In Faces in the Mirror, Distinguished Professor Emeritus John R. Howard explores the world of film as mirrored in the careers of two prominent black director/ producers: Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee.
Mischeaux pioneered in the film industry at the time of D.W. Griffiths and his Birth of a Nation (1916. Lee is currently a major force in film production.
In this true account of the careers of the two men,Howard explores the role of Race and Film in American Society, as reads the title of the first chapter.
In addition, Howard deals in depth with the 3 of the films produced by each artist: Micheaus's The Homesteader, Body and Soul and The Betrayal; Lee's The Answer, Do the Right Thing, The Inside Man.
The author weaves a fascinating chronicle of the differences and similarities of the men and of the obsticles they each faced in their struggle against Hollywood stereotyping and segregation.
Jill Watts, Professor of Histoy at the University of California San Marcos calls the book "...a deeply meaningful contribution to the history of African-americans as well as to the history of American film."
