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Though groundbreaking in its treatment of interracial relationships, the movie is also remarkable for what it doesn't show—namely, any kissing or extended hugging between Dandridge and Justin, or anything other than proximity between Belafonte and Norman (which, frankly, detracts from the believability of the latter relationship). But given the extreme controversy of the subject matter (several theaters and communities threatened to boycott the film—and those were the friendlier of the responses, particularly in the South), the film is progressive in its own way. It's beautifully filmed, with sets in Barbados and on the island of Grenada. The 45-minute special feature "Dorothy Dandridge: Little Girl Lost" tells the story of the difficult life and tragic death of Dandridge, whose life in some ways paralleled that of Marilyn Monroe. With interviews with Bogle (Dandridge's biographer), Dandridge's ex-husband Harold Nicholas, Fayard Nicholas, and close friend Geri Branton, those features alone is worth the cost of the DVD.

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A true gem, this comedy features golden couple Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee as the title character and his naï ve but devoted love interest, Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins. Purlie, a winsome young preacher with a way with words and an activist bent, is determined to preserve "Big Bethel Church of the New Freedom for All Mankind—part Baptist, part Methodist, part Catholic, with the merriness of Christmas and the happiness of Hanukkah." But first, he's got to return to the plantation where his family has sharecropped—and where he last took a whipping from nemesis Stonewall Jackson Cotchipee. With the help of Cotchipee's more progressive son Charlie (Alan Alda), Purlie's got to claim a $500 inheritance to pay off the church. Purlie's got big plans. But will he be … Victorious? The movie (adapted from Davis' stage play) also features Godfrey Cambridge

The following more recent titles are fictionalized accounts of historical events. They are best viewed as starting points rather than definitive histories.

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This film compellingly tells the story of Robert Richardson, a fledgling black journalist who got his start when the 1965 Los Angeles Riots erupted and Richardson, then an ad salesman at the Los Angeles Times, was willing to report from Watts. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson bring warm, emotive performances as members of the community. Richardson (played by Blair Underwood) was on the set of the film, and his story is similar to that of several other black journalists of that era. (The Times' package on the 40th anniversary of the riots is here.)

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Buffalo Soldiers dramatizes the story of black soldiers who served on the Western frontier following the Civil War. Featuring Danny Glover and Glynn Turman, it accurately portrays some of the hardships and insults the soldiers endured, but seems more "truthy" than true in its portrayal of the soldiers' interactions with Native Americans.

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This sports movie, about how the basketball team at St. Augustine High School integrated the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, is no less delightful for being predictable. Screenwriter Harold Sylvester, who played in the 1965 game, takes significant liberties with the story. For example Father Joseph Verrett (Andre Braugher), the civil rights-minded priest who takes over the team, never actually coached it, and the school's white principal (Rip Torn) wasn't the reluctant gradualist he's made out to be —but it eloquently portrays Verrett's desire to put action to his faith.

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In this film, young Owen Walker (Vicellous Reon Shannon) and his friends must decide how to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement when members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee come to fictional Quinlan, Mississippi. Not only does it mean coming to terms with the practice of nonviolence, it also means facing the bottled anger of his father (Danny Glover), whose militant spirit was broken by his own encounters with racism.

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This is a 15th anniversary edition of Robert Townsend's film, which follows a fictional singing group styled after the Dells from its early days through a sudden breakup and eventual reunion. In a sweet moment for classic movie lovers, the film features a 70-something Harold Nicholas as the group's gruff, neat-as-a-pin dance instructor.

© LaTonya Taylor 2006, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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