Donald Bogle Books

This classic iconic study of black images in American motion pictures has been updated and revised, as Donald Bogle continues to enlighten us with his historical and social reflections on the relationship between African Americans and Hollywood. He notes the remarkable shifts that have come about in the new millennium when such filmmakers as Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and Ava DuVernay (Selma) examined America's turbulent racial history and the particular dilemma of black actresses in Hollywood, including Halle Berry, Lupita Nyong'o, Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Hudson, and Viola Davis. Bogle also looks at the ongoing careers of such stars as Denzel Washington and Will Smith and such directors as Spike Lee and John Singleton, observing that questions of diversity in the film industry continue. From The Birth of a Nation, the 1934 Imitation of Life, Gone with the Wind, and Carmen Jones to Shaft, Do the Right Thing, and Boyz N the Hood to Training Day, Dreamgirls, The Help, Django Unchained, and Straight Outta Compton, Donald Bogle compellingly reveals the way in which the images of blacks in American movies have significantly changed-and also the shocking way in which those images have often remained the same.

This definitive biography of a pioneering Black performer, the first nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, highlights her groundbreaking contributions to Hollywood and American society prior to the Civil Rights movement. In the segregated America of the 1950s, few celebrities matched Dorothy Dandridge's talent, beauty, and influence. Film historian Donald Bogle presents a comprehensive portrait of her extraordinary yet tragic life, from her beginnings as a child performer in Cleveland to her rise as a nightclub headliner and movie star, culminating in her heartbreaking death at 42. Dandridge broke racial barriers by integrating prestigious nightclubs and shattering Tinseltown's glass ceiling. Her performances, particularly in Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones alongside Harry Belafonte, earned her an Academy Award nomination, making her the first woman of color to receive such recognition. However, her wealth and fame masked a life filled with contradictions. Professionally, she struggled to find quality roles and grappled with her image as a sex symbol. Personal challenges included two unhappy marriages, unfulfilling relationships, and guilt over her disabled daughter, leading to emotional and financial despair. Drawing from extensive research and unique interviews, this biography captures Dandridge's complexity, showcasing her strength, vulnerability, joy, pain, trials, and triumphs.

A dual biography of entertainment legends Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson that explores their individual careers and personal lives leading up to and including their 25-year friendship.

From Turner Classic Movies and Donald Bogle, the award-winning author and leading authority on Black cinema history, this is a comprehensive and lavish biography of Hollywood's first African American movie goddess.