, also not working as well
as similar parts on the Thirty Years Of Oscar set (also reviewed on this
site from the same producers), so what we get are some interviews from persons
with good opinions on the subject, but the show never goes into the deeper
problems and challenges ahead. It does
celebrate what has happened, but seems to stop short when it should not. That will date it beyond the next time an
African American takes home the gold again.
The 1.33 X 1 image is rarely with any widescreen images
and all the new material is shot on NTSC videotape, but the film clips are not
bad, from trailers available in the DVD’s only supplement. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is monophonic for the
most part, with barely any stereo in the main program. At least this is a good basic history disc.
- Nicholas Sheffo
